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Despite receiving critical acclaim, sales were disappointing. No, this isn’t a one-sentence eulogy of the “supergroup” that would come to be known as Slaughterhouse, although it may be fitting.
Instead, it’s a reference to former rapper turned podcast host and media personality Joe Budden’s third studio album Halfway House. Released exclusively as a digital download (remember those?) in October 2008, the album received approximately 3,000 downloads in its first week and famously featured the first ever collaboration on wax of Joe Budden, Royce da 5’9, Crooked I, and Joell Ortiz.
As an old head that was around to hear this on DatPiff back in 2008, I’m here to tell you the story of how four MCs who spaz quick collectively came to be called Slaughterhouse and imprint their unmistakable logo on the culture forever.
The Star – Joe Budden
Not many may remember this, but after the release and subsequent commercial success of the single “Pump It Up.” Joe Budden was considered a possible heir-apparent to Jay-Z as Def Jam’s most successful solo artist.
Then the label issues started, which caused continuous delays to his intended second album. Before most fans realized exactly what had gone down, the album was permanently shelved, and Budden was dropped by Def Jam altogether.
With hip hop’s once promising young MC now on an independent label, he desperately needed a spark to recapture his earlier magic.
The Veteran – Royce da 5’9″
The Detroit-based MC was in a similar position as his “Pump It Up” counterpart prior to their initial collaboration – a once sought-after artist that could use a fresh start. After earlier stints at Tommy Boy Records and Koch yielded only lukewarm results, Royce was once again an independent artist still looking to make a bigger mark on the game.
With prior beef between himself and a fellow Detroit artist by the name of Eminem now resolved and his most recent work with DJ Premier receiving praise in the underground scene, everything was now coming together for Royce.
The Up and Comer – Joell Ortiz
As a former Source Magazine Unsigned Hype and XXL Chairman’s Choice recipient, Joell’s buzz was as big as any artist’s in the mid-2000’s.
After parting ways with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment label in 2008, the Puerto Rican from the East Williamsburg projects had a prolific 2009. Releasing two mixtapes and a number of freestyles, including an absolute fire remix of Jay-Z’s “Run This Town.”
Joell’s raw ability to rhyme and his wicked punchlines led to him personally being tapped by Joe Budden for a track entitled “Slaughterhouse” off his upcoming album.
The Bad Guy – Crooked I
Penning rhymes since his early teens, the artist that came to be known as Crooked I already had his own independent record label by the time he was 17.
A hip hop lifer, the Long Beach rapper, was one of the most highly anticipated West Coast artists to come along in years and was chosen to lead a resurgence of the once vaunted Death Row Records before label issues and industry politics got in the way.
In spite of this, Crooked built up a following for himself online. Dropping a new track every single week from April 2007 through April 2008 via his innovative Hip Hop Weekly series.
As the last artist to be added to Budden’s “Slaughterhouse” track besides Nino Bless, Crooked I completed the four-headed monster that was now ready to be unleashed on an industry that had been less than kind to its individual members.
Slaughterhouse – The Beginning
The summer of 2009 was an eventful one for hip hop – Jay-Z announced the release of The Blueprint 3, hip hop pioneer Rakim made a comeback, and the Slaughterhouse supergroup officially became a thing. Naming themselves after the first track they ever bodied as a collective, Budden, Royce, Joell, and Crooked I formally signed to eOne as a group and began working on their debut album.
This process proved a breeze, with the entire self-titled album allegedly recorded over just a six day period in June 2009. The first single, titled “The One,” showcased the top-tier bars that listeners could always expect from the group, along with some signature tongue-in-cheek humor, setting the tone for the rest of the project.
Overall, the effort was a welcome change from the more pop-influenced commercial direction that mainstream hip hop was going in at the time. Fans and critics concurred, with the LP moving over 30,000 units independently in its first month of release and reviews being overwhelmingly favorable.
At this point, the only thing Slaughterhouse was visibly missing was a bigger platform through which its product could reach a wider audience.
Our House – The Rise
By late 2009 the members of the group, fans, and the hip hop community at large were all wondering the same thing – Why isn’t Slaughterhouse signed to a major label? The question was answered before the year was up by Royce da 5’9″. He confirmed that talks between the group and on-again, off-again friend Eminem’s Shady Records were ongoing.
