Bad Meets Evil is an American

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

super duo composed of

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

-based rappers Royce da 5′9″ ("bad") and

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

("evil"). Formed in 1997, the duo's name comes from the namesake song from Eminem's ''

The Slim Shady LP ''The Slim Shady LP'' is the second studio album by American rapper Eminem. It was released through Aftermath, WEB Entertainment, and Interscope Records on February 23, 1999. Recorded in Ferndale, Michigan, following Eminem's recruitment by ...

'' (1999), which featured Royce da 5'9". They debuted the same year with the release of the double single, " Nuttin' to Do" and "Scary Movies", the latter of which was part of the soundtrack to the 2000

horror comedy Comedy horror (also called horror comedy) is a literary, television and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as having three types: "black comedy, parody and spoof." Comedy horror can a ...

parody film A parody film or spoof film is a subgenre of comedy film that lampoons other film genres or films as pastiches, works created by imitation of the style of many different films reassembled together. Although the subgenre is often overlooked by cri ...

Scary Movie ''Scary Movie'' is a 2000 American parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon Wayans, Marlon and Shawn Wayans (who both also star), alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon ...

''. A decade later, the duo reunited to release an

extended play An extended play (EP) is a Sound recording and reproduction, musical recording that contains more tracks than a Single (music), single but fewer than an album. Contemporary EPs generally contain up to eight tracks and have a playing time of 1 ...

(EP) to critical and commercial success. The duo broke up after a

feud A feud , also known in more extreme cases as a blood feud, vendetta, faida, clan war, gang war, private war, or mob war, is a long-running argument or fight, often between social groups of people, especially family, families or clans. Feuds begin ...

between Royce and the members of Eminem's group D12. The feud ended when

Proof Proof most often refers to: * Proof (truth), argument or sufficient evidence for the truth of a proposition * Alcohol proof, a measure of an alcoholic drink's strength Proof may also refer to: Mathematics and formal logic * Formal proof, a co ...

, a D12 member and a mutually close affiliate of both rappers, was killed in April 2006. After Royce's supergroup

Slaughterhouse In livestock agriculture and the meat industry, a slaughterhouse, also called an abattoir (), is a facility where livestock animals are slaughtered to provide food. Slaughterhouses supply meat, which then becomes the responsibility of a mea ...

signed to Eminem's

Shady Records Shady Records is an American record label founded by rapper Eminem and his manager Paul Rosenberg in 1999, following the commercially successful release of '' The Slim Shady LP'' that same year. The label's name comes from the last name of Eminem ...

, a reunion of Bad Meets Evil followed with the EP '' Hell: The Sequel'' (2011), which reached number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' 200 and was

certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). The EP's lead single, " Fast Lane" peaked at number thirty-two on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, while its second single, "

Lighters A lighter is a portable device which uses mechanical or electrical means to create a controlled flame, and can be used to ignite a variety of flammable items, such as cigarettes, butane gas, fireworks, candles, or campfires. A lighter typica ...

" (featuring

Bruno Mars Peter Gene Hernandez (born October 8, 1985), known professionally as Bruno Mars, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and record producer. Regarded as a pop icon, he is known for his three-octave tenor vocal range, live performances, R ...

), peaked at number four on the same chart. The duo returned for the 15-year anniversary album for Shady Records, '' Shady XV'' (2014), for "Vegas", and again in 2015 to record two tracks for the boxing film '' Southpaw'', titled "All I Think About" and "Raw". The duo reunited for the song " Not Alike" on Eminem's album ''

Kamikaze , officially , were a part of the Japanese Special Attack Units of military aviators who flew suicide attacks for the Empire of Japan against Allied naval vessels in the closing stages of the Pacific campaign of World War II, intending to d ...

'' (2018). Eminem was also featured on Royce's song "

Caterpillar Caterpillars ( ) are the larval stage of members of the order Lepidoptera (the insect order comprising butterflies and moths). As with most common names, the application of the word is arbitrary, since the larvae of sawflies (suborder ...

