As G.M. and Ford teeter on bankruptcy, a disaster that would surely plunge Detroit further into the abyss of unemployment and crime, its hip-hop scene has been having distinctly different luck. Better luck. And Royce Da 5'9", a longtime staple of Detroit hip-hop (having been linked at various times to such rap luminaries as Eminem and DJ Premier), is looking to capitalize on it. While The Album won't be what launches him into stardom, it does do a good enough job at keeping Royce's name popping in the streets in the meantime. Is that enough, though? First, the good. Royce is in full lyrical heat on The Album, and his voice–slippery and slyly menacing, able to flip from whisper to growl in half a bar–perfectly complements the grimy, lo-fi production. His flow, always his strongest point, is at full strength on good chunks of the album–listening to him effortlessly segue from mercurial to stuttered and clipped frenzy without skipping a beat is Royce at his best. With all of his

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