Rick Ross is undoubtedly a boss in the rap game. The guy owns his own record label, has put out six studio albums, and is one of the most recognizable rappers in the world. Personally, I like Rick Ross. He can really put together a good verse, and some of his lyrics end up sticking with me. My one problem with him is albums. I have not really been interested in a lot of his projects. I feel Ross just can't put together a consistent full-length album. Will his new album, Mastermind, change that?
In terms of rapping, Rick Ross just sticks with what works for him. Ross has his own style and will instantly catch your ear when he's on the mic. This, of course, is because of his unique, gruff delivery. He will always sound tough and commanding on a track. The first song where I was really feeling Ross's delivery was Drug Dealer's Dream. Ross sounds gritty as hell on this track, and I like his slower flow on this song. He really makes sure you hear every word. While Ross isn't a horrible lyricist and he will have a nice line every once in a while, it is all about delivery for him. There were only a handful of solo tracks on this album that I like, but luckily, Ross has a whole lot of features on Mastermind. His chemistry with other rappers is evident on these songs. Devil is a Lie, which features Jay-Z, is just a fantastic song. Ross spits hard on this one, and Jay's verse is better than anything on Magna Carta Holy Grail. Speaking of which, there were some other surprising guest verses here. Meek Mill on Walking on Air, Young Jeezy on War Ready, and Lil Wayne on Thug Cry were all shockingly excellent with their verses, especially Jeezy, who added a whole lot to what would have been an average song. One memorable one was Kanye West on Sanctified. While I was expecting a lyrical Ye verse, he came out with a lot of hype and energy. I felt he matched Ross in terms of delivery. I enjoyed his verse. The last guest I have to talk about is The Weeknd. I'm not the biggest fan of this guy, but he totally killed it on In Vein. He takes over most of the song, but I was fine with that. Overall, Ross was his usual self on this album. Luxurious lyrical content, and a gritty, tough delivery. What made the rapping on this album better, though, was the features.
In terms of production, I think Mastermind is a huge step up from Ross's other projects. While it wasn't anything really different or unique, it was just better. The fancy, elegant instrumentals were my favorites on this album. Fortunately, there were a whole lot of these. Rich as Gangsta, the first song on this album, had a fantastic beat. The clean drums and repeating vocal sample sounded awesome here. The Devil is a Lie was another great beat, and this one might have been the most luxurious on the album. It just sounded like royalty, and was perfect for Rick Ross and Jay-Z. The Scott Storch produced track, Supreme, had a simple beat, but one that was absolutely perfect for Ross. The fancy horns meshed perfectly with the snappy drums, and it sounded great. Sanctified, a track produced by Kanye West, had a soulful, old school Ye feel to it. The Betty Wright sample worked well, and Kanye made sure to incorporate some hard Chicago drums into the track. There were some beats, though, that were just not fit for Ross. I didn't think Mafia Music III was a bad song, but it didn't work for Rick Ross. BLK & WHT and What a Shame were the other lackluster tracks for me. Other than those, though, the beats on Mastermind were pretty good. As far as the instrumentals on this album go, I can't really complain about any of them. They just work.
MASTERMIND WRAP UP
+Ross does what he does best; tough raps about his rich lifestyle
+Ross sounded more focused overall
+Features are what made this album good, there were some surprisingly great ones
+Luxurious, elegant production that was perfect for Ross
-Some very skippable tracks
-Ross is just not a good lyricist at all
Best: Devil is a Lie, Supreme, In Vein
Worst: BLK & WHT
Rick Ross- Mastermind
8.4/10
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