Discussing the album in a Vibe interview weeks prior to the release of his sixth album Layers in April 2016, Royce stated Book of Ryan will be a "very personal one" and more introspective than his previous discography, saying that "it's really, really a lot of the stuff that I want to share". He also stated that the album was approaching completion and was going to be released the same year. Little was said about Book of Ryan until after two years of delays for unknown reasons, the tracklist and cover art were revealed on March 22, 2018, after the collaborative release of PRhyme 2 with producer DJ Premier as a part of the duo PRhyme. On the same day, it was also announced that Royce, along with producers Mr. Porter and S1, are serving as executive producers for the album. On April 25, Royce officially revealed the producers for Book of Ryan. The next day on April 26, Royce announced the featured artists on the album.
Singles
The lead single, "Boblo Boat" featuring J. Cole, was released on March 23, 2018. A music video for the single, directed by Cole, was released on Apple Music and Royce's official Vevo channel three days later on March 26. In "Boblo Boat", the two artists focus on reminiscing on their childhood while the video centers on a group of children going to a local carnival and walking around the park while simultaneously getting into trouble, with frequent references to the Boblo Island Amusement Park. Comedian Cedric the Entertainer makes a cameo in the video as a security guard, who also contributed additional vocalsat the beginning of the song. "Stay Woke", the second single featuring female Detroit singer Ashley Sorrell, was released on April 13, 2018. In the song, Royce talks about his documented past struggles with alcohol addiction, while celebrating how long it has been since he became sober. In an interview with HotNewHipHop on April 13, 2018, Royce elaborated on the choice of "Stay Woke" being the second single for Book of Ryan:
“Stay Woke” is more like an excerpt off the album. When you listen to the album in its entirety, “Stay Woke” serves as a commercial. Like a small gap in the story, just for you to hear some bars for a second.
The third single, "Dumb" featuring Shady Records rapper Boogie, was released on April 19, 2018. It describes Royce and Boogie's frustration with the music industry. Joel Zela of 2DOPEBOYZ described the song being a "bar-for-bar" collaboration and also noted the production, calling it "piano-driven". The fourth and last single, "Caterpillar" featuring Eminem and King Green, was released and accompanied by a music video on May 3, 2018.
Critical reception
Upon its release, Book of Ryan was met with widespread acclaim from music critics, receiving a score of 84 from review aggregator Metacritic. Will Lavin of JOE stated that Book of Ryan "proves Royce Da 5’9” is a Top 5dead or alive rapper, no question. Wearing his heart on his sleeve throughout, the album is an introspective gift that not too many people are capable of giving. Combining transcendent lyricism with incredible instrumental choices, it’s an excellent example of how beats and rhymes are supposed to marry one another."
"Woke" contains samples of "Woke Up This Morning", written and performed by Alabama 3.
"Caterpillar" and "Caterpillar " contain samples of "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised", written and performed by Gil Scott-Heron; and portions of "Ring the Alarm", written and performed by Tenor Saw.
"Dumb" contains samples of "Just Playing Dreams", written and performed by The Notorious B.I.G..
"Boblo Boat" contains samples of "A Day in the Park", written by Michał Urbaniak, and performed by Urszula Dudziak; and excerpts from the documentary "Boblo Memories", written and narrated by Mort Crim.
"Amazing" contains samples of "Everybody Wants to Rule the World", written and performed by Tears for Fears.
"Power" contains samples of "Eazy-Duz-It", written by MC Ren and performed by Eazy-E.
"First of the Month" contains samples of "1st of tha Month", written and performed by Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
Personnel
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. General personnel
