Royce 5’9” Has Medical Condition That Hinders His Rapping

Royce 5’9″ recently revealed he has a rare medical condition that hinders him fro talking and recording music.

On Oct. 31, Rolling Stone published an article on Big L’s posthumous album, Harlem’s Finest: Return of the King, which is executive produced by Big L’s estate and co–associate produced by Mike Herard and Royce. In the piece, the Detroit MC broke the news that he has been dealing with a neurological condition called lingual dystonia.

“My cranial nerves and my vagus nerve were all inflamed,” Royce explained. “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. So not only is it less dopamine, but it’s an imbalance as well.

He continued: “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 medicines.”

After multiple improper diagnoses, Royce says he is “almost through it.” Despite not appearing on the Big L album, Royce served as creative director.

It’s been nearly three years since Royce released his most recent project, The Heaven Experience EP, in 2023. The six-song project features guest appearances from Redman, Courtney Bell and Traxx Sanders.

Read Royce 5’9″ Explaining the Rare Condition He Has That Prevents Him From Rapping