The Allegory: Bars Over Hype

Author: RAProgram

If you play Royce da 5’9″ album, the thing is clear – it’s about the bars. This is an MC whose technical ability has been proven a long time ago. He’s been near the top of the craft for years now, and at this point that’s not really a matter of taste, just a fact.

The Allegory dropped in 2020, at a time of social tension and confusion, but also in a moment when the scene was flooded with fast, disposable hits. Royce didn’t have anything left to prove. But he did have something to say.

The key detail is that this is the first album he fully produced himself. No outside producers, no borrowed beats. Every beat, arrangement and structure comes from the same mind that delivers the rhymes. Because of that, this isn’t just an MC project — Royce is in full control here.

The album deals with racism, police violence, industry manipulation, economics, and responsibility within the community. There’s no filler. Every track is trying to say something, sometimes directly, sometimes through personal reflection.

The project is packed with guests from across the U.S., which gives it a wider geographic scope.

From the West Coast: Vince Staples, G Perico, and Royce’s Slaughterhouse partner KXNG Crooked.

From the South: T.I., CyHi the Prynce, and Sy Ari da Kid.

From the East: the Griselda roster of that moment — Westside Gunn, Conway the Machine and Benny the Butcher — each appearing on a different track. Also Grafh from Queens and Oswin Benjamin. DJ Premier shows up as well, adding scratches.

From Detroit and Royce’s own circle: Ashley Sorrell, whose hooks give the record some breathing room where it needs it, Kid Vishis, and longtime collaborator Eminem, who appears on a skit.

This lineup doesn’t feel random. It comes off more like a cross-section of rap across the country, filtered through one vision. All set to tear up any beat with heavy bars.

The production on the album is minimalist and raw. Sample-based beats that leave space for rapping. On the track with Westside Gunn you can hear that drumless approach too — a sound that’s been getting more common in the underground in recent years. Overall, the music is built to support the bars, not compete with them.

The album was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album, which is interesting for a project that doesn’t really make concessions to radio or trends.

The Allegory is for people who still see rapping as the foundation of everything. Not for playlists, not for numbers — for listeners who pay attention to the words and how they’re delivered.

Bars > Numbers