Rick Ross – God Forgives, I Don’t (2012) – Review

Review: Rick Ross is having a great 2012. His mixtape Rich Forever is solid. His Maybach Music posse album Self Made: Vol. 2 has some good stuff on it. And, his fifth solo album, God Forgives, I Don’t, is probably his best album to date. Like Teflon Don and Deeper Than Rap, this album is packed with guest appearances. Ross has his Maybach Music crewmates Wale, Stalley, Meek Mill, Omarion, as well as pop and hip hop’s biggest talents like Drake, Usher, Ne-Yo, Andre 3000, and Dr. Dre and Jay-Z on a good track entitled 3 Kings. Unlike Teflon Don however, Ross is not overshadowed by all the features. Here, Ross has some of his best rhymes and deliveries (building off the great work he did on Rich Forever). God Forgives, I Don’t also is excellently produced and really engaging musically. Ten Jesus Pieces has one of the best musical accompaniments of 2012. For Ross fans, this is an album very much worth picking up, and for commercial hip hop fans this also certainly worth checking out as it is one of the better releases this year. 3/5

Essential Tracks:

1)      Ten Jesus Pieces – Produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, featuring Stalley

2)      Pirates – Produced by Kenoe and Got Koke

3)      Diced Pineapples – Produced by Cardiak, featuring Wale and Drake

Available on CD and Digital Download

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

CyHi The Prynce – Royal Flush 2 Mixtape (2011) – Review

CyHi The Prynce – Royal Flush 2

Probably the least known name on Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music roster (until his recent signing of D’Banj), CyHi The Prynce is a great young MC out of Atlanta. His first mixtape as a part of West’s label was Royal Flush, which was decent but not a standout. Royal Flush 2, however, has a lot more to offer – from great features from Yelawolf, Pill, Pusha T, Trey Songz, B.o.B, and Big Sean to solid tracks from J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Kanye West, and No I.D. (the sound of the album is good with many great samples).  And, Prynce’s flow, lyrics and intensity have never been better. He certainly places himself on par with the bigger names in G.O.O.D. Music with this mixtape. It is my favorite album he has released to date. It is well worth checking out. 3/5

Editor’s Song Picks:

1)      Woopty Doo – Featuring Big Sean, produced by Kanye West and No I.D.

2)      Bulletproof – Featuring Yelawolf, produced by J Rob

3)      Thousand Poundz – Featuring Pill and Pusha T, produced by Paper Boy Fabe

Available by Digital Download