It’s only been four days since Eminem and Royce da 5’9” announced their Bad Meets Evil EP, but they’ve been kind enough to hook us up with a sample already. The first single, “Fast Lane,” is here, and it’s (in a good way!) exactly what you’d expect: the two lyrical heavyweights rapping really, really well about some particularly gnarly things. Em’s most explicit moment: “And I hope that I don’t sound too heinous when I say this / Nicki Minaj, but [Nicki Minaj voice] I want to stick my penis in your anus.” Royce’s most explicit moment: “Slap up a cop and then snatch him out of his uniform / leave him with his socks, hard bottoms, and bloomers on / and hang him by his balls on the horn of a unicorn.”
No matter the specifics of the end result, teaming up with his more famous pal would have been a nice career boost for the independently minded Royce. But “Fast Lane” is a particularly good showcase: Not only does Royce get more airtime, but his flow trickery — especially that bit at around 2:10, after “I’m living the life of the infinite enemy now” — is eye-catching enough that you can imagine neophytes hearing him for the first time and immediately running to scoop up the back catalog. Also: The beat is kind of bonkers; “6 Foot, 7 Foot” proved the contemporary radio market is amenable to songs where dudes just rap their asses off, and the masses love pretty much everything Eminem ever does. So could “Fast Lane” take off?
