Examining Rick Ross-isms: Mafia Music

If you've been following Rick Ross since the whole 50 Cent vs. Rick Ross beef started then this will entertain you. Otherwise, it probably won't, lol. I'm going to go through Ross's album track-by-track (each with its own post) and ponder the crazy things Ross says.

Before I start I want to give the disclaimer that I really enjoy "Deeper Than Rap" and up to this point I think it's the best album to drop this year. But I can't go without pointing out some of the ridiculous stuff this guy says. Without further adieu I present (BAWSE!)...

Mafia Music - Rick Ross

Having a job pouring tar "up on" a roof: I would imagine this builds character and the tough work would provide most of us with an impetus to do *something* else. Perhaps rap. Or sell drugs. Or become a C.O.

Making so much paper that you've got women taking photos naked: I cannot relate to this type of talk. I probably won't ever be able to. However, I'd guess that most guys that read this will have taken a pic or two of a naked female without so much more than a trip to Friday's, some smooth talk, and 3.2 sprays of some celebrity-endorsed cologne. Fellas, keep it real! You know I'm accurate here (not that I have done that type of shenanigans).

Being turned on by rumors so much so, that you masturbate "at the top" and "hoes so excited" they "catch every drop": What exactly is the top in this context? The top of rumor circles, rap in general, his house? Nevertheless I find this shockingly believable because if Ross has enough paper to make women take photos naked (how much money would you require from Rick Ross to take a naked pic for him, hmmmmmm?) then what's the difference between that and having enough money for them to catch every drop (eeeeewww)? You'd think that if a woman was going to watch this guy rub one out from the "top" then she's already given way to the fact that his money is relentless in its sexiness and she would hence be turned on enough to go ahead and pull a Superhead and catch those falling drops (I cringed writing that). Pardon my crassness on everything prior to this sentence.

Giving a chick to the block after you eff one time: I thought guys usually let the block smash at the same time they did, not pass a chick off. I'm sure Ross has ran his share of trains so I would have expected something a little more over-the-top instead of this. But dealing with women like Tia (the block could be 50 Cent in her case) and "Brooke", nothing is taboo.

Dropping another album for your dogs so you can buy 10 Maybachs for them to ride in: This is actually one of my favorite lines in this song. Ross is probably just dumb enough and self-absorbed enough to do this. But I like the point he's indirectly (and perhaps unintentionally) making about loyalty to his friends (aside from the obvious gloating about frivolous spending). If I could have, I would have had all my boys go to college with me, build a business together, and eat crab meats while wearing the "delicates of fabrics". That's BAWSE ish.

Having a Farrakhan aura: Do I even need to comment on this? So you want to be creepy but still manage to pilfer $1,000,000+ from the Black community with no accountability whatsoever and then try another march a decade later in hopes of pulling the same stunt? Ross clearly has some serious intestinal fortitude to pull this line out. And pausing on the pork was obviously something Ross didn't start until recently.

Question: Is killing people when you're bored > Effing people's lives up for fun?

Giving a girl 100 stacks, breaking up, and letting her keep it: You d@mn fool! This is similar to Ross wanting to buy Maybachs for his boys but much more lame. I can only relate to this in terms of pancakes (yes, pancakes!). If (over the duration of a relationship) I cook a chick 100 pancakes and we break up, I'll be pissed because of all that work I put in. But 100 stacks of money means I will be at her door waiting for her to come home to get my ish back. "I knew it wouldn't work, I just like to give". Ain't that some bullshyt!

Eating crabmeats! This one is so much my favorite that I may just buy eatingcrabmeats.com AND crabmeats.com. Seriously, "crabMEATS"!!! That is classic! Besides that, only people from Maryland (my home state, no shots) and Rick Ross think that crab meats are high-society eating. Next thing you know he'll be be talking about eating venison like that's special. I can see this fool now: "I got so much bread these hoes wanna eat/Venison tastes good, but still ain't crabmeats!"

Next Up - Maybach Music 2...

Examining Rick Ross-isms: Yacht Club

Yacht Club is my first or second favorite track off of Deeper Than Rap (it's a close battle between this song and Valley of Death). The vibe of this song is sooooo laid back and smooth that I can't help but turn it up loud and imagine myself on South Beach when I hear it. Maybe I need to start imagining myself on a yacht?

Yacht Club - Rick Ross (feat. Magazeen)

Pu--ies don't get pu--y: I didn't really pay this line much attention the first time I heard the song because Ross says a lot of recklessly crass stuff in general and I've come to ignore a lot of it. But my buddy Lance mentioned in his twitter feed that he hates that Ross says it throughout the album and now I'm reminded of Lance's tweet every time I hear Ross say it. THANKS A LOT RIPROCK!

I'm not bigger than Biggie, b*tch I'm bigger than you: How can you not love Ross's unintentional use of the much sought-after but not often achieved quadruple-entendre (there's no way he's lyrically talented enough to have though of this one)?

1. Physically he's not bigger than Biggie
2. Musically he's not bigger than Biggie
3. He's probably musically bigger than whomever he's addressing here (God only knows who though)
4. He's probably physically bigger than ALMOST EVERYBODY except for Biggie so does it really matter who he's talking to?

The fat Tommy Lee I made out with like eight broads: I might dare go out on a limb and call that a classic Rick Ross line. Not because it's classic in the broader spectrum of dope bars that have been spit but because it's hilarious when you think about Ross comparing his sexual exploits to Tommy Lee. There's now way Ross can even come close to Tommy Lee's Ron Jeremy-ish exploits.

