Offthechart's Random Tracks of the Day: Detroit Edition

This song is off Obie Trice's final album, Second Round's on Me, while with Eminem's label, Shady Records. Dropped in 2006 after over a year of delays, Obie's album was easily one of the most under appreciated of the year. With some ill songs like 'Wanna Know', 'Ghetto', and 'All of my Life' (below), Second Round's on Me is definitely worth checking out. Fun fact to know and tell: Obie Trice still has a bullet lodged in his head from a shooting on New Years Eve in 2005.


This track is off of Eminem's second release, 1997's The Slim Shady EP. This CD served as a precursor to his following effort, the enormously popular Slim Shady LP. In fact, the majority of the songs on the EP were given higher production values and used again on the LP. The below song, 'No One's Iller' featured the introduction of Eminem's alter ego, Slim Shady, which has gradually become the dominant figure in his lyrics, vividly describing rape, murder, excessive drug use, and random acts of violence. Fun fact to know and tell: 'No One's Iller' samples Hank Crawford's 'Wildflower', using the same looping beat as Kanye West's 'Drive Slow'.


The 1st song below, entitled 'The Way I Be Pimpin' is the original version of Dr. Dre's Xxplosive, ghost written by and featuring a verse from Detroit rapper Royce Da 5'9". This was one of many songs that Royce collaborated on with the Aftermath team (Eminem and Dr. Dre) before beef with Eminem and his group, D-12. More recently, Royce has become a member of the hip-hop super-group alongside Crooked I, Joe Budden and Joell Ortiz. The 2nd song below, 'Gun Harmonizing' is, in my opinion, Royce's best song, featuring fellow Slaughterhouse member, Crooked I, as well as a hip-hop version of scatting to mimic a firing machine gun. Fun fact to know and tell: Jay-Z's verse from his song 'Renegades' with Eminem, was originally performed by Royce until their fued.