See you at SXSW, Em!

Summer is just getting started — we haven’t even plugged in our air conditioners yet, it’s that early in the season — but we’ve decided to there’s no time like the present to take a closer look at the albums the next three months hold in store for the music-loving masses. Released the same day as our inaugural Summer Preview inductee, Owl City, comes a much less dreamy-eyed disc — Hell: The Sequel, from the minds of Eminem and Royce Da 5′9″, aka Bad Meets Evil. Will this joint EP turn out to be a major work in both rappers’ canons? We’ll have to wait til June 14 to find out, but til then, jump below to find out all about Em and Royce’s trip toHell.

ALBUM: Hell: The Sequel (off Shady Records and Interscope), the title which comes right from the lyric “See you in hell for the sequel, bad meets evil” from the track “Bad Meets Evil” off Em’sThe Slim Shady LP. (See below.)

THEIR STORY: Em and Royce first collaborated back in 1999, on a track called “Bad Meets Evil” off of Em’s The Slim Shady LP. After that, they recorded a few tracks under the moniker Bad Meets Evil, including 2001’s mixtape track “Renegade” (which was then re-recorded by Jay-Z for The Blueprint).

The full lineup for Lollapalooza made its big splash today, and it appears as if Eminem has festival fever; the Grammy-winning MC will hop from the 10th annual Bonnaroo fest in June to the 20th annual Lollapalooza event, which goes down August 5 through 7 at Chicago’s Grant Park. Also at the top of the bill: Coldplay, Muse and recent album chart toppers Foo Fighters.
 
“He’s always put together great productions for his shows, and this is something that we look for at Lollapalooza — not just to go out there and perform, but to really give a show,” Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell told MTV News, regarding Eminem.

Other acts on the roster include Em’s “I Need A Doctor” collaborator Skylar Grey (can we expect the triumphant Dr. Dre to make an appearance?), Cee Lo Green, My Morning Jacket, Deadmau5, The Cars, OK Go, Lykke Li, Crystal Castles, Sleigh Bells, Christina Perri, Damian Marley, Nas and our recent Popping Up-featured act Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr.

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