Royce Da 5’9″ Partners With Hilltop Hoods’ Label For New Album, Australia Tour Imminent

I will admit that I slept on Royce da 5’9″ for way too long. As in, until a few months ago. I know, I know. But I’m awake now, and that’s the main thing – just in time for his new album, Layers, which drops this Friday.

Interestingly, the album is coming out in Australia via Golden Era, an imprint label run by Australian rappers Hilltop Hoods. This marks the label’s first international release.

Royce’s involvement in hip-hop is long, prolific and remarkable, as I’ve come to learn in my brief but intense self-introduction to the Detroit rapper, who first rose to attention with Bad Meets Evil, a rap duo also featuring another then-unknown rapper who you might’ve heard of once or twice, Eminem.

The prolific collaborator has also worked as part of Slaughterhouse and PRhyme, as well as numerous solo albums, with Layers marking his sixth. While the seventeen track offering is predominantly solo, a handful of tracks featuring big names like Pusha T and Rick Ross add a dash of star power to the record, which will undoubtedly be hailed as one of 2016’s best by many.

Announcing the news via Twitter, Royce also revealed that an Australian tour was on its way:

Yo Australia! @badhalfent & I are partnering w/ @hilltophoods label @goldeneraonline to release #Layers. Available Friday. Tour coming..

— ROYCE (@Royceda59) April 14, 2016