Royce Da 5'9" - Raiders of the Lost Art: Part 2 lyrics

[DJ Premier] I don't care if you're old, young, fat, skinny, pop, no pop, underground, top ground. Is your rhyme dope? If it ain't, it don't mean sh**. That's the bottom line. [Bun B] In hip-hop someone has got to set the standard. The decision to form the group PRhyme was something that happened organically. After years of collaborating with each other DJ Premier and Royce da 5'9" decided that they could only fulfill their artistic destiny by joining forces for a full-length project. It was a step they both needed to take for hip-hop's sake. [DJ Premier] Yeah. I'm not really into, like, everybody seeing how I do my beats. But, you know, as far as the whole aspect of how I program for artists that work with me, I let them see it. I don't let them ever film it, but it's more like, "Hey, take the memory of what you saw." [Bun B] With DJ Premier, Royce da 5'9" was in his comfort zone, and the chemistry between the two of them is undeniable. But on their first project as a duo, Royce wanted to do things a little differently. That's where their music of Adrian Younge comes from. [Royce da 5'9"] PRhyme started as an idea. It was a idea that was meant for Slaughterhouse, by the group. It's this new kid. He's hot. Everybody's sampling his music. He gets with his band. And one of his goals in his career was to make it where everybody in hip-hop is sampling him. You know, they make all of their music from scratch. He scored the whole Black Dynamite movie. He did the soundtrack to it. His name is Adrian Younge. [Bun B] Though Premier had been vocal about staying in his own lane, the addition of Adrian Younge allowed the producer to experiment with the unique sound of a new generation. Adrian's music presented Preem with a challenge that he was resistant to at first. [DJ Premier] It looked different for me because I didn't really want to sample one artist. And then with Adrian Younge's music - the catalog that he gave me to use - I was just like, "How am I gonna make it sound like we sound different with every song when it's just one artist?" But, you know, with Adrian's style and sound, I wasn't doubtful, I just didn't know how far I could pull off being different because Miles Davis never sounded the same on every record. [Adrian Younge] Honestly, it's crazy because these new versions that you made actually make my music better. 'Cause when I listen to my music now, I think of PRhyme. I mean, it's hard for me just to think of my music on it's own. You made that stuff better. [Bun B] Musically, the production on PRhyme exceeds expectation. The beats represent hip-hop in it's rawest form, giving Royce more of a reason to continue to keep the lyrical content ahead of the curve. And even inspiring a few up-and-coming beat makers, including Royce's own sixteen-year-old son in the process. [Lil' Royce] Yeah, I remember. 'Cause I was always showing - I was always like, "Aye, let me play you this real quick." And I'd play it for him in the car and stuff. He'd be like, "Yeah, this is good. You know, I like it." But I always kind of wanted him to be like, "Wow. Wow." Like, vibing and sh**. You know what I'm saying? So I remember I was playing - when I was first making music, I had the drum going with the sample. He was like, "I like that. I like that." And he went back. I was so happy. 'Cause that was the first time - I ain't even had to ask him to listen to it. He just automatically caught on. That was the very first time. [Bun B] It's that element of complexity that will make PRhyme stand out.