She no speaky no engli-maybe Fat Joe can teach her: That was kinda slick. It made me chuckle anyways. I remember reading on someone's blog (maybe it was Bol's)recently about how for all this coke/Noriega/Escobar talk Rick Ross probably can't speak a lick of spanish and here Ross goes giving away his secretsof foreign communication. Cook Coke CRACK!

Janet was in control, because the hoe left: Another one of those out-of-nowhere lines like the one about Puffy and Total. I don't understand what the point of this is other than a quick word play on Janet Jackson and her album entitled Control. I also don't get the connection as far as how she was in control because she "left". "Left" what? Who? Ross, I'm going to need you to study Jigga a little bit more than you obviously have in preparation for writing this album and start making more solid connections to your quips.

My d*ck a big stretch: I think I understand what he was trying to say but I just wish he would have said this another way.

Told her to kiss your a$$ after you bought the b*tch breasts: A tip to all you trickin' fools out here. Don't play yourself.

I'm into frying fish with a slight lime twist: I thought he was into friggin' crabMEATS? Make up your mind already! I guess he's a seafood connoisseur. And wouldn't it be lemon rather than lime when we're dealing with seafood? Ross probably puts ketchup on his scallops I bet. He so hood!

Roll with a Navy SEAL: Here he goes again just throwing things out there that don't really make sense but rhyme. But it is kinda funny to think of a seal in the context of Rick Ross's stature. Hehe. Navy SEAL though? I think NAUGHT!

Still sippin' champagne, or is it merlot: Who confuses champagne with merlot? Let me help you out Ross: "Stay sippin crushed grapes, let's call it pinot/I call it fine wine, some call it vino/". I'm available to ghost-write for all under-educated rappers for as little as $100/bar. Holla at ya boy!

And in case you're like me and you're wondering what Greedy Geniu$ clothing is, here ya go. I'm sure Curly is going to act like I'm a bama since I didn't already know what Greedy Geniu$ clothing was but I don't care. You know you are! ADMIT IT CURLY!

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent

Rick Ross: Losing credibility by the minute...

That's the life? Sitting in a black and white studio with a bunch of liquor, hired models, and your boys?

Seriously, you can't convince me that this is your life when you didn't even shoot it at your crib. The fock?

Anywho, it's already been "exposed" that Rick Ross was probably once a correctional officer. Not that being a correctional officer is a bad thing. It is a job. And, it's not drug-dealing, which technically is a bad thing. The idea of Ross being a CO seems to go against the idea that Rick Ross was (or still is) in fact a big time drug dealer. Riiiiight. Because we all really thought he was the fat, black, Tony Montana. Of course we didn't! But we were entertained by his attempt to portray one through his music and Maybach Music cranks just that hard.

So while we don't know (or care in my case) whether or not he really did sell drugs, what we do know is that Rick Ross is full of shyt regardless. He shot a video for one of my favorite songs off his album (that's titled "This Is The Life") and the video is in a studio with a bunch of his nameless boys, some (fine-azz) rented models, and a bunch of liquor he probably got paid to show in the video. Everything about the video screams "this is not my real life!". Granted, he didn't call the song "This is MY Life", but everything he talks about in the song refers to him and how much allegedly cool shyt he does or has. Sure, Rick. SURE!

Dude could have at least shot the video at his house (because we assume he has at least purchased a nice sized home, if not a mansion) or a house he rented (like in this video) and made us wonder if it was really his. With all his credibility problems over the last week or so Ross either needed to catch a gun/drug charge this week or shoot a video on some real gully or believably opulent shyt. This idiot did none of the above and instead tries to pass off something to the public that screams bowlshyt.

Negro please!

I'll still bang TRILLA because it's one of my favorite albums so far this year (yep, I said it). But Rick Ross has the same problem lots of young black males have today. They don't know who they are (yet) so they tell you that they're everything.

"We don't believe you! You need more people!"

A Short Case-Study on the Pros & Cons of Leaked Music: Teflon Don

I'm gonna confine this post to the issue of album leaks (both on-purpose and not) and how that can have an impact on the reaction from fans on the true release date of an album.


By the way, am I the only person that realizes that the Teflon Don name came from John Gotti and not Big Meech, Larry Hoover, or MC Hammer? None of which were truly teflon-anything because they all got caught-up by the laws. Anyway...

Case Study: Rick Ross - Teflon Don

For a while now, Rick Ross (or Ricky Rozay) has been promoting his "Teflon Don" album release via Twitter, email blasts, and he even dropped a mixtape of free music (Albert Anastasia EP) for fans to devour in hopes it would create excitement for the Teflon Don release (I'm still curious as to why he called it Albert Anastasia).

What ended up happening (which seems to be inevitably be the case nowadays) is that Ross's album leaked. As I write this post (6 days before the album's official release date) I've already heard friends talking on Twitter about the album and how they've heard most of it already. That leads me to the topic of this post: What are the pros and cons of an artist leaking songs (or having them leaked illegally) that will be on their official album when it's released?

The Pros:

• If the music is good, people will get excited for the album. Most times people assume that leaked music will be on the album (at the very lease in the form of a bonus track). I'd argue that nowadays that's not so much of a guarantee but it still holds true in most cases. In Rick Ross's case, I'm sure he leaked the John Legend feature track "Sweet Life" in hopes it would have the same impact as the John Legend track off of "Deeper Than Rap" (Magnificent) and he could then put it on Teflon Don. Unfortunately for him, it didn't. In fact, it came across as a formulaic attempt to recreate what is an arguably better track, Magnificent.


