Rick Ross's sixth studio album, Mastermind, dropped today, and as someone who hasn't been a fan of Rick Ross since the song "Hustlin'," I can say I am thoroughly impressed. The album features collaborations with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Scarface, Z-Ro, Big Sean, The Weeknd, Future, Meek Mill, French Montana, and Jeezy. Many of the instrumentals are reminiscent of rap instrumentals in the early 2000s, sampling female ballads and incorporating a jazz-like symphony. Here are a couple of my favorites from the album.
This is probably my favorite track on the album. The song begins with some soulful vocals from Betty Wright, then Big Sean comes in with his hook over a piano instrumental that eventually gains a small bass line. Kanye goes in first and drops a hard verse that includes my favorite line "God sent me a message, said I'm too aggressive / Really? Me? Too aggressive?" which I find humorous due to his recent attack on a paparazzo. Rick Ross's verse is pretty good. He has some good lines like "Soldiers all in gators, new Mercedes for cadets / Balmain uniform, you know Donda designed the vest." Overall, the song is just catchy. I have a feeling it could be a radio song.
My next favorite song is "In Vein" featuring The Weeknd. The song sounds like some The Weeknd's older sounds, which I love. It pretty much is The Weeknd featuring Rick Ross, because he has the majority of the song. His haunting vocals sound great over the slow beat, and he delivers a catchy chorus. Rick Ross comes in hot at 2:19 with his flow. He proves his rapping talent by swapping out his typical grunts and elementary lyrics with some great lines.
My third favorite song is "Thug Cry" which features Lil Wayne and is the album's final track. The track samples Souls of Mischief's "93 'Til Infinity" for the beat. The song does the title justice; both Ross and Wayne have real lyrics that are kind of like ghetto poetry. It's a good song to listen to while relaxing or hanging out with a small group of friends. It will definitely make your head nod.
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