Rick Ross – Deeper Than Rap (4-21-2009)

Posted on Apr 22 in Reviewsby adminPrint

For an artist whose only been in the game for almost three years now Rick Ross has managed to stir up more shit than Terrell Owens did when he was with the Eagles. After a stellar performance on his debut album Port Of Miami Ross returned with last year’s lackluster Trilla. Now with a full calendar’s worth of time to regroup, refocus, and re-aim Ross is back with his third installment Deeper Than Rap. Since his last outing Ross has managed to sever his ties with the Florida based Slip-N-Slide Records and he’s found a new not-so-friendly competitor in 50 Cent. Judging from the looks of things, shits definitely about to get way Deeper Than Rap!

Ross shows absolutely no remorse as he opens his third collection with the now infamous “Mafia Music” where he takes a few quick and sharp jabs at 50 Cent, as I’m sure the entire hip-hop world is already aware of. If life were in slow motion and people survived off strictly Cuban Cigars and Merlot then the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and Kanye West produced “Maybach Music 2” would most certainly be the official national anthem no matter what country you decided to reside in. Ross invites one of the smoothest cats in R&B, John Legend, to sign, seal, and deliver a reputable summer time sensation with the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League produced “Magnificent.”

Though the track’s hook may seem a little out of place to some “Yacht Club” still manages to continue the well seasoned rich aura of the album set in place thus far. On the weavy Inkredibles produced “Usual Suspects” Nas lends his normal educated rhyme pattern while Ross continues to speak on his same general frame of cocaine movie inspired lifestyles. Ross takes a sharp detour from the pimp lifestyle that he exposes so eloquently to bake a few cakes with the very ill placed “Lay Back” as well as The Dream assisted “All I Really Want.” When Ross finally gets things back on track he sets aside a couple of bars to make his situation at Slip-N-Slide a bit more clear on “Gunplay.” In a surprising moment of grace Ross actually delivers an almost more that tolerable chic track with the Ne-Yo assisted “Boss Lady.”

The early portion of this album featured a fresh sound but the Trina assisted “Face” finds Ross reverting back to his 2006 sound over a typical Drumma Boy backdrop. The album’s highlight may very well lie in the 50 Cent targeted “Valley Of Death” where producer DJ Toomp gets a little help from TI behind the boards for the vein-deep soul inflicted effort. Ross takes time out on the aforementioned track to dismantle rumors and other issues revolving from 50 Cent and Tia to Trick Daddy and the C.O. pictures. In an effort to place a bold exclamation point on his ongoing rift with 50 Cent, Ross takes a couple more shots at the G-Unit General on the closing standout “In Cold Blood.”

Deeper Than Rap started great and ended even better but it’s the meat of the album that proves to be the most insatisfiable. With Ross switching between topics so rapidly he comes off sounding unsure of the lifestyle he’s really supposed to be portraying. We all understand that he was a corrections officer in the past and honestly I would feel comfortable listening to an album of pure cocaine lies if it sounded good all the way through. Unfortunately for Ross this album doesn’t sound good all the way through and we all know exactly what his previous occupation was. Though Deeper Than Rap was a respectable effort it just goes to show that Ross’ issues may very well be much Deeper Than Rap!

VERDICT – 12 / 20
LYRICS: 3
PRODUCTION: 4
DELIVERY: 3
CONSISTENCY: 2