The Allegory

The Allegory is the eighth studio album by Royce da 5’9″, released February 21, 2020, through eOne Music.

The story

Four singles preceded the album: “Black Savage” (November 2019), “Overcomer” and “I Don’t Age” (January 2020), and “Upside Down” (February 2020). Rather than building it around a single concept, Royce described the record as having “splashes of paint all over the canvas.”

Sound and production

It was the first album Royce produced entirely himself; he described “I Don’t Age” as the first song he made using a self-produced beat. Guests include Eminem, Westside Gunn, Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, Vince Staples, T.I., KXNG Crooked and Cedric the Entertainer.

Legacy

The Allegory peaked at No. 58 on the Billboard 200, No. 32 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and No. 6 on Independent Albums, and holds a Metacritic score of 79. At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards it was nominated for Best Rap Album, which went to Nas’s King’s Disease.