It appears that at this year’s
BET Hip Hop Awards, Detroit rhyme slinger extraordinaire and Shady Records boss
Eminem and his roster of heavy hitters are attempting to bring lyrics back to the mainstream.
During the fan favorite cypher segment, Slim Shady,
Yelawolf and the
Slaughterhouse quartet of Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz, Royce Da 5’9 and Crooked all torched the microphone during what was dubbed the “Shady 2.0 Cypher” – and each of the rappers showed why Shady Records should be a force to be reckoned with.
Alabama’s Yelawolf kicked things off with his multi-syllabic flow and ended off his blistering verse with a cleverly timed prop-assisted freestyle line that made the crowd erupt in approving applause. New Jersey native Joe Budden went next after some playful nudging from Em in the background. Jumpoff Joey throws what could be perceived as a light jab in the direction of The Throne (Jay-Z and Kanye West) and showed off his double-timed rap skills as well towards the end of his verse.
West coast vet Crooked I aggressively attacked the microphone with some effective battle raps, cementing what many fans have long known about prolific and talented former Death Row Records artist. Former Aftermath solo act Joell Ortiz represented for his Brooklyn borough – and took a humorous swipe at the skinny jeans trend. Ortiz also got big laughs from the crowd again with his ending line referencing an incident with comedian Eddie Murphy.
The Motor City pulled up the rear with both Royce Da 5’9 and Eminem ending out the cypher. Nickel Nine, never one to play shy, flirts openly with Barbadian pop princess Rihanna in his verse and manages to shout out his recent success with the Bad Meets Evil EP with his longtime friend Em.
Speaking of Eminem, the boss held down his scene-stealing anchor verse with ease but not before a silly freestyle verse that his Shady Records squad mockingly hyped up. Once he dialed in, Eminem proved why he is one of Hip Hop’s most feared lyricists with nearly two minutes of effortless rhymes that referenced everything from Casey Anthony to Yelawolf’s drink of choice in his pickup truck.
