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On March 15th, a new song hit the net from Detroit emcee Royce Da 5’9″ from his upcoming EP “Tabernacle: Trust The Shooter”. The song in question, “Dead President Heads”, contained some brash lyrics from Royce in which he name drops Hip Hop group The Outsidaz at 4:46 (click here). Having past collaborations with the Michigan artist, Outsidaz member Pacewon took to social media immediately after first hearing it to declare his distaste for the song.
That’s when things got interesting, Pace connected with fellow crew members Young Zee and Denz One and put together a harsh response record titled “The Funeral”. Fans were left in a daze, confused at how the issue even came about and in some cases, have already began choosing sides. GYBU was able to connect with Pacewon himself in hopes of getting a better understanding of the situation and to talk about both songs in this special interview segment.
GYBU: So a song crossed our email not too long ago. It was for a new track from Royce Da 5’9″ called “Dead President Heads”. From a lyrical standpoint, there was alot to take in with the six plus minutes it lasted. However, when the song approaches about four and a half minutes in, 4:46 to be exact, the following words were spewed and they were pretty direct:
“’99 the Outsidaz told me I wouldn’t last, I’m too arrogant
But here I am, two boys, two girls, two errors in
And they over there on pills and heroin
Forks in they careers so that’s real embarrassing
If I could just get you clean through my charities
I might just let you breathe through me, vicariously
But then again, I might not cause I don’t write sparingly”
What was your initial reaction when you first heard this Pace? Why do you think that after all these years, Royce would put The Outsidaz, of all people, in his cross-hairs? Those are some pretty bitter lyrics to digest…
Pacewon: My initial reaction to Royce’s song was, “Holy crap! Royce is dissing us?!! I always thought we were cool. Even a little cooler than I am with most of the other guys. I have no idea why he would do this. Maybe a harbored dislike for the crew, maybe publicity, maybe he’s bored. Who knows?
It’s no secret that you guys use to all be affiliated alongside D-12 and Eminem in the early stages of your careers and made music together. However, there was the issue with the cut verses from “Amityville”, the feeling of not getting professional support from Em later in his career and other issues from around that time frame that caused a rift in relationships. In Royce’s song, he seems to be going at people in Em’s defense. Not like he needs to but do you feel that’s his M.O.? You know, to defend his buddy in a sense?
Yes, I do feel like Royce may be attempting to take on people in Eminem’s defense and if so, it’s a cool gesture but not necessary because we all know Eminem is one of the most formidable MC’s of all time…
In one of 5’9″s tweets he said “I still love you @Pacewon … Y’all started it tho …”. Do you have any clue at what he meant saying that, started it how?
No, I don’t have any clue as to what Royce meant when he said,”we started it tho”. We hadn’t said anything about Royce.
We already knew once you responded on Twitter things we’re going to get ugly. (Laughs) You mounted up Young Zee and Denz One and recorded “The Funeral”. It’s pretty much safe to say this was a retaliation joint and aimed solely at Royce, one of those classic battle cuts.
“Matter fact you are a snake because you dissed when you ain’t have to
Now your value’s been reduced to the market price of a cashew
And working with you just became taboo and unnatural” – Pacewon
Even Zee goes off with the “Royce The 5 Lines” punchline and chorus. It’s always great seeing talented wordsmiths have a verbal fisticuffs and leave it on wax. Was it pivotal for you guys to drop a response to this seeing as though you all came up in the cypher/ battle circuit?
Yes, definitely! We won’t let anyone disrespect our legacy. We’ve worked very hard to gain a place in Hip Hop history and we will not let anyone attempt to tarnish it. Besides that, it’s fun to go up against a competent competitor.
With where things stand at now, if Royce doesn’t respond, will that be the end of it seeing that you guys dropped the last song? Are there other records like “The Funeral” on standby for precautionary measures?
Hahaha! If Royce doesn’t respond we’ll view it as a TKO(Technical Knock Out) and yes, it will be over with exception for an occasional taunt here and there. Also, we don’t have a bunch of disses lined up waiting in the cut! Hahaha! However, if Royce responds we will consider what he says and respond accordingly. Other from that, I’ll continue to record with the Outsidaz, as a solo artist and also as a member of The Shady Corps.
Pacewon, we’d like to thank you again on behalf of GYBU and for all the great music you and The Outsidaz have put forth. We respect both Royce and yourself and hope that this situation remains strictly on wax. Before we let you get back to business, is there anything else you’d like to add in or let the viewers know about?
I’d like to thank you guys for having me and I’d like to say to the Hip Hoppers out there to please keep an eye out for the forthcoming “Outsidaz” LP, my solo LP “Evolution” and the new “Shady Corps” LP coming in August! Thank you everyone! GOD bless you like you just sneezed!
The Outsidaz and Royce Da 5’9″ are highly skilled artists that define the true spirit of Hip Hop. With clever rhymes, brutal punchlines and brash delivery, this situation could ensue into a memorable battle. This has been Get Your Buzz Up with this this special interview segment with Pacewon.
