Royce Da 5’9″ has revealed that he has been battling health complications that have pumped the brakes on his music career.
In an interview with Rolling Stone about Big L‘s new posthumous album Harlem’s Finest: Return of the King, which he helped oversee, the Detroit rapper said that for the past several years he’s been dealing with lingual dystonia, a neurological condition that causes spasms in his face and tongue, preventing him from recording music and even talking.
“My cranial nerves and my vagus nerve were all inflamed. I got a genetic condition called the COMT gene that processes dopamine slower than normal,” he explained. “And when I did a neurochemistry test, [I found out] the left hemisphere of my brain produces less dopamine than the right. So not only is it less dopamine, but it’s an imbalance as well.
“When your dopamine is low, that’s like Parkinson’s, ADHD… I had involuntary movements in my face and in my tongue. So they went on this long thing where they would put me on all these different kinds of medicines.”
Royce added that he was incorrectly diagnosed multiple times, but is “almost through it” and has regained the ability to record music again.
Nickel Nine’s most recent album, The Allegory, was released back in 2020, although he has popped up in recent years with a handful of guest verses on songs with NASAAN (the son of late D12 member Proof), KXNG Crooked and Grafh, among others.
The veteran MC also spoke to Rolling Stone about his involvement in Big L’s aforementioned album, which features appearances from the likes of JAY-Z, Nas and Mac Miller and is the latest entry in Mass Appeal’s Legend Has It… series.
Responding to fans’ skepticism surrounding the posthumous project, Royce said: “I understand the concern of people, but I think that only applies when it’s bad. None of these verses were throwaways; you literally are talking about somebody who’s never recorded a bad verse.
“So in that regard, it’s very, very easy. It’s some concerns on one end, but it’s an extreme upside on the other end. We got to think about his family. We know he would want his name to live on. His life got tragically stopped way too soon.”
Royce also shared his admiration for the late Harlem rap legend, saying: “As far as straight-up rapping, I don’t think I heard anybody better skill-wise for that time. What he was able to do: complex punchlines, using complex syllables, the way he set up his punchlines, no filler in the verses, bursting with personality. Humor… never says anything corny.
“He’s just good, man. He’s really, really good.”