• If an artist is thinking about conceptually going in a certain direction on their album, leaking a few songs can allow them to get feedback from the masses. In my opinion a true "artist" wouldn't care about what fans think of their album's concept (see Gods'Illa) but rather, just make what they want and release it. But in the highly-commercialized music industry of today, the "InterWeb-focus" group is probably a valuable tool. In Rozay's case, I am not sure if he really had a concept in mind to begin with. It seems to me like his plan was to get some great production (which Ross is pretty frickin' good at), some big names as featured artists (Jay-Z, Kanye, Diddy), and continue his raps about drugs, weed, women, and all his other vices mixed nicely with hyperbole and exaggeration.


• If the music is well-received (and can garner radio spins) you can always put it on your album. In the case of Rick Ross, I doubt he was going to put Blowin Money Fast on Teflon Don until the response to it was overwhelmingly positive. Same with MC Hammer. But Blowin Money Fast had the InterWeb, streets, and eventually radio going nuts so it only made sense to put it on the album. MC Hammer had a similar but less strong buzz also.

The Cons

• Lack of album cohesion. Nowadays it's pretty hard to keep a hip-hop album from leaking before it's release date. So it was an afterthought for me that his album would leak. I'm actually surprised it took so long to leak (or maybe it wasn't truly complete until very recently). But once I heard the album and reviewed the tracklist, I realized I'd already heard all but 3 songs. BUT, I hadn't heard them within the context and flow of the album and that makes a big difference in *some* cases. Perfect example is the song Maybach Music 3, which was leaked about a week ago and it seemed like people really enjoyed it. I felt it was over-produced and didn't live up to the reviews I was hearing. Fast-forward to me listening to the full album and I like the song more within the flow of the album. Go figure. It's still not better than Aston Martin Music.


• Fans will feel jipped. I hinted at this in the last point but if fans have (in the case of Teflon Don) already heard leaked versions of 6/11 album cuts and 2 of the remaining 5 were on a free mixtape, then that means there's really only THREE new songs on your album. The appetite of InterWeb users for new music is insatiable and because of this, an artist has to tread the line between over-saturation and quality music leaks and also tread the line between leaking quality music and giving away all your album's good content. So much of Teflon Don was leaked or given away by Ross that the other 3 songs remaining should have been EPIC. I'd argue that 1 is dope (I'm Not a Star), 1 is a contrived party track that Diddy convinced him to do, and the other is the obligatory "I talked all this bullshyt on the album about drugs, guns, women, and money so now let me say something that resonates a bit more with people's hearts" track. So 1 out of 3 are dope, 2 out of 3 are at least listenable. And that's not a bad thing at all. But I'll bet that fans complain about having heard most of the album already.


• Setting the bar high with free music is dangerous! If you give away quality merchandise for free over-and-over and then say "On date X, Imma start charging", how do you think people will react? That's one question that I could do an entirely separate post about. When your free music is good, what happens the next time you give away free music and it doesn't meet the listener's expectations? They start drifting. And in the case of many hip-hop "fans", they start hating. Setting the bar high with free music and not being consistent with the release of solid music can turn a fan-base fickle. And a hip-hop fan base is nothing else if it not fickle. Ross put out a solid EP, Albert Anastasia. It's a really good street record. But if he does another mixtape after Albert Anastasia, it'll have to be as good or better. Otherwise, it's going to be a failure in many people's eyes and it'll "devalue" his "brand" just a bit (shot out to LeBron). The same applies to album releases but those are paid for (theoretically, lol) so people should be able to demand a certain level of quality.

I say all this to say that the InterWeb is a great place to find, listen to, and review/comment on music. For the listener, there's no real risk. But for the artist, it's gotta be a tough position to be in. Create a buzz, maintain the buzz by giving music away, drop an album with some familiar music that's good mixed with new music that's as good or better than what's been leaked. I can't imagine what these artists are going through, but I can sit back and enjoy the music.

Examining Rick Ross-isms: All I Really Want

I still get a kick out of the above picture.

Ross enlists The (American) Dream for this track. I'm a fan of The Dream and at this point he's one of those go-to guys for hip-hop hooks (like T-Pain) so I expected this track to be decent at the very least. It doesn't disappoint and for that reason I can be caught walking around the crib singing "All a ni99a really want is YOU!"...RADIO KILLAAAAAAAAAAA!

All I Really Want - Rick Ross (feat. The Dream)

Actually, before I start re-treading Ross's verses/lines I want to say that I really am entertained by the confidence with which Officer Ricky makes statements about his sexual prowess. It makes me laugh to think that Ross could even fathom that the general public would find 93.6% of this stuff believable. Back to the show...

Met in D.C. like 'Go Barack!': SICED me!!!

Girl drunk it like a Fiji then she blowed my socks: See what I mean about him saying things that make no sense but rhyme? Blowed my socks? Translation: Ross likes the feeling of wet socks on his feet.

Might let her sit it on my mustache/But [???] now and then again it make her bust fast: I'm really interested in knowing what part I missed in the ???'d spot above. It sounds like he either said maybe or baby. What's hilarious about this to me is that you can look at Rick Ross and NEVER even think about the fact that he does have a mustache because his beard is so gigantic. He seems like the type of guy that would have a "flavor saver" though (if you know what I mean).

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent
· Yacht Club
· Usual Suspects

Dumb Rappers Need Teachin': Rick Ross Edition

This is more like an Uncle Luke/Rick Ross edition but Luke dropped some rather OBVIOUS jewels in an open letter to Rick Ross. Highlights below.

