The Allegory

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	79/100[3]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[4]
Exclaim!	9/10[5]
HipHopDX	4.2/5[6]
NME	[7]
Pitchfork	5.8/10[8]
Q	[9]
RapReviews	7/10[10]

The Allegory received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79 based on seven reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[3]

Kyle Mullin of Exclaim! praised the album saying, "That's right: sonically, thematically, lyrically — on every level, Royce gives The Allegory his all. And the result is the best LP yet in his 20-year-strong career".[5] HipHopDX critic Kevin Cortez stated, "The Allegory plays out as Royce's most consolidated offering yet. A definite career high-point for a rapper whose résumé spans over 20 years".[6] AllMusic's Neil Z. Young said, "Intense and thrilling, The Allegory is a powerful work with uncomfortably realistic and poignant snapshots of American life that linger long after the last song has finished".[4] Will Lavin of NME said, "Royce's 2018 album Book of Ryan was always going to be a tough act to follow, but The Allegory stands up as an accomplished body of work, packed full of poetic intricacies and life lessons, soundtracked by the sound of Detroit; it will likely end up on the majority of 2020 end-of-year rap lists".[7] George Garner of Q said, "At 22 tracks - including a spoken interlude by Eminem - there's a lot to digest here. But, crucially, a lot worth digesting".[9] RapReviews.com writer Sy Shackleford said, "While handling all of the production himself is a valiant effort, it's evident that Royce had a wobbly experience with it in that it isn't fully consistent. Even so, The Allegory is another solid effort from the Detroit rhyme sayer".[10]

In a mixed review, Jay Balfour of Pitchfork wrote: "His beats are generally chunky sample flips and simple loops, but he also has an ear for a good sound. But if you're listening to a Royce album it's because you want to hear the guy rap. To his credit, Royce has the rare effect of a rapper's extreme technical ability making him seem limber instead of rigid".[8]

At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, The Allegory received a nomination for the Grammy Award for Best Rap Album.[11]

• All songs produced by Royce da 5'9".

Notes

• "Perspective (Skit)" contains additional vocals from Eminem.