Joell Ortiz and Kxng Crooked followed H.A.R.D., the MCs' comparatively straightforward EP released in 2020, with an album that looks back and takes stock of their past and present as one-half of the disbanded Slaughterhouse. An air of conquest is felt throughout, though there's a prevailing negative sentiment -- one signaled in the title of the central "Fukglasshouse," in which Ortiz and Crooked bury Slaughterhouse's unreleased third album. That track's chorus proclaims "We on some brand new shit," but the majority of Rise & Fall of Slaughterhouse -- essentially measured outpourings -- indicates otherwise. Listeners who care about the duo as humans might find it difficult to hear them work through and detail personal conflicts with Slaughterhouse's other half. Among the most moving cuts are "Backstage," a soulful and elegant reflection, and "Vacancy," a mournful number, bolstered by a spectral organ, that salutes the fanbase.