NEW YORK (AP) — Royce da 5’9” has enjoyed a No. 1 album thanks to his collaboration with Eminem, but he doesn’t enjoy the same amount of fame. He’s still aiming high, though.
“It would be great if I could be in that position,” says Royce, whose real name is Ryan Daniel Montgomery.
“I obviously don’t have to be that big,” he adds modestly.
The rapper has toiled under the radar for years, but is enjoying a different side of fame since working with Eminem, a fellow Detroit native whom he has known for years. Their joint album “Hell: The Sequel” under the moniker Bad Meets Evil was a chart success, and Royce appeared on stage with Eminem at the recent Lollapalooza festival in Chicago, in front of a 60,000 strong crowd.
“It’s one of the most massive things that I’ve ever been a part of performance-wise. It was crazy, the energy was great, everybody showed Marshall a lot of love,” Royce said in an interview this week about Eminem, whose real name is Marshall Mathers.
“Once you reach that level of superstardom, like when you’re beyond hip-hop, that’s like something else. Not everybody is built for that,” says the rapper.
But Royce is hoping to ride the wave of his Bad Meets Evil success with his new album, “Success Is Certain,” which was released this week .
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