"all this gangster bullshit is jeopardizing your career. No club or arena is going to risk people getting shot. You can forget about doing any tours or CD signings. And if you can't make money, watch how fast Warner Bros. Records turns on you. "

"It's a shame you can't enjoy life without spending part of your earnings on heavy security or risking your freedom by purchasing an arsenal. Remember, that's what landed T.I. and Lil Wayne in prison. You don't want that to happen to you. However, those are the consequences of rapping about being something you're not. "

"very gangster rapper takes on the role of a real hood legend to build up street cred. But I don't want you to fall into the trap of believing you are really a gangster. "

The full article can be read here. Luke makes some good points and I agree with everything he said except, I don't think it's as easy as just "squashing your beefs". Let's not trivialize how difficult it would be for Ross to squash his "beef" with a bunch of different sets of Gangster Disciples by paying them off. As soon as he's paid off one or two, others would pop up because well, now they know they can extort him. And how exactly, does one go about paying off a known gang/drug organization after all these public threats and not end up (by legal definitions) involving himself in illegal activity? So while I applaud Luke for keeping it real in this letter and stating some obvious truths, I think Rick Ross is probably in a tough spot and he is going to need that security and arsenal. But like Luke basically said, this is the consequence of purporting a gangster lifestyle when you're pretty much removed from that life (if you were ever involved) because you're rich.

I'm officially a blogger now....

Check out the email I received from Blogger below (I'm so siced!)...

************
Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.

The notice that we received from the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and the record companies it represents, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided.

The IFPI is a trade association that represents over 1,400 major and independent record companies in the US and internationally who create, manufacture and distribute sound recordings (the "IFPI Represented Companies").

The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines for online service provider liability in case of copyright infringement. We are in the process of removing from our servers the links that allegedly infringe upon the copyrights of others. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits. See http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.

Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.

Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.

Sincerely,

The Blogger Team

Affected URLs:

http://mcarroll4716.blogspot.com/2009/01/hip-hop-beef-update-officer-ross-vs-50.html
http://mcarroll4716.blogspot.com/2009/01/hip-hop-beef-update-officer-ross-vs-50.html
************
The link mentioned above has been removed from my blog (I wonder how much will get removed if they do a retroactive search through this bad boy). I assume this removal is because I posted Rick Ross's song, "Mafia Music" (where he takes a shot at 50 Cent and laces the beat quite nicely) or Magnificent without (gulp) Rick's permission (lol). Make that Def Jam's permission. Oh well! This must suck for Rick Ross's promotional effort for his upcoming album, Deeper Than Rap. It's people like moi that put this guys music on the InterWeb and help him with some e-promotion and lookie here, the good ole powers-that-be snatch it right down off the kid's blog. It sure is hard out here for a correctional officer.

Or maybe it's the video I posted of 50's rebuttal Officer Ricky. Cuuuurtis has some bread so I could see him using his millions to get them to shut down one of my posts. I'm just THAT important. Sheesh!

Back to my original theory/thought...Who would have thought I'd earn my blogger stripes off of a friggin' RICK ROSS song (of all people/artists)?!?!?!

And you know I'm going to be checking http://www.chillingeffects.org/ regularly until I see something about this blog up there.

Congratulations are in order...

"I'd like to propose a toast! I said TOAST MOTHERF&CK*RS!" - Kanye West

Examining Rick Ross: Valley of Death

I was undecided as to whether Valley of Death or Mafia Music was my favorite song on the album but I am now convinced that Valley of Death is it. I liked this song from the first time I heard it and this is the only song on this album that I will repeat 10 times over. The reason I like this song and Mafia Music so much is because they're both probably the realest joints Ross has ever written. For all the coke talk and misogyny on this album there's at least two songs that come off as completely genuine and authentic and Mafia Music and Valley of Death have to be on that list.

Valley of Death - Rick Ross

Faith of a mustard seed destined for a triumph/David or Goliath, hate me or admire: David = Ross, Goliath = 50. Faith of a mustard seed. Destined for triumph. Stepped it up a bit here lyrically.

Will I get to heaven turn to Psalm 27: Psalm 27.

New York unified, down south love that/When we got to shine mf-ers where the love at: Real talk.

Very first line he called Trick Daddy stupid, saying he got AIDS telling people that it's Lupus: Dude didn't even have to go here. Lupus isn't a joking matter. AIDS isn't either. But at the same time I recall Trick taking some shots at Ross when the correctional officer story broke so I guess all's fair...

Young ni99a 15, with 3 seeds/From that very day I carried on them 3 C's...Better get smart young brother live yours/Only live once and I got 2 kids/And for me to feed them I'll get 2 gigs/I'll shovel shyt, I'll C.O./So we can bow our head and pray over the meatloaf/I'm lookin' at the big picture/: That siced me. Ross both admits to and addresses the C.O. situation in about 3 bars. He could have just done this in the beginning and I think a lot of people would have more respect for him now than they do. It's nothing wrong with being a C.O. (ie - having a job). And Ross still maintains after admitting he worked as a C.O. that the "truth is much more sinister". Whatever Ross! Just keep dropping solid music and stop trying to save face.

I'm about 90% convinced that lyrically, this is the best song on the album.

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent
· Yacht Club
· Usual Suspects
· All I Really Want
· Rich Off Cocaine
· Lay Back
· Murda Mami
· Gun Play
· Bossy Lady
· Face

Examining Rick Ross-isms: Magnificent

Magnificent was the second song I heard from Deeper Than Rap and I remember immediately thinking: "Ross got one right here!" Overall, this is probably the best song on the album when you take production, lyrics, and listenability (yep, I said it) into consideration. John Legend does what he normally does on the hook (i.e. - laces it) and Ross holds it down lyrically. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Magnificent - Rick Ross (feat. John Legend)

She the one that I adore so I try to enter raw: Slow your roll, pimpin'! Rap It Up!

