What is going on in hip-hop? First Dr. Dre is dropping a new album, then Wu-Tang’s Once Upon A Time In Shaolin found a new buyer, and now Slaughterhouse appears to be on the verge of a reunion. Before long, Andre 3000 will be announcing a solo project on the way.
In all seriousness, Royce Da 5’9, KXNG Crooked, and Joell Ortiz appear to be actively collaborating once again, and while it’s unclear as to whether Joe Budden will be hopping on board, the door has been left wide open for the podcaster should he be so inclined. Following a series of phone-call catch-ups, it seems as if the three aforementioned emcees wasted little time in hitting the booth, laying down what can only be described as theme music.
Image via HNHH
Royce shared a snippet of the track in question on his Instagram page, playing the majority of KXNG Crooked’s verse. From the sound of it, the track appears to feature a heavy superhero motif, and Crook lines his verse with references to Wakanda, WandaVision, Deadshot, One-Punch Man, the Incredible Hulk, and more. “Crooked is gooooooooddddd,” captions Royce, while Crooked issues an open invite to Budden: “3 down, 1 to go.”
It’s also interesting to note the narration that appears to introduce each verse, reminiscent of a classic superhero TV series. “Meanwhile back at the lab, Slaughterhouse had had their first defeat,” begins the narrator. “The team is feeling down and out, but are they down for the count?” From there, the track explodes with an epic Conan The Barbarian sample, leading into a hard-hitting verse from track opener Royce Da 5’9. From the sound of his early bars, don’t be surprised to see this one titled “Comic Book” or some similar variation when it drops.
He also shared another snippet, and while it doesn’t appear to feature any of his Slaughterhouse compatriots, the aggressive tone does seem to suggest a potential response to his old pal Lupe Fiasco. Clearly, Nickle has had his hands full of late, and don’t be surprised to see the calculated Detroit veteran returning in full force. The only question is, how strong is Joe’s resistance to FOMO?