Eminem Adds Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf to Shady Roster

The deal has been gestating for months, and it's now official. Eminem has signed hip-hop supergroup Slaughterhouse (Royce da 5'9", Joell Ortiz, Joe Budden, Crooked I) to Shady Records. He also added budding star Yelawolf to the roster. Eminem described the move as Shady 2.0.

"Yelawolf and Slaughterhouse, it's kinda phase two of Shady," says Eminem. "It's the new generation of Shady Records and as we're trying to rebuild our label, it's exciting for hip-hop and with all of these forces coming together and with what everybody's capable of on the mic, it's gonna be fun."

Slaughterhouse, which is comprised of Crooked I, Joe Budden, Joell Ortiz and Em's longtime pal Royce da 5'9". The group dazzled with their self-titled debut in 2009. Soon after its release, rumors of a Shady Records deal started to make round on the web. They would later appear in Eminem's bit on Drake's "Forever" video. Their first real collaboration with Eminem was on "Session One," a bonus track on Recovery. Eminem is said to be personally involved in Slaughterhouse's sophomore album, scheduled for release sometime in 2011.

Said Royce Da 5'9": "It's very exciting for me to reunite with Eminem years after our Bad Meets Evil project together. Slaughterhouse on Shady Records will be a force to reckon with."

Yelawolf echoed Nickel Nine's excitement. "Considering where I'm from and the sh-t I've been through, it's hard to put into words what partnering with Shady means to me, my team at Ghet-O-Vision, and my state of Alabama," said Yelawolf. "I can tell you that when you're willing to give your life up to see a dream through, the reward is great. And now that I've become an apprentice to one of the greatest artists in the world, my potential reaches beyond anything I ever imagined. Let's kill this sh-t."

Shady Records 2.0 is the cover story in the March 2011 issue of XXL.