" on his album '' Book of Ryan'' (2018). Royce was featured on three tracks on Eminem's album '' Music To Be Murdered By'' (2020): "You Gon' Learn", "Yah Yah" and "I Will". On the song "

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

" from the same album, Eminem confirms that the duo are still active by rapping ("pack heat, but it's black ink Evil half of the Bad Meets Evil, that means take a back seat").

Music career

Formation and subsequent break-up

Eminem met Royce da 5'9" in 1997 when Royce was opening for singer Usher at the Palladium. Eminem and Royce da 5'9", became quick friends before Eminem's rise to fame, and collaborated on the track which led to the duo's foundation, "Bad Meets Evil", for Eminem's 1999 major label debut ''

''. The duo's first work, a 1998 double-single, which was originally recorded in 1997, consisting of " Nuttin' to Do" and "Scary Movies", achieved respectable chart success, peaking at 36 on the

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

chart, while the latter peaked at 63 on the UK Singles Chart. A year later, the song "Scary Movies" was featured on the soundtrack of the

''. " Renegade" was originally a song featuring Eminem recorded for Royce's debut studio album '' Rock City'' (2002), but Royce's verses were later replaced with

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

's for his 2001 album '' The Blueprint''. Jay-Z contacted Eminem for a collaboration and beat while the song was being made. Limited in time for production, Eminem sent Jay-Z the beat for "Renegade" with approval from Royce. However, Eminem was still featured on Royce's ''Rock City'' album, on the title track.

Dr. Dre Andre Romell Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper, record producer, record executive, and actor. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and co-founder of ...

heard one of Royce's mix tapes through Eminem, deciding to sign him to

Aftermath Entertainment Aftermath Entertainment is an American record label founded by hip hop producer and rapper Dr. Dre in 1996. It operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed through Interscope Records. The label's roster includes artists ...

. Eminem secured him a ghostwriting position on Dre's second studio album, ''

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

''. After his manager Kino stated: "I've seen Em sit Dre down like a pupil and coach him on rhymes" on a phone interview, Dr. Dre requested that Royce cut ties with his manager. Royce refused to fire his manager, thus his relationship with Dre ended. After Royce turned down Eminem's offer to join his

Anger Management Tour The Anger Management Tour was a rap and rock music tour, founded and started in the fall of 2000 by Limp Bizkit, Papa Roach and, after the release of ''The Marshall Mathers LP'', Eminem. History The first "Anger Management" outing took place in ...

as a

hype man A hype man, typically in hip hop music, is a backing vocalist who supports the primary performer with exclamations, interjections, or ad-libs in an attempt to increase an audience's excitement or engagement. Origins Early hype men included Keef C ...

, member of Eminem's band D12 and his best friend, also a good friend of Royce's, took the place. Later, Royce wanted to continue working with Eminem, who was busy working with D12, which led Royce to believe that D12 was "souring" his relationship with Eminem. A feud with a series of

diss track A diss track, diss record or diss song (an abbreviation of ''disrespect'' or ''disparage'') is a song whose primary purpose is to verbally attack someone else, usually another artist. Diss tracks are often the result of an existing, escalating feu ...

s followed, resulting in the duo's break up.

Reunion

In 2011, Royce's rap group

signed to Eminem's founded label Shady Records. This led to a reunion of Bad Meets Evil with the debut

'' Hell: The Sequel'', released on June 14, 2011, after 11 years of inactivity in the group. A chart success, it peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 and was certified gold by the

(RIAA) and the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival Records (Australia), Festival, Sony Music ...

(ARIA). " Fast Lane" was released on May 3, 2011, as the lead single. It was recorded by Mike Strange at Effigy Studios (

Ferndale, Michigan Ferndale is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit on the Woodward Corridor, Ferndale borders Detroit to the north, roughly northwest of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a ...

