Ryan Montgomery A.K.A. Royce Da 5′9″ - born July 5, 1977 - is a rapper hailing from Detroit, Michigan, United States. In addition to his work as a solo artist, Royce has released material as a member of the "super group" Slaughterhouse (with Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Crooked I), with Eminem as one half of Bad Meets Evil, and with DJ Premier as one half of PRhyme. The name “Royce” came from his R shaped Turkish link chain which was said to have resembled a Rolls Royce logo. During high school Royce was one of the shortest players on his basketball team, standing 5′9” at age 18.