Lighters

Album: Hell: The Sequel (2011)
Charted: 10 4
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Songfacts®:

  • Bad Meets Evil is the duo of Eminem and Royce da 5'9. The pair first teamed up in the late '90s when they were underground Detroit MC's. After releasing a few recordings, the rappers pursued solo careers after their initial work together and became embroiled in a feud. After reconciling they revived their project a decade later and released their Hell: The Sequel EP on Shady/Interscope Records on June 14, 2011.
  • This soft-hop track features Bruno Mars and was produced by his production team The Smeezingtons along with Eminem and Battle Roy. Mars' refrain gives the tune similar dynamics to his collaboration with B.O.B., "Nothin' on You."
  • Royce's verse finds him recalling his dad hanging up his postal carrier uniform. "I cried plenty tears, my daddy gotta bad back," he rap-sings. "So it's only right, that I write till he can march right/In to that post office and tell 'em to hang it up."

    "It was always a goal of mine to hopefully retire my father someday," Royce explained to The Boombox. He added: "I'm so tired of hearing him complain about his back. I was always a daddy's boy; always looked up to my daddy. So that's just a goal of mine for my parents to chill, while they are still young. If they could spend their 60s and 70s just chillin', that'd be good for me."
  • Hell: The Sequel topped the Billboard 200 in its debut week, having sold 171,000 copies. Though Eminem has reached the summit many times previously, Royce's previous best chart position had been the #110 ranking of 2009's Street Hop.

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