Bad Meets Evil

Bad Meets Evil is a hip-hop duo from Detroit, Michigan, formed by Royce Da 5'9 and Eminem. The pair first crossed paths in the late 1990s, appearing together on Eminem's track «Bad Meets Evil» from his debut album The Slim Shady LP. Their relationship was famously turbulent, marked by a public feud stemming from tensions between Royce and members of Eminem's group D12, which kept the two apart for years despite their obvious chemistry as collaborators.

The pair reconciled and formally reunited as Bad Meets Evil, releasing the EP Hell: The Sequel in 2011. The project was a commercial and critical success, bringing Royce a level of mainstream exposure he had not previously experienced and reaffirming Eminem's dominance in the genre. Tracks like «Fast Lane» and «Lighters» (featuring Bruno Mars) received heavy radio play and showcased the duo's combination of rapid-fire technical wordplay with hooks built for wider audiences.

Bad Meets Evil is notable within hip-hop for representing a rare pairing of two of the most technically skilled rappers of their generation, both hailing from the same city, whose chemistry and lyrical density set a high bar for collaborative rap projects. Their reunion also symbolized the broader coming-together of the Detroit rap scene after years of internal conflict.