Rick Ross – Rich Forever Mixtape (2012) – Review

Rick Ross – Rich Forever

With his upcoming fifth studio album God Forgives, I Don’t delayed, Miami MC Rick Ross dropped a new mixtape – Rich Forever – as a preview of what we can expect. Essentially, it is a series of street bangers featuring Ross, his MMG cohorts and friends. And with a voice like Ross’s, why not make street bangers – but at the same time, I liked the more sonically soulful work he was doing in the past (stuff like Usual Suspects and Rich off Cocaine off Deeper Than Rap, or his verse on Kanye West’s Devil in a New Dress). Among the many guests, NaS by far shines, dropping an excellent verse. Wale, Meek Mill and Drake contribute good stuff too. The tape also has a few of hip hop’s most talked about up-and-comers: French Montana, 2 Chains, and Future. Lyrically, Ross sticks to his character’s usual topics: money, drugs, cars, fashion, girls, being rich, selling drugs, being wealthy, and so on and so forth. And yet, a credit to Ross, his character is so well crafted that it still has not become tired and shabby (at least not for me). Rich Forever is probably not going to win Ross new fans, but for those who like what he does it is a good holdover until God Forgive, I Don’t. 3/5

Editor’s Essential Tracks:

1)      Triple Beam Dreams – Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, featuring NaS

2)      Holy Ghost – Produced by Lil’ Lody, featuring Diddy

3)      Yella Diamonds – Produced by Beat Billionaire

Available on Digital Download

Pusha T – Fear of God II: Let Us Pray EP (2011) – Review

Pusha T – Fear of God II: Let Us Pray

Pusha T’s first commercial release as a solo artist and member of G.O.O.D. Music is a follow-up EP to his mixtape Fear of God. The EP features seven new tracks and five off Fear of God. Of the new tracks, three or four are album quality while the rest feels like mixtape material. Trouble on My Mind featuring Tyler, The Creator and produced by The Neptunes is a standout song (and one of my favorites of the second half of the year, plus the video is great too). The production quality outside of The Neptunes is not quite as good on the new tracks as those previously released, but they have more of a street-banger feel, which probably speaks to Pusha T being in a different place musically for Let Us Pray than when he recorded Fear of God. However, lyrically and delivery wise, Pusha T still comes with great flow and composition. We all knew he was great from his previous work with his brother Malice as a member of Clipse (the album Hell Hath No Fury is brilliant), but that said he is certainly putting forth very good material as a solo act that puts him near the top of the hip hop game. To me, this sounds more like another mixtape and is being used to test the commercial waters a bit. Though, Trouble on My Mind is good enough to make just about any hip hop album released this year. The Fear of God albums feel like just a preview of what we can expect from his first solo LP, which seems like it will be fantastic given his lyrics, flow and the better class of beats he will have on it. In terms of features, again just looking at the new material, Tyler, The Creator give a great verse and a half and is the standout accompanying act on the EP. Kanye West and Young Jeezy are decent but not memorable. Meek Mill lays down a good verse too on Body Work. However, aside from Tyler, The Creator, it is Ric Flair’s wrestling promo clip at the beginning of What Dreams Are Made Of that might be the best accompanying piece, it is both a brilliant clip and works well with the narrative of the album and the persona of Pusha T. I would not say the album is a must, based on the new material, especially if you have Fear of God and Trouble on My Mind already, but it is certainly a good pick up for fans of Pusha T, and a must if you do not yet have Fear of God. 4/5

Editor’s Song Picks:

1)      Trouble on My Mind – Produced by The Neptunes, featuring Tyler, The Creator

2)      Changing of the Guards – Produced by Rico Beats, featuring Diddy

3)      Amen – Produced by Shawty Redd, featuring Kanye West and Young Jeezy

Available on CD and Digital Download