With the initial plan for their second album to be distributed by eOne now shelved, it would be months before we would hear anything from the supergroup again. The silence was broken in April 2010, when the ShadyMegaMix to Lloyd Banks’ “Beamer, Benz or Bentley” dropped, setting the internet ablaze.
In my hoopty I be swervin, the public’s who I’m servin’. Boost phone forever chirpin’, I’ll be out there puttin’ work in. Know them dirty boys lurkin’.
This verse from Joell Ortiz had people fiending for their next drop, with the moniker hip hop’s most highly anticipated belonging squarely to them in 2010.
Shady Records x Slaughterhouse
By early 2011 – a full calendar year since talks between the two sides began. A deal was finalized, and Slaughterhouse became part of Shady/Aftermath/Interscope in early January.
XXL and Source Magazine covers quickly followed, and a pre-album mixtape called On The House was announced in July. For a moment, it seemed as if Slaughterhouse as a collective was finally receiving the praise, attention, and “just do” that each member deserved in their own right.
What followed was some of the most inspired music that the group would put out and some of my personal favorites as well. Case in point is the introspective “Truth or Truth Pt. 1” track off the One The House mixtape. This sampled Rick Ross’ Tears of Joy and is still in my regular rotation now more than a decade later.
Welcome to: Our House
The long-awaited Shady Records debut came on August 28, 2012, and listening to this album now, all these years later, I can unequivocally say that it has aged well. As timeless hip hop always does. Although varied production from the likes of Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, and Eminem himself caused some noticeable lack of cohesion throughout, there was a little something for everyone on the effort.
From the up-tempo second single “My Life” featuring Cee Lo Green on the hook to the comical yet hard-hitting “Throw That” and the highly personal “Goodbye.”
Fans received the album well, and it went on to be the group’s most successful release, selling just under 100,000 units in its first month and peaking at #2 on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Little did we know at the time that this would be the very last full-length album that we would ever get from these modern-day wordsmiths.
Glass House – The Fall
Despite everything I just stated, Slaughterhouse did record a third studio album after all. It’s just that no one has ever heard it. An initial early 2014 release date came and went, as did a summer 2015 one, and yet another in 2016. At one point, Joe Budden even went so far as to threaten to leak the unreleased album, which also never came about.
By the time 2018 rolled around and with things still at an impasse, Crooked I announced his departure from the group. Marking the end of one of, if not the greatest hip hop supergroups of all time. Get at me if you disagree!
Broken House – The Present
Since officially disbanding, former group members have satiated the appetite of fans that have long held out hope of reunion by collaborating on occasion. One such collab came on Eminem’s 2020 album Music to be Murdered By, which saw Slaughterhouse members sans the since retired Joe Budden featured on the track “I Will.”
Another far more controversial collaboration came on Crooked I (now going by Kxng Crooked) and Joell Ortiz’s recently released Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse album.
Personally, I understood the urge to address the diehard fanbase. I saw the group perform live in Whistler, BC, back in their heyday and, on occasion, still rock my Slaughterhouse logo tee. Many wanted an explanation as to why things went south, and even more than that, we wanted new music.
Others, however, such as former group members Royce da 5’9″ and Joe Budden, were not so understanding. Both publicly denounced the project for diluting the Slaughterhouse brand, which they own a collective half of, and as a result, things remain hopelessly fractured between the four today.
FAQs
Answer: No, the group officially disbanded in April 2018. The official announcement came shortly after Crooked I’s departure from the group and due to creative differences between the four members.
At this point, the relationship between the once good friends who called themselves a brotherhood remains strained, and any future collaboration seems highly unlikely.
Answer: Joe Budden, Royce da 5’9, Crooked I, and Joell Ortiz came together as a group in 2008 after the four collaborated together on a track called “Slaughterhouse” on Budden’s album Halfway House.
The name is a reference to this track and also an ode to how the MCs collectively and individually lyrically ‘slaughter’ any track they hop on.
Answer: A few that readily come to mind and that every hip hop head definitely needs to get familiar with include:
The Firm – made up of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and Nature. The collective was an early signee to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label and released one album together.
Def Squad – comprised of Erick Sermon, Keith Murray, and Redman. This was a fun yet short-lived late 90’s collective.
The HRSMN – Canibus, Killah Priest, Kurupt, and Ras Kass. If you appreciate lyricism, I don’t need to say any more.