Reason First: Royce Da 5’9″ Opens Up About Health Issue That Has Halted His Rap Career

In all of the things to hold precious, health is most always paramount. Without it, we’re set adrift against the currents of illness and injury.

Rapper Royce da 5’9” has brought to light the reason why he has backed away from the microphone as of late. Diagnosed with a condition called lingual dystonia. It affects the neurological system and stops him from laying down tracks and he experiences bouts of loss of speech.

As one of the contributors to Big L’s latest posthumous effort, he told Hip Hop DX (https://hiphopdx.com/news/royce-da-59-health-issue/) that he is engaged in making projects like this even through the complications of his disorder.

In the time it took for him to explore his condition, he reminded supporters of Big L that the project will be free from corniness and exhibit the late rapper’s complex rhyme patterns and intricate expressions.

The Nickel Nine is poised to continue to receive treatment and therapy for a disease that robs his left side of his brain of dopamine. This imbalance is on par with Parkinson’s Disease.

His last album dropped amidst the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. He still shows little signs of slowing even with the gap between his previous work and what he is doing now.

Like rapper DOC who suffered a horrific injury to his larynx, this disorder could sideline Royce permanently. He, though, is focused on contributing as much as he can to the craft he cherishes.

By displaying an earnest commitment to the genre of rap, he has shown that despite the challenges he faces, there is nothing that will hinder him.

For all of the diseases that could affect one of the game’s greatest MCs, this appears to be the most vicious. Gradually, he may lose the functioning of his tongue and face.

What he can do is still write for other artists. With a pen as sharp as his, he could make a small fortune just sending off lyrics to up-and-coming rhyme spitters.

He seems confident, however, that he will still lace tracks with his own voice. And with the existence of AI, there is a chance that he could use his voice from previous tracks to release new material.

In a world where everything is supposed to be streamlined, up to the minute, and fast, he might contemplate a role as an executive within the sludge of rap music.

This Big L project appears to be the latest in his journey of sophisticated hip hop. To take the time to enjoy his riches he had already generated is the best part of this.

While most rappers are concerned about blunts, chains, and thots, Royce is thinking about using his earnings to pay for his medical bills. That’s something that should be at the forefront of hip hop. Much like J. Cole who raps about his college debt, there should be a shift in the idea of demonstrating what is really going on in the streets.

But it seems unlikely. Royce is a lyricist and a great deliverer of the spoken word. If he doesn’t express with his voice, his oeuvre will show he is still a commanding presence in the game. The hip hop atmosphere is flooded with wannabees, studio gangsters, and has-beens. Royce is not in any of these categories.

Instead, he has blazed a trail that has inspired scores of real rhymers. As he carries on through this torrent that leads others to be drowned, Royce continues to strike forth with a force that is akin to any fighter who uses words to land blows.

Royce da 5’9” may fight this health scare with every bit of vigor. Let his battle be like his rap skills: sharp and relentless.