According to several members of Slaughterhouse, the group is currently at work crafting their next studio album, Glass House. In the time since the rap quartet announced that they would be releasing a follow up to Welcome to: Our House, the album has been described as “edgy” and “rebellious” by Crooked I and boasting a “Budden-esque undertone” by Joe Budden.
During an interview with Rkulture, Slaughterhouse emcee Joell Ortiz shared his thoughts on Glass House. Before rattling down a list of contributors on the LP, Joell briefly addressed Welcome to: Our House and commented on the album being a project that wasn’t necessarily welcomed by the group’s core audience.
“I wasn’t disappointed at all from our 1st release under Shady. WTOH was a good album,” he said. “Maybe not what our core audience wanted to hear from us, but still a good album. Recording this next album has been crazy. We’ve been sharing our assembly line with a Slaughterhouse of producers! Executive produced by Just Blaze, and music contributions from Aarab Muzik, ILL Mindz, Kardiak, and Justice League have put our production on another level! Can’t wait for you guys to hear it.”
Prior to joining Slaughterhouse, Joell was signed to the Dr. Dre-led Aftermath Entertainment as a solo artist. Following a stagnant career at the label, the Brooklyn rapper was eventually released from Aftermath in 2008.
Despite his departure from the label, Joell says he still has a cordial relationship with Dr. Dre and hardly brings up the past when around the rapper/producer.
“Dr. Dre and I remain cool,” Joell said. “We always kick it when we bump into each other. He knows the respect I have for him as a musician and as a person. He was the 1st person to ever sign me and give a Puerto Rican MC from Brooklyn a chance. I will always love him for that. We don’t speak much about the past, just celebrate the present, and plan for the future. He’s a good dude and my friend.”
As a topic of conversation that has been brought up numerous times, Joell also spoke on the possibility of a collaboration between Slaughterhouse and the West Coast-based Black Hippy.
“A Slaughterhouse/Black Hippy collaboration has been spoken about so much,” he said. “I feel like fans, peers, and the artists involved want this to happen. So why not…??? Let’s see!”
During an appearance on MTV’s “RapFix Live” last month, the members of Slaughterhouse were asked who they thought would win if they were paired against the members of Black Hippy in a cypher battle. According to Royce Da 5’9, a battle between the two groups wouldn’t pair up as easily as most people would imagine.
“I don’t think we pair up as easy,” Royce said. “They do different things. I don’t feel like we’re in the same lane. I think we get compared to them because we’re crews. But I’m not so sure that me and ScHoolboy could really go at each other. With what he does versus what I do, it’s not really the same thing, so it would come down to a matter of preference.”
