What I’ve learned recently from my fans is that they can’t get enough of my style yo. Like, I’ve started trends…you guys can’t be serious. I’m one of the all time greatest of minor league music reviewers…I lead the league in AT LEAST 6 statistical categories right now (Hov voice). Y’all already know me, either you love me or you hate me, either you respect me or block me. Let’s get it.
We know about Rozay already. He has been one of the more consistent rappers of the last 10 years. EVERY joint he’s dropped has been real quality music, and he’s even got a couple of classics. A lot of the time he doesn’t get the credit for actually spittin’ ill lyrics because the records and the flows he’s on are so fire. He’ll survive any major beef, he cannot be taken down. Leader of the “untouchable” Maybach Music Group (looking a little shaky…). Time to see if he gives us another quality joint to bump going into the New Year.
1. Free Enterprise
Featuring John Legend; Produced by StreetRunner, Azzouz, & DJ Khaled (another one)
Rozay comes out spittin’ early. Like I said, this guy never really slacks on the mic, and lyrically is nice. This one features John Legend, who is everywhere and has collaborated with Rick Ross before. He always delivers, and Rick Ross starts with a beautiful, piano-laden track that is real real smooth.
2. Smile Mama, Smile
Featuring CeeLo Green; Produced by Jake One
Back to back introspective cuts from Rozay. I LOVE this hook from CeeLo, and it’s the same quality of their last joint together, “Tears Of Joy”. Ross takes a moment to reflect on hard and good times with his mother and how he just wants to make her proud. The hook will make the realest ones shed a thug tear. Ross pulls a page out of the book of Tupac, inserting the “you always was a Black Queen, mama!” line, which is always a nice touch.
3. One Of Us
Featuring Nas; Produced by Calvo da Gr8
I love this beat, it knocked my baby portraits off of my walls mane. I can’t tell y’all how good it is to hear the god Nasir Jones bless Rozay with a verse. Finally we get that hard noise that we’re used to from Ross. Can we go back to Nas for a second? Has dude ever had a bad guest verse? No? Okay. Leave it to Rozay to pull out good features.
4. Silk Road
Produced by Ben Billions
This beat is simple and smooth. If you sip wine or whatever you can really appreciate this joint. So far we’ve gotten more of ambitious Rozay and less of “B.M.F”, “Stay Schemin'”, and “The Devil Is A Lie”, and I can appreciate that so much. It’s kinda skippable…but this is a smooth little segue into one of the more ignorant moments of the album…
5. Color Money
Produced by D. Rich
NOW THIS IS WHAT I’M TALKING ABOUT. Mane this is beautiful on my workout playlist. This is that ignorant Rozay I been looking for. I love this type of joint. Rozay is one of the best when he does what he does, talking that wild talk. Ross took some clear shots at Drake and Birdbrain in these verses. He said “My little homie made a million on his girl’s tour, we back to back and down to whack a nigga unborn…”. This is Ross at his BEST, and the best joint on the album so far.
6. Dope Dick
Produced by Jake One
Wow, this is one of the smoothest beats I’ve heard in a while. This is that pimp talk here man. I wanna get a pink mink coat off of eBay for this one. Rozay can take your girl fam. The flow on this album is smooth like a hot comb on nappy ass hair (if you real you know where that’s from…). There’s not too much to this. I really like this joint man.
7. Crocodile Python
Produced by Jahlil Beats (holla at me!) & Antman Wonder
I love the background vocals on here. This joint kinda reminds me of a Ghostface joint I heard on Supreme Clientele. I love this smooth talk dude. With Ross you really know what you’re gonna get, but with him it’s really about how he delivers it. It’s the same pizza, but it’s about where you buy it mane. Doesn’t remind me of a Jahlil joint too much (remember “Hot Nigga”?), but he does justice.
8. Ghostwriter
Produced by D. Rich
Rick Ross mentions that he’s written a lot of flows for some of our favorite rappers since before his first album in 2005. I love how he just talks facts here. You can hear his influence in a lot of people’s songs. Rozay delivers here and he documents a little bit of his history here. He brags on his pen game and how he shares it with a lot of mainstream artists. He’s had his hands on a lot of the more memorable hooks from the past few years too. This joint is tough son.
9. Black Opium
Featuring the gawd DJ Premier; Produced by Black Metaphor
Hey man, pay attention to the scratches here. If you know Premier you know he’s had a lot of memorable scratches in his career. You can tell when the guy is on a track. The beat in itself is aiiiiiight, and Ross is spittin’ his usual drug dealer tales. Before you talk Hip-Hop, you gotta appreciate some of the basics. If you can’t respect that your whole perspective is wack.
10. Can’t Say No
Featuring Mariah Carey; Produced by J.R. Rotem
I like how smooth this joint is. Rozay talks about his woman tastes and his style and how he deals with the ladies or whatever. He has a fiance now (I think). Let’s talk about Mariah Carey here. Glad to hear that shorty got her voice back. If y’all seen that “All I Want For Christmas Is You” live performance where she butchered her own song then you know where I’m coming from. Glad to hear the old Mariah isn’t gone.
11. Peace Sign
Produced by DJ Mustard & Salazar
Sounds like we got a YG vocal here too. This doesn’t have the typical Mustard sound to it. When I say this I mean you know he been selling the same beat to people for years now, with the trademark “Hey! Hey! Hey! *snap*” beat. This is another joint dedicated to the ladies. I died laughing when Rozay said “I blow all in ya butt”…wait…LMFAO…okay next.
12. Very Best
Featuring Queen Mary J. Blige; Produced by JP Did This 1
It’s so good to hear Mary on this joint. I’m here for the beat and her voice. This would be a throwaway in my opinion without her. There’s not too much here but it’s not wack. So…next…
13. Sorry
Featuring Bhris Breezy; Produced by the coke gawd Storch
This is a yawner joint. I didn’t really want to hear back to back to back joints for the ladies. NOT saying this isn’t fire, but I am saying that this is kinda the same joint. JEEZ. But after that we get…
14. D.O.P.E.
Featuring Future Hendrix; Produced by DP Beats
Now if you’ve paid attention to me this year, then you know that Future Hendrix has killed this year. He definitely doesn’t disappoint here. This is HIS song. I LOVE this ignorance here. This will go on my workout playlist when I’m liftin’ that weight b. EVERYTHING about this joint is ill. You know what you get with Future, drugs and syrup, and Rozay’s flows aren’t off the mark here. They always deliver together. So in conclusion…
Rick Ross delivers yet again! And I got what I expected. A fire ass album with beats to destroy my speakers. I couldn’t ask for much more. There were a couple of low moments but overall this is pretty fire. Rick Ross pulled up from 3 in the 4th quarter of 2015 and hit a game winner. I like this a lot man.
The final verdict? 3.5-4 out of 5…okay a 4.
Aight that’s it. I delivered yet another classic. Let me put this “D.O.P.E.” joint on my playlist and go get these leg presses in. I gotta do what I gotta do so I’m never off my game son. I gotta keep delivering that heat to you. You never ever been disappointed when I dropped a gem from nowhere. Of course. *sips Red Bull, flies out on the Flying Nimbus*…I’m out!