Ain't nothing free, I'm charging to breathe air: This is one of those out-of-nowhere lines that Ross has a tendency to drop where the line is so outlandish that you believe nobody would say it and actually mean it, except for??? Another example of this is: "I never phone ahead all she do is hear the pipes".

Ain't nothing on my back but the delicate(s) of fabrics: This line cracks me up every time I hear it. Me and my buddy Laf (aka Curly) laugh uncontrollably at this line and that crab meats line. This begs the question of whether or not these guys actually listen to what they say before releasing these tracks. Or maybe they just don't care and I'm too much of a nerd to let this particular usage slide. I think being high has a lot to do with lines like this and you know Ross is always talking about the smell of kush and lean on his breathe (like that's sexy or something). Aside from the obvious mis-step in usage of the term delicate, I think it's funny that big husky azz Ross is talking all big and bad but wants to be draped in the softest fabrics as if he's not going to sweat completely through that ish on the walk from his car to his front door.

It's time to rape the game, like Puffy did Total: WHAT?!?! Is this meant to be taken literally, figuratively? This is a very GAME-esque move right here. That is, out-of-the-blue dropping a random controversial line about another popular artist. And Total hasn't been relevant for eons now. What does The Bawse know that we don't? If you answered "absolutely nothing", I'd bet you're right.


Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2

Examining Rick Ross-isms: Usual Suspects

When I first heard a snippet of Usual Suspects (courtesy of eskay) I was super-pressed to hear what NaSiR's verse was going to sound like. Ross held his own on the preview verse and the beat is arguably one of the album's best. When I finally heard the full song I felt like Ross out-rapped NaS but that's just my opinion. I've gotten into a couple arguments about this already and I am NOT saying NaS's verse is weak by any means but ... Ross 2nd verse > Nas verse > Ross 1st verse. Tell me why I'm wrong in the comments.

Usual Suspects - Rick Ross (feat. NaS)

I'm too cool for lame dudes to ridicule/I laugh while I'm doin' laps in the swimming pool: First thought was --> "I'm stealing that too cool line". Second thought --> "Ross can swim? NO WAY!"

And still my talent has yet to be challenged: Dare I say this is a shot at Jay-Z?

But back then dough was like a whore that Goldie loved, it didn't exist/and Officer Foley cuffs was after my wrist/was not Beverly Hills where we chilled/Imagine this the Nazareth had to get from rags to rich/I used to stand on rooftops with two glocks/Thinking how could I turn my Timberlands to Crocs/Now reptiles is left out I'm 'bout a watch: That right there is poetry my friends. NaS laced that! Officer Foley --> Beverly Hills...Rags to rich --> Timberlands to Crocs...Reptiles --> Watches with reptile skin. Dope!

As my 'fetti grow f--ck her, feed her Spaghetti-O's: Selfish, are we? How you gonna get more money and make your girl eat Spaghetti-O's? That ain't right!

Wow! This might be the least outlandish song on the album.

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent
· Yacht Club

Things I Can't Stand: Hip-Hop Producers Beat-Teasing

I was surfing NahRight earlier and saw a song by Jay Rock that I wanted to check out. Just got around to actually listening to it and realized that the beat was from a Rick Ross joint I'd heard before.

The backstory here is that I have had the Ross version in my normal rotation for about a year now and I always get upset when it comes on because his flow is dope but the song is only about 1 minute long. I think the song was created around the time when Ross and BirdBrain were going to do this so-called, alleged album entitled "H". I was hoping this song in its full length would be on the "H" album. But of course, the "H" album never happened and I've had to settle for the short version of this song that apparently, Ross never finished.

Fast-forward to today and I listen to the Jay Rock version and it's good, the beat still knocks, but I'd prefer to hear a full Ross version. So my complaint here is that J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League (creators of the beat) obviously felt comfortable enough with the beat to let Ross drop a verse. What happened after that and why it eventually ended up with Jay Rock I'll probably never know. But it always bothers me when I hear a beat by one artist on some mixtape or website ish and then another artist ends up with the beat. The same thing happened with Young Chris and Meek Mill and the "I'm A Boss" beat that eventually ended up as a Meek track on MMG's Self Made Vol. 1 disc.

I'm not sure what type of label politics or producer/artist B.S. is involved but sometimes I wish they'd just let the beat go to the original spitter. But then again, maybe some of these dudes just don't want to cough up the money to make the beat theirs. Either way, who do you think rocked the beat more?

Rick Ross - Special Situation

Jay Rock feat. Kendrick Lamar - Hood Gone Love It
Jay Rock - Hood Gone Love It Ft Kendrick Lamar by TopDawgENT

Examining Rick Ross-isms: Bossy Lady

As far as these Rick Ross radio-friendly songs go:

Magnificent > Bossy Lady > All I Really Want >>> Lay Back

Bossy Lady - Rick Ross (feat. Ne-Yo)

Mine gaudy [un]less I'm going for the sporty look: Hmmmnnn. Not sure how I feel about that line. Maybe that's because mine is sporty unless I'm going for the gaudy look. Then again, authentically gaudy isn't really in my budget. Spoken like a true R.N.

My kicks brown now I'm lookin' for Rihanna 'nem: WHAT???

She asked for head first so she gets it off the top: This does not make sense when you consider this is the same guy that said: "I'm busy baby go and suck another c*ck". Maybe Ross decided to be nice.

Cruisin' down Collins, knocking Trick Daddy: And two songs later he disses Trick Daddy. Very Game-esque moves he's making re: T-Double.

