What Royce da 5'9 learned from the 'most significant' day of his life

Royce Da 5'9 will never forget December 29th, 1997 — the day he describes as the most significant of his life. On that fateful date, his son was born, his grandmother died, and he met key musical collaborator Eminem.

"The universe has a way of balancing itself out," he concludes in Tabernacle, the deeply personal lead single on his Billboard #1 rap album Layers. 

The Detroit rapper joins Shad to reflect on the impact of those life-altering events. He also opens up about his struggle with alcoholism, the personal transformation that came with sobriety, and why his chart-topping record is just a starting point for him. 

"I want to continue to keep pulling back layers. I want to break down boundaries as a lyricist," he says, adding that plans to write more music but also movie scripts and plays.

"My goal now is to cover more ground in these next few years than I have in my entire 15 year career." 

WEB EXTRA | Hear Royce tell his story through verse in the official video for Tabernacle. (Please note: this video contains explicit language.)