). Recorded a few months before its release, the song was written by Eminem, Royce da 5'9" and Sly "Pyper" Jordan, who also sings the

chorus Chorus may refer to: Music * Chorus (song), the part of a song that is repeated several times, usually after each verse * Chorus effect, the perception of similar sounds from multiple sources as a single, richer sound * Chorus form, song in whic ...

to the song with additional vocals from

Denaun Porter Denaun Montez Porter (born December 7, 1978), also known by the stage names Mr. Porter, Kon Artis, or Denaun, is an American rapper and record producer. He was a member of Detroit hip hop group D12. He has a close association with rapper Emi ...

. Eminem requested that Sly perform the chorus, after hearing

's hit single "

Kush KUSH 1600 AM is a radio station licensed to Cushing, Oklahoma. The station broadcasts a Full service format, consisting of local and national talk, sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, tha ...

Supa Dups Dwayne Chin-Quee (born November 10, 1976), better known as Supa Dups, is a Jamaican record producer, remixer and selector based in Miami, Florida. He is a member of the Black Chiney sound system. He is of Chinese-Afro-Jamaican descent. Pro ...

and Jason "JG" Gilbert produced the song; Eminem and Mike Strange mixed the song. JG and Supa Dups also sample their own vocals. According to Supa Dups, he was asked to make a beat with JG, without knowing it was for Bad Meets Evil. He said that " heydidn't even have Eminem in mind hen they made the beat" According to this interview with ''Mixtape Daily'', Supa Dups had little knowledge about the project, but simply submitted the beat to Eminem. Months after recording the song, on April 28, 2011, when it leaked onto the Internet, Supa Dups was impressed by the finished version, lyrically, and was proud to have participated in the project. The song peaked at number 32 on the Hot 100 chart. The second single, "

", was originally intended to be featured on Royce's fifth studio album, ''

Success Is Certain ''Success Is Certain'' is the fifth studio album by rapper Royce da 5'9" released on August 9, 2011. The first single is "Writer's Block" featuring Eminem, which was released in March 2011. Production for the album came from DJ Premier, Mr. Po ...

'', but the single itself ended up on ''Hell: The Sequel''. It was produced solely by Rochester, New York producer Battle Roy. After Royce had presented the track to Eminem, he was inspired to write and record the first verse, prompting Royce to write his the day afterwards. Bad Meets Evil then flew to Los Angeles, where singer-songwriter

heard the song. Eminem and Mars then made minor changes to the musical arrangement. The song was recorded at Effigy Studios by Strange, Isolation Studios by Asar and Levcon Studios (

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

) by Ari Levine of The Smeezingtons, a music production and songwriting group consisting of Philip Lawrence and Mars. Eminem, The Smeezingtons and Battle Roy produced the song, with the latter and Joe Strange on engineering, while Luis Resto provided additional keyboards for the track. On May 25, 2011, when the track listing of ''Hell: The Sequel'' was announced, "Lighters" was revealed to the public to feature Mars. "Lighters" impacted

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

on July 5, 2011, as the second single from the EP. "Lighters" performed better on the charts than "Fast Lane", peaking at number four on the Hot 100 chart. Bad Meets Evil released a new song, entitled "Vegas", for the compilation album '' Shady XV'', which was released on November 24, 2014, through Shady Records. In 2015, two new Bad Meets Evil songs were released. The two songs, "All I Think About" and "Raw" appear on the '' Southpaw Soundtrack'', produced by Shady Records. In 2018, Bad Meets Evil released "

", which featured Eminem off Royce's '' Book of Ryan'' album and " Not Alike" which featured Royce off Eminem's ''

'' album.

Discography

Extended plays

Singles

Music videos

References

{{Authority control Detroit hip-hop groups Eminem Musical duos from Michigan Shady Records artists American hip-hop duos American male musical duos Midwest hip-hop groups Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2002 Musical groups reestablished in 2011 1998 establishments in Michigan Hip-hop supergroups