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent
· Yacht Club
· Usual Suspects
· All I Really Want
· Rich Off Cocaine
· Lay Back
· Murda Mami
· Gun Play

Examining Rick Ross-isms: In Cold Blood

The beat on this track is about as sinister as Ross wants us to believe his C.O. past was. Officer Ricky does a good job of holding his own on this track though. I'm not sure whether or not I think having another 50 Cent foe (Bang Em Smurf) on the track talking as opposed to rapping was a good idea. Bang Em is pretty much irrelevant nowadays but it would have made more sense to me if Ross gave him a verse on this joint rather than just have him talking ish at the end. But some guys are arguably better at talking ish on a track than rapping.

In Cold Blood - Rick Ross

Midst of the war, I pi$$ on graves. Kids get grazed by my pi$$ poor ways: I thought it was kind of interesting that he mentions how he has (or can have) an influence on kids by the way he acts. Not sure if he threw that in there just because it rhymes (he's got a tendency to do that) or because he really has thoughts about that. I guess it was the former since he doesn't really expound on it.

Beat the case like Orenthal: LOL. OJ jokes never really get old.

Once the b*tch need an oil change, I go and buy a new one/Cuz I'm spoiled mayne: LOL. This guy never stops saying outlandish stuff.

Overall this album flows pretty well from beginning to end. Minus about 2 tracks that I would call just average I think Ross has a solid album. You might not like the content but the music is pretty good. He has always seemed to have an ear for decent production but his lyrics haven't always been up to par (a la Young Jeezy). But on this album Ross steps his game up enough lyrically to hold his own over some very good production. This is one of my favorite albums so far this year.

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent
· Yacht Club
· Usual Suspects
· All I Really Want
· Rich Off Cocaine
· Lay Back
· Murda Mami
· Gun Play
· Bossy Lady
· Face
· Valley of Death

Examining Rick Ross: Rich Off Cocaine

Rich Off Cocaine is actually a pretty good song for the same reasons that Magnificent is a good song. Ross's raps aren't bad (though there's a littany of cocaine references), the beat is good, and the R&B "crooner" does a good job on the hook. I think Ross missed the mark though changing the title from On Top of the World to Rich Off Cocaine. Rich Off Cocaine would probably be more acceptable if the whole correctional officer thing didn't hit the fan. Now it just seems a bit out-of-place to me. But I didn't executive produce this album so who cares what I think?

Rich Off Cocaine - Rick Ross (feat. Avery Storm)

Like I said previously, there's enough obvious and not-so-obvious cocaine talk in here it's almost entertaining to see just how much time elapses between a coke reference. Or maybe that just entertains me.

How you get a kilo started at an 8-ball: Good example of the type of Ross coke references in this track. Starting at an 8-ball and working your way up to a kilo takes a lot of time and effort (not that I'm promoting drug-dealing), so I'd consider this an accomplishment for any aspiring drug dealer - let alone a former correctional officer slash guy who poured tar UP ON a roof. You know, if drug-dealing is what you decide to do.

Come from where hoes f*ck you for your paint job: You don't even have to guess, it's somewhere in the SOUTH! Candy paint and dunkrydes ALL-READY!

I watch her snort her powder while I'm chillin' sippin tea: I understand that coke is supposed to be the drug of the rich and wealthy but come on. Nothing cool about letting your girl do a Tony Montana-esque line. This guy watches too many gangster movies. That Elvira ish is NOT sexy.

Vacationed in Haiti, it nearly broke my heart/Seeing kids starve I thought about my Audemar/Selling dope ain't right, I put that on my life/Chickens put me in position to donate the rice: Somehow he managed to keep talking about coke but put a positive spin on it. Best.Ross.Bars.EVER!

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent
· Yacht Club
· Usual Suspects
· All I Really Want

"It always sounds better when you turn it up loud" -- Too $hort

Every time I hear a new song that I really like it reminds me of that Too $hort line. I've had Drake, Jay-Z, Rick Ross, and Slaughterhouse in my rotation pretty heavy lately. Not to mention some bangers I've found on the InterWeb. But in the past week I've heard the songs below - all of which are new to me - and I like them a lot so I figured I'd get back into the routine of posting new music I like.

Usher - Papers



There seems to have been some hoopla about this song and whether or not he should air his personal business out in his music... yadda yadda yadda. What is music without some real emotion people? Aside from that, Usher has a history (ahem, Confessions anyone?) of airing out his personal business through his music. And the last time I checked, Confessions was Usher's BEST FRIGGIN WORK! With that said, if this upcoming "Raymond vs. Raymond" CD (is that title not hilarious to you, lol) is anything like Confessions then Usher's going to have ANOTHER classic on his hands. Music is therapy for some, entertainment for some, and somewhere in-between for others.

David Banner - Something's Wrong



Honestly, there's something about David Banner that strikes me as EXTRA and I don't really embrace his music that much because of it. But on every CD he has a couple songs that I really like whether it's because it's one of those country club bangers or because he's talking about something that I connect with. This song is a case of the latter.

Rick Ross - Special Situation



This is boiler-plate Ricky Rawse music right here and by now you know how much I fool with Officer Ricky. This guy sure has a knack for picking some good beats. BAWSE!

Bonus coverage of Rick...



GodsIlla - Got Ya'll



"Rhyme like a clock w/no hands, straight timeless". I have known these guys since high school and it's great to see their grind paying off. And it's even greater to be able to post their music because I truly like it and not because I feel obligated. This is real hip-hop! Check 'em out and get familiar.

Kid Cudi - Soundtrack to My Life



I don't usually have many positive things to say about Kid Cudi but this song cranks! Real life shytuations = REAL music.

