It would not be surprising if “Mr. Grace” by Royce Da 5’9″ could be interpreted to have deeper meanings – after all, it is the opening track on an album entitled The Allegory.
But what if there are no punchy messages or revolutionary slogans hidden within? By merely depicting a life from birth to grave, it is in itself all the true content that one needs. Just the utterly vicious opening dialogue between a father and his son is blood-chilling enough.
Royce Da 5’9″ follows through with an evolving rhythm overlaid onto lyrics that to my ears paint a picture with the pace of a word a year – fast forwarding through a life. And as you feel the rhythm slow and ebb, “Death of the Dope Man” finally comes into view. It is a superb condensation of material and knowledge that you’d typically see in a 55 minute documentary, condensed into a track with great structure. I cannot wait to hear the rest of the album.
The Allegory is out now on eOne Music.