The Allegory

The Allegory is the eighth studio album by American rapper Royce da 5'9". It was released through eOne Music on February 21, 2020.[1] It features guest appearances from Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, KXNG Crooked, Cyhi the Prynce, DJ Premier, Eminem, Grafh, Sy Ari da Kid, T.I., Vince Staples, Westside Gunn, and Cedric the Entertainer among others.[2]

The Allegory
Studio album by Royce da 5'9"
Released	February 21, 2020
Length	68:04
Label	eOne
Producer	Royce da 5'9" DJ Premier Miki Cardovillis Symbolyc One
Royce da 5'9" chronology
Book of Ryan (2018) The Allegory (2020)
Singles from The Allegory
"Black Savage" Released: November 15, 2019 "Overcomer" Released: January 17, 2020 "I Don't Age" Released: January 31, 2020 "Upside Down" Released: January 31, 2020

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Exclaim!	9/10[5]
HipHopDX	4.2/5[6]
NME	[7]
Pitchfork	5.8/10[8]
Q	[9]
RapReviews	7/10[10]

The Allegory received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79 based on seven reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[3]

Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! praised the album saying, "That's right: sonically, thematically, lyrically — on every level, Royce gives The Allegory his all. And the result is the best LP yet in his 20-year-strong career".[5] HipHopDX critic Kevin Cortez stated, "The Allegory plays out as Royce's most consolidated offering yet. A definite career high-point for a rapper whose résumé spans over 20 years".[6] AllMusic's Neil Z. Young said, "Intense and thrilling, The Allegory is a powerful work with uncomfortably realistic and poignant snapshots of American life that linger long after the last song has finished".[4] Will Lavin of NME said, "Royce's 2018 album Book of Ryan was always going to be a tough act to follow, but The Allegory stands up as an accomplished body of work, packed full of poetic intricacies and life lessons, soundtracked by the sound of Detroit; it will likely end up on the majority of 2020 end-of-year rap lists".[7] George Garner of Q said, "At 22 tracks - including a spoken interlude by Eminem - there's a lot to digest here. But, crucially, a lot worth digesting".[9] RapReviews.com writer Sy Shackleford said, "While handling all of the production himself is a valiant effort, it's evident that Royce had a wobbly experience with it in that it isn't fully consistent. Even so, The Allegory is another solid effort from the Detroit rhyme sayer".[10]

In a mixed review, Jay Balfour of Pitchfork wrote: "His beats are generally chunky sample flips and simple loops, but he also has an ear for a good sound. But if you're listening to a Royce album it's because you want to hear the guy rap. To his credit, Royce has the rare effect of a rapper's extreme technical ability making him seem limber instead of rigid".[8]

At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, The Allegory received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.[11]

Track listing

• All songs produced by Royce da 5'9".

The Allegory track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Mr. Grace (Intro)"	Ryan Montgomery Carl Smalls D. Grace E.J. Johnson	4:07
2.	"Dope Man" (featuring Emanny and Cedric the Entertainer)	R. Montgomery Emanny Salgado Cedric Kyles Alton Taylor Andre Young Claydes Charles Smith Dennis Thomas George Brown O'Shea Jackson Richard Westfield Robert Bell Robert Mickens Ronald Bell	3:41
3.	"I Don't Age"	R. Montgomery	2:47
4.	"Pendulum" (featuring Ashley Sorrell)	R. Montgomery Ashley Sorrell DeAndre Cortez Way Johnson	4:44
5.	"I Play Forever" (featuring Grafh)	R. Montgomery Philip Bernard Anthony Markeith Reid	3:53
6.	"Ice Cream (Interlude)"	R. Montgomery Melanie Rutherford	1:09
7.	"On the Block" (featuring Oswin Benjamin and DJ Premier)	R. Montgomery Oswin Benjamin Christopher Martin	3:54
8.	"Generation Is Broken"	R. Montgomery Sorrell Chavis Chandler	0:16
9.	"Overcomer" (featuring Westside Gunn)	R. Montgomery Alvin Worthy Johnson	5:14
10.	"Ms. Grace (Interlude)"	R. Montgomery Grace Johnson	1:06
11.	"Thou Shall" (featuring Kid Vishis)	R. Montgomery Marcus Montgomery Johnson	3:15
12.	"Fubu" (featuring Conway the Machine)	R. Montgomery Demond Price	3:41
13.	"A Black Man's Favorite Shoe (Skit)"	R. Montgomery A. Riker	0:25
14.	"Upside Down" (featuring Ashley Sorrell and Benny the Butcher)	R. Montgomery Sorrell Jeremie Pennick Johnson Suzanne Vega	4:29
15.	"Perspective (Skit)"	R. Montgomery Marshall Mathers	2:24
16.	"Tricked" (featuring KXNG Crooked)	R. Montgomery Dominick Wickliffe Johnson Ken Hirsch Ron Miller	3:40
17.	"Black People in America"	R. Montgomery Aliaune Thiam Eric Narciandi Victor Santiago Jr.	0:37
18.	"Black Savage" (featuring Sy Ari da Kid, White Gold, Cyhi the Prynce and T.I.)	R. Montgomery Sy Ari Brockington H. Amarr Bobby Yewah Cydel Charles Young Clifford Harris	4:43
19.	"Rhinestone Doo Rag"	R. Montgomery	1:19
20.	"Young World" (featuring Vince Staples and G Perico)	R. Montgomery Johnson Vince Staples Jeremy Nash Kelvin Wooten Larry Griffin	4:29
21.	"My People Free" (featuring Ashley Sorrell)	R. Montgomery Sorrell Johnson Wooten Griffin	4:37
22.	"Hero" (featuring White Gold)	R. Montgomery Yewah Johnson	3:34
Total length:			68:04

Notes

• "Perspective (Skit)" contains additional vocals from Eminem.

Charts

Chart performance for The Allegory

Chart (2020)	Peak position
US Billboard 200[12]	58
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[13]	6
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14]	32

References

1. "The Allegory by Royce da 5'9" on Apple Music". Apple Music. February 21, 2020. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
2. Espinoza, Joshua (February 20, 2020). "Royce da 5'9" Delivers 'The Allegory' f/ Westside Gunn, Vince Staples, T.I., and More". Complex. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
3. "Critic Reviews for The Allegory by Royce da 5'9". Metacritic. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
4. Z. Yeung, Neil (March 10, 2020). "The Allegory - Royce da 5'9". AllMusic. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
5. Mullin, Kyle (February 18, 2020). "Royce 5'9" The Allegory". Exclaim!. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
6. Cortez, Kevin (February 22, 2020). "Review: Royce Da 5'9 Consolidates His Styles On 'The Allegory'". HipHopDX. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
7. Lavin, Will (February 21, 2020). "Royce Da 5'9" - 'The Allegory' review". NME. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
8. Balfour, Jay (February 27, 2020). "Royce 5'9": The Allegory Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 28, 2020.
9. Garner, George (March 2020). "Q Magazine - March 2020 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming". Internet Archive. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
10. Shackleford, Sy (March 10, 2020). "Royce Da 5'9" :: The Allegory – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Retrieved August 2, 2020.
11. "2021 GRAMMYs: Complete Nominees List". GRAMMY.com. November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 14, 2020.
12. "Royce da 59 Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
13. "Royce da 59 Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
14. "Royce da 59 Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved March 3, 2020.