Royce Da 5'9"

Ryan Daniel Montgomery (born July 5, 1977), known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Best known for his association with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, they became acquainted in 1997 and formed the hip hop duo, Bad Meets Evil the following year. Their 2011 single, "Lighters" (featuring Bruno Mars) peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, and would precede their debut extended play (EP), Hell: The Sequel (2011). The song and it's parent EP, of which debuted atop the Billboard 200, remain Montgomery's most commercially successful recordings to date.

Montgomery first embarked on a solo career with his debut studio album, Rock City in 2002, released through Columbia Records. He would subsequently release eight independent studio albums to critical acclaim; his latest, The Allegory (2020), earned Montgomery his first Grammy Award nomination for Best Rap Album. He also formed the hip hop supergroup Slaughterhouse with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Kxng Crooked in 2008. The group released two studio albums, the latter of which through Eminem's Shady Records, a decision initiated by Montgomery. In 2014, he became one half of the hip hop duo PRhyme with producer DJ Premier.