AUSTIN, Texas — Slaughterhouse passed through Austin, Texas, to perform at the Shady 2.0 Showcase during South by Southwest earlier this month, and while they were in town, the boys — Joe Budden, Royce Da 5'9'', Crooked I and Joell Ortiz — slotted some time to film the video for their latest single, "Hammer Dance."
MTV News caught up with the four rappers on set, where they explained the video's concept and gave an update on their upcoming album, Welcome to: Our House.
"I think it's just a day in the life of Slaughterhouse, a lot of energy," Crooked I told MTV News. "We're gonna give fans a chance to shine, and I think when it's done, you'll see how authentic it is. When we roll into town, we jell with people, no matter where they are, who they are, what part of the world they're from. We're just average dudes trying to do extraordinary things."
"Hammer Dance" is the latest single from the group's sophomore album, which is expected to debut this summer. Slaughterhouse wouldn't give a specific release date just yet, but they did reveal that their Shady Records boss, Eminem, is in the final stages of mixing.
"[We're] still working out minor tweaks, [but] it's way more done than people know," Royce said. "Marshall is actually mixing right now. He's actually mixed the entire album, and that wasn't even the original plan, so we're super excited about that. He's just taking songs to another level."
Eminem is known for his hands-off approach with artists, but the Detroit native was very much involved in the creation of Welcome to: Our House, as the group explained. "Real talk: A lot of people don't give Eminem enough credit for his production and his arrangement and his mixing," Crooked I said. "What he's doing to add to the album is phenomenal, and I think he deserves props and a salute for that."
"He's turning it into a movie," Royce concluded. "It's becoming way more visual, when he comes and puts his stamp on it, if you will."
Clip from the set of Hammerdance here.
