“I been talking to Em,” Royce revealed to HipHopDX.com exclusively today. “I didn’t even really wanna tell nobody [yet]. That was kinda like a secret thing. I don’t really know where it’s gonna go. Right now we’re just really focusing on repairing the friendship. That’s the most important thing to me.”

And what did the two old friends discuss in their first conversation in years? Not music, says Royce, “We just been talking about intangible shit like movies, our favorite movies, just realizing how much shit we always had in common. That first conversation we had we talked for like two hours, just about everything. We did a lot of catching up.”

What the two original “Renegades” have rumored to have newly in common is a reunion track produced by DJ Premier, but Royce explains that a new recording session between the two has yet to take place. “We haven’t really spoken in-depth [yet] about anything creative,” says Royce. “That session hasn’t happened yet. He told me he had some of the best shit recorded right now that he’s ever done in his life. I ain’t even got a chance to get with him to hear it yet. He ain’t heard what I got [new], and I ain’t heard what he got [new]. That’s kinda like what our friendship is, it’s always been real competitive. It’s always been that we motivate each other. And I think we at a point in our careers where we both need that.”

Em and Royce’s long overdue reconciliation was ironically initiated by one of Slim Shady’s newest rhyme partners taking shots at one of his oldest. “The Cashis thing was like a blessing,” says Royce of the recently released video interview wherein which Cashis threatens Royce over alleged insults made about Eminem. “That [situation] is what got me and Em [back] together. That’s why I didn’t really [address Cashis' comments]. He was just talking, not knowing who he talking about. I wasn’t gonna move [on him] until I found out what Em’s thoughts were [on the situation]. We done been through too much.”

Royce’s current feelings about Eminem’s newest protégé are thankfully all positive. “My thoughts on Cashis is I don’t have no problem with him,” says Royce. “I think he felt he was doing good. He felt like he was ridin’ for Em. But I’m just glad it didn’t get to [be beef]. So if I see Cashis, I’ll show him nothing but love because Em vouched for him. He told me that Cashis said he was sorry, and I can’t really say nothing after that.”

Since squashing that potential beef via his reconciliation with Eminem, Royce has been hard at work putting the finishing touches on his highly anticipated next mixtape, The Bar Exam 2, hosted by Green Lantern, as well as his two forthcoming full-length releases, The Revival and Street Hop, both executive produced by DJ Premier. With all that on deck, Royce is sure to be a force to be reckoned with in ’08. “Trust me, man, it’s ‘bout to be crazy,” he aptly notes. “I’ma call [Eminem] today. I’ma stay on him and once we past… As soon as the creative part gets back into our relationship, I don’t know what’s gonna happen. I felt like I never had beef with him. It was more of a falling out between two brothers. It was just two brothers not speaking to each other for a minute. But now we speaking again. So sky’s the limit on what’s gonna happen from there.”