Rich Boy - Haters Wish



I think I like this song because of the beat moreso than what Rich Boy is saying. I'm not going to lie though I think that (at times) Rich Boy's country twang along with the way he stresses certain words/phrases in his verses makes up for his lack of lyrical ability. He is also fairly good at picking good beats. And as a rapper, if you can't rap very well you better be good at picking out nice beats until you start rapping well (see: Rick Ross).

VIDEO: HUSTLIN - Rick Ross (AKA SleepyWay)

Rick Ross is Hustlin Everyday Ya'll

I can't front, I kinda like the song a little. Kinda street anthem-ish and I like the street anthems. Rick isn't the most lyrically sound rapper out there but I don't think that's what he's trying to accomplish anyway. Sort of like Young Jeezy, he appears to want to give you a glimpse of what HIS VIEW of the hood is like. That's all good by me homie! Do your thing! He's got all the MIAMI allstars in there: Trina, Pitbull, Smitty, Trick Daddy...Nice video.



After watching this video though, I must say that Rick Ross looks like a cross between Freeway and Sleepy Brown. YOu make the call:

FREEWAY



Sleepy Brown

Examining Rick Ross-isms: Maybach Music 2

Maybach Music 2 was probably the song I anticipated the most on this album. The original was easily the best song on Trilla. While I don't think the second installment is as good as the first there are some jewels in here. In fact, more jewels than Ross-isms (shocker, I know).

Maybach Music 2 - Rick Ross (feat. Kanye West and Lil Wayne)

If B-I was alive he'd probably have the two tone: This is a Yeezy line but it sices me every time I hear it and I'm still not sure why. Maybe it's because it seems like everybody respects Biggie's swag so much that I like it when these guys pay homage in ways like this.

Kanye and Wayne's obsession with feces: "I am the sh-t and this is my commode"??? Even going back to "Swagger Like Us" where he says "how do it feel to be the sh*t and the urine?" That line really blew the crap out of me. Anyway, Wayne talks about sh*t quite often so if you haven't noticed it yet, maybe him "sitting in the azzhole" of his Maybach will help refresh your memory.

New crib, loftin'/Where is at? Austin/Where's that? Texas/What's in front? Benz's/What else? Lexus/Well whose Maybach is this?/Mr. West's!": That's dope!

I got so many horses b*tches call me Polo: A slick line from the Bawse. I'm wondering if this dude really does own horses though. Maybe he eats horseMEATS and crabMEATS.

I was barely getting pretty women: Hey Ross guess what? I BELIEVE YOU!

All black Maybach I'm sitting in the a$$ hole!: I have no idea why he felt like he needed to say that. What's the a$$hole of a Maybach? Why would I ever want to know? Tailpipe? Backseat? He should have ad-lib'd a "no homo" in the background on this one just for G.P. I guess this was just to catch everyone's attention at the beginning of his verse. Mission accomplished!

Fresher than Will Smith and Uncle Phil too! Slick! Fresh Prince...Rich uncle...Weezy is nice.

In my opinion, the proper line-up for this track would have been Yeezy, Ross, Wayne, and Jay-Z. It's kind of disappointing that Jay was on the first but not the second joint.

Previously:

Mafia Music

Examining Rick Ross-isms: Murda Mami

I still get a kick out of that picture too, LOL. It might actually be my favorite one.

Anyway, I am not sure if anyone was surprised by the fact that Foxxy is on this track, but I sure wasn't. I know there were rumors floating around about Ross and Foxxy being an item a while back (not that anybody cared outside the InterWeb) and I thought: "Meh, it wouldn't surprise me. But who really cares?". So when this song leaked I wasn't the least bit surprised and more importantly, I wasn't really excited about hearing it. I have never really been a fan of Foxx although I know a bunch of people that are. I've always thought she was the weakest of the female rappers of her era (Lil Kim, Eve, and Foxxy). She hasn't really impressed me since "Ain't No Ni99a" and that was HOW LONG ago? Since then she's had a couple joints that were hot but overall more drama than quality music. And after she lost (and subsequently regained) her hearing I would be apprehensive to believe that she can even tell what good music is anymore. But I AM glad she has her hearing back.

In a certain ghetto-fabUlous way she and Ross are an ideal couple. She loves to play ghetto azz Bonnie to some guy's Clyde (see: Jay-Z) and they are both about as unforgivingly hood as they can be. What's that mean? It's a match made in the projects.

As for this song, it's the second track on the album I'd skip. I listen to it, but if you asked me what are the tracks on this disc that I label "skip-able", this is definitely one of them.

Murda Mami - Rick Ross (feat. Inga)

She'll take the kilo and stuff it up in the Gucci/Brick of that 'roin, stash it up in the coochie: See what I mean about the Bonnie and Clyde stuff (which is naturally in the hook of the song)? I've always felt like Foxx's goal in life was to be a down-azz-chick. Which isn't altogether a bad life if you took away the potential for jail-time, death, or otherwise emotionally/physically harmful things that could happen.

Me and Ross like the hood version Obama's: GASP! Oh no she didn't!. This is an example of why there needs to be a copy-editing process when hip-hop lyrics are written. Anything Gucci Mane and/or OJ Da Juiceman (seriously) says is the only other example I think I need to prove my point. Quarter-edit, half-edit, whole-edit, AYE!

Hold up! That's it! Just two lines!?!? Great! Now I have to retract what I said in the last post.

