How old is Royce Da 5'9"? Rapper breaks silence on rare health condition struggles

How old is Royce Da 5
Royce Da 5'9" (Image via official Instagram @royceda59)

Royce Da 5'9" is 48 years old. He was born in July 1977, and his birth name is Ryan Daniel Montgomery. The rapper has been having some health issues for the past few years. He opened up about it in an exclusive interview with Rolling Stone while talking about the posthumous album of Big L, Harlem's Finest: Return of the King:

"My cranial nerves and my vagus nerve were all inflamed. I got a genetic condition called the COMT gene that processes dopamine slower than normal. And when I did a neurochemistry test, [I found out] the left hemisphere of my brain produces less dopamine than the right."

The rapper continued:

"So not only is it less dopamine, but it’s an imbalance as well. When your dopamine is low, that’s like Parkinson’s, ADHD… I had involuntary movements in my face and in my tongue. So they went on this long thing where they would put me on all these different kinds of medicine. I wish I was recording when we were doing this album."

As per the Cancer Biology Research website, the COMT gene Mutation plays a role in the processing of neurotransmitters like dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine in the human body.

The rapper's statement seems to suggest he has the Val allele mutation, which causes higher COMT activity and therefore lowers Dopamine levels, as he mentions. Higher COMT activity is related to Parkinson's, ADHD, and mood disorders.


Royce Da 5'9" also addressed the concerns regarding a posthumous album

Royce Da 5'9" has also addressed concerns regarding the posthumous nature of Big L's Harlem's Finest: Return of the King album. The rapper stated in the same interview quoted above:

"I understand the concern of people, but I think that only applies when it’s bad. None of these verses were throwaways; you literally are talking about somebody who’s never recorded a bad verse."

Royce Da 5'9" continued:

"So in that regard, it’s very, very easy. It’s some concerns on one end, but it’s an extreme upside on the other end. We got to think about his family. We know he would want his name to live on. His life got tragically stopped way too soon."

Royce Da 5'9" is the executive producer of Harlem's Finest: Return of the King. The album features production from other producers as well. These include:

  • G Koop
  • 2One2
  • AI Hug
  • Mike Heron
  • Conductor Williams
  • Beni Moun
  • Ties
  • MTK
  • Lord Finesse
  • Dylan Graham
  • Malay
  • EZ Elpee
  • Reggie Gordon
  • Frankie P
  • Chakra
  • Craig Balmoris
  • Tyler Reese Mehlenbacher
  • Sergiu Gherman
  • Christopher White
  • Seige Monstracity
  • Chris Keys
  • Showbiz
  • Big L
  • Beat Butcha
  • Biako
  • Ron Browz

The album tracklist is given below:

  • Harlem Universe feat. Herb McGruff
  • U Ain't Gotta Chance feat. Nas
  • RHN (Real Harlem N**gas) feat. Errol Holden
  • Fred Samuel Playground feat. Method Man
  • Big Lee & Red feat. Errol Holden
  • All Alone (Quiet Storm Mix) feat. Novel
  • 7 Minutes Freestyle feat. Jay Z
  • Forever feat. Mac Miller and Pale Jay
  • Doo Woop Freestyle ('99) feat. Joe Budden
  • Stretch & Bob Freestyle ('98) feat.Donald Phinazee and Sacha Jenkins
  • Grant's Tomb '97 (Jazzmobile) feat. Joey Badass, BVNGS and DJ Ron G
  • Live @ Rock N' Will '92 feat. Showbiz
  • How Will I Make It (Park West High School Mix)
  • (Bonus) Put The Mic Down feat. Fergie Baby and Party Arty

Aside from being the executive producer of Harlem's Finest: Return of the King, Royce Da 5'9" also released his compilation album The Heaven Experience, Vol. 1 in 2022.

Love movies? Try our Box Office Game and Movie Grid Game to test your film knowledge and have some fun!

Edited by Amey Mirashi