When Eminem came through and dropped off Music To Be Murdered By in January, the legendary rapper connected with Royce Da 5'9" and newcomer White Gold on the third track "You Gon' Learn." Now, as Royce continues his press run promoting The Allegory, he took a moment to explain how the track ultimately landed on Em's album to begin with. As he tells it, it's all thanks to White Gold.
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When Royce singles out White Gold, who happened to be rolling with him for the interview, the host praises the singer's lofty placement. "He's the reason why Em picked the beat," explains Royce. "I played it for him and he really loved the hook. He was like 'who is that on the hook?' I told him it was my guy, and he was like that's crazy. I think the hook is what made him like the beat. Then I rapped on it -- I had to get on it. I rapped on it, he put his verse on it and did the arrangement, and the rest is history."
A few weeks back, White Gold spoke about his experience landing a hook on Eminem's Music To Be Murdered By, a revelation that came as a surprise for the 33-year-old New York songwriter. "It was for Royce initially," he explained, speaking on the instrumental. "I think it was like six months later, Kino called me. He’s like, “Yeah, bro. Em heard it and was like, ‘Yo, I want the record and I want the dude that’s on there as the hook.’” And that was it. I had to keep the secret for six months or so, man."
Check out Royce's interview on Sirius XM, recorded prior to the COVID-19 outbreak that sent masses into states of self-isolation. Are you still listening to Music To Be Murdered By? And if so, where does "You Gon Learn" sit among your favorites?