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent
· Yacht Club
· Usual Suspects
· All I Really Want
· Rich Off Cocaine
· Lay Back

Examining Rick Ross-isms: Gunplay

Off the strength of the title alone I knew this one was going to be entertaining (lol). Ross's right-hand man's name is Gunplay and this guy is what I would call a "character". See my reason for calling him a "character" here. I didn't realize that Officer Ricky was going to actually have this guy rapping on the song though. That was just the icing on the cake. Once I realized that Gunplay would be rapping, I knew this would be a tough talk extravaganza. Here's me..."How many bodies are these bamas going to catch on this track?"

Gunplay - Rick Ross (feat. Gunplay)

Tellin' lies getting ni99as wives tied up and raped: Body #1. While it's not technically a body that he caught with that line, raping someone might actually be as bad as killin' someone. In general though, rape is worthy of years in jail if not the death penalty (I can't really advocate the death penalty because I don't believe it's a human's right to decide who lives or dies).

Bullet in my head, bullet in my chest. Yeah they want a ni99a dead, they envy my success: Ross indirectly bodies himself. Body #2. Bawse remember: "You're nobody 'till somebody kills you!"

Ni99as getting wacked no sympathy for the soft, ni99as snitching I know b*tches who clipping ya d*ck off: Wow. Bodies 3 and 4. And yes, having your "manhood" clipped off = death.

Got ya girl panties wetter than a pool party: Ha! He must have thought of this while doing laps in his swimming pool.

Ain't never put sh*t on the line, just sh*t in a rhyme, I shoot a ni99a sh*t in a rhyme: First, what? Say that again??? Second, Body #5.

These internet ni99as, these ain't a threat ni99as. Never seen a labtop in the projects ni99a: I thought that was a pretty raw line. Not lyrical, but just uncut, raw, and to the point. It's like Joe Budden said: "I hate to see you lose your life over a website".

Who dat standing behind the curtain I'll murk 'em: Body number 6.

Only 6 bodies!?!?! That's 1/3 the body count on the average Uncle Murda song. Ross needs to study Uncle Murda while he's studying Jay-Z.

And just in case you're wondering who Brisco is since he's on line 2, here ya go.

Previously:

· Mafia Music
· Maybach Music 2
· Magnificent
· Yacht Club
· Usual Suspects
· All I Really Want
· Rich Off Cocaine
· Lay Back
· Murda Mami

The reason so many people loved Rick Ross's verse on "Devil in a New Dress"

Honestly, this is a simple answer, it's the production. But in my opinion, there's more.

First off, the Bink! produced track (Mike Dean is also listed as a co-producer) is definitely one of the top 3 songs on the album (I'd throw "Power" and "All of the Lights" or "Gorgerous" in there as well). Secondly, Bink! did an excellent job of taking the sample from Smokey Robinson's "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" and interspersing the low guitar chords in the beginning of the song and then bringing in the serious guitar chords later. Part of me wants to think that Kanye may have gotten the original beat from Bink! and then made some tweaks to it with Bink!. Nevertheless, I'm sure Kanye could hear this track being played in a stadium ("stadium status", anyone?) and with that heavy guitar in there for the second half of the song, it would definitely appeal to the pop/rock crowds. Like Dave Chappelle (not me!) once said, white people love some electric guitar.

Chappelles Show
Electric Guitar, Drums or Electric Piano Pt. 1
www.comedycentral.com
Buy Chappelle's Show DVDs Black Comedy True Hollywood Story

"It speaks directly to the soul of the white person, they find it irresistible." LOL!

Back to the topic (no J. Cole)...

Let's take the beat as the foundation for the song and then consider how the beat and verses are arranged. First off, the song is 5 minutes and 52 seconds long! Not cut for radio and long enough for the average listener to surmise that there's some sort of skit, interlude, or section where the beat just plays (I'm not sure of the proper musical/technical term for this) bridge. Kanye raps for the first 2 minutes and 50 seconds after which we hit the bridge.

From what I can tell and based in my very rudimentary knowledge of music composition, the bridge in this song serves two purposes. The first is to give the listener a better appreciation for the beat up to this point. And I don't mean appreciation in the sense that we should be impressed but an appreciation in the sense of what instruments are being used and those that have now been taken away during the bridge. The second purpose is to get the listener ready for the beat to come back but this time, with some serious guitar chords incorporated into it. The chords are actually brought in during the bridge (at about the 3 minute 12 second mark). The chords are brought back in and slowly drums are brought back into the beat and then the next thing you know...


This leads me to the point of this post. Ross's verse is nothing special lyrically. I've definitely heard better from Mr. Rozay and for those of you that still don't respect Ross's lyrical ability I submit to you Exhibit A, "Solemnly Swear" and Exhibit B, "Valley of Death". The latter of which I think may be Ross's most lyrical song ever, inspired by Curtis Jackson no less. As for his verse on this song, honestly the only gem in there is "when it comes to tools n*gga I'm a Pep Boy". And that is by no means an overwhelming piece of lyricism. Granted, maybe the "double-headed monster with a mind of his own" and "making love to the angel of death" lines are deeper than I can see. Yet-and-still, I don't think this is a stand-out Ross verse by any means and I'm a Ross fan. In the end, I think that the bridge helps Ross out tremendously and his delivery is what makes his verse memorable. Not to mention, Ross's verse also brings in that other fanbase/target market Kanye's trying to capture, the "streets". Whether you want to accept it or not, Ross's appearance on the song gives the song some "street credibility".

Overall, Bink!'s production, Kanye's verse, the bridge and Ricky Rozay's voice, delivery, and ad-libs (ughh!) combined with the beat and arrangement of the song makes the song special. It's definitely one of my favorites from the album.

BONUS COVERAGE: If you'd like to check out various samples used on the My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy album, check the video out below: