‘Just because the paperwork ain’t done don’t mean we ain’t been working,’ he tells Mixtape Daily. By Shaheem Reid Royce Da 5’9″ Photo: Djamilla Rosa Cochran/ WireImage The O.D.: A Mixtape Daily Exclusive Hope everyone enjoyed their Fourth of July holiday! We’re fresh from New Orleans and the Essence Music Fest. N.O., thank you again for always showing love. Make sure you read up on our adventures out there elsewhere on the website. On to the business at hand: Mixtape Daily ‘s periodic check-in on the Slaughterhouse/ Shady Records deal . The group (Royce Da 5’9″, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I) still isn’t officially signed as of yet, but we asked Royce whether he would ink with Shady as a solo artist if his team is onboard. After all, Royce has been traveling with Marshall, and the two have a long history. “We haven’t talked about that,” Royce said of a solo deal with Shady. “Right now, we just chillin’. We’re getting back acclimated, being around each other, getting the creative juices flowing. Making sure we’re on the same page creatively. We’re just gonna focus on the Slaughterhouse album right now. “Man, I haven’t thought about it,” Royce reiterated about his solo deal. “After I put this next album out, I’m a free agent. So I’m sure it’s a possibility. But it’s not something we’re really thinking about right now. I’m gonna totally focus on the group, because I think [this] sh– could be something special.” Royce said he’s hoping Slaughterhouse can drop a project this year and he can come with a solo opus sometime in 2011. “Depending on when this deal closes, which should be very soon, I think I’m gonna put my focus on the group,” he said. “I got a lot of material done for my solo album, but I wanna take my time with it. I’m looking at next year for my album. I’ve been doing sh– sporadically. I wanna put all my focus into the Slaughterhouse album first. I would like for my album to catapult off the next Slaughterhouse album. We’re gonna cancel everything. We did the last [Slaughterhouse] album so fast, because we was behind the eight ball, time-wise. It ain’t gonna be no timeline on this album. We going in, and we gonna keep recording until it’s right.” Meanwhile, as Slaughterhouse continue to work on separate projects (Royce just released the mixtape Bar Exam 3 and Ortiz has his Yaowa tape dropping in the next few weeks), the Nine Nickel said Em is making sure they stay active as a collective while they wait on the label paperwork. “Em gave me all types of tracks. Dre beats,” Royce said. “Just because the paperwork ain’t done don’t mean we ain’t been working. We definitely been throwing ideas around. [Em] stressed he wants to have a lot of involvement in the project. We want him to be as involved as he wants to be. Anytime he runs an idea by me, I respect him so much, I’m down with it. If he gives me a beat, like, ‘Yo, y’all would sound ill on this,’ I’m going to record it. That’s pretty much what we been doing. He hasn’t did no beats and gave me nothing yet, but he has given me a lot of beats from other producers.” For other artists featured in Mixtape Daily, check out Mixtape Daily Headlines or follow the Mixtape Daily team on Twitter: @shaheemreid and @mongosladenyc .
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Royce Da 5’9" Talks Possible Slaughterhouse, Solo Deals With Eminem
