Brooklyn, NY – Royce Da 5’9 has brought two songs off his critically successful The Allegory album to Vevo’s Ctrl series.
The veteran Detroit lyricist premiered live performance videos of “Overcomer” and “Thou Shall” last week. The latter was accompanied by a fiery feature from fellow Detroit MC Kid Vishis who appears on the original track.
Adhering to the series’ format, both performances were shot in Vevo’s Brooklyn studio. The setting is stripped back, with two adjoining blank walls of an empty square room with a microphone dangling from the ceiling.
With the emphasis purely on the performance, the shifting camera captures every nuanced step of Royce’s bar-by-bar delivery.
Royce Da 5’9 Dubs Yelawolf A ‘Vulture’ & ‘Punk Ass’ On ‘Overcomer’ Single
Nickel 9 makes his complex verse on “Thou Shall” appear easy to spit, remarking to the camera afterward, “That’s light!” He then introduces Kid Vishis, who provides an equally enigmatic show of lyricism.
The live session of “Overcomer” – the single where Royce dubbed Yelawolf a “culture vulture” – is just as impressive.
Other artists who recently lit up Vevo’s Ctrl series include Freddie Gibbs, Earthgang and Fat Joe and Dre.
Watch the video for “Thou Shall” above and “Overcomer” below.