Recently Rick Ross has become one of the top rappers in music. Between his powerhouse guest appearances on stellar tracks like, "I'm on One" (2011) "Lord Knows" (2011) and "Monster" (2010) and being declared MTV's hottest MC earlier this week, Ross is finally delivering on his early promise and potential.
His newest mixtape, "Rich Forever," is filled with all the raps about his over-the-top lifestyle that fans have come to expect. The mixtape also pairs Ross with the talented, similarly minded producer LexLuger. Their collaboration evokes Luger's hit songs like "H.A.M" (2011) and "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" (2010) with its larger-than-life beats.
"Rich Forever" works best when Ross's deep and bass-heavy voice rides on top of these beats. Simple lines like, "They say I'm getting money, must be illuminati/ Talking to the Holy Ghost in my Bugatti" get repeated numerous times on tracks and become hypnotizing. Ross's confidence and authoritative voice are buoyed, not hampered, by Luger's exorbitant beats.
The colossal beats match the outrageously big persona Ross has constructed for himself. Throughout his career, Ross has painted himself as the impossibly rich patriarch of rap, and this mixtape is no exception. The persona might strike listeners as ridiculous, but it is needed to counterbalance the extravagance of the beats behind his lyrics.
Ross sticks hard to his persona, as he shouts lines such as, "Being broke is the root of all evil." Ross is a large man with an even larger voice — the level of menace he inflects in his raps makes his threats of violence feel real.
Not everything about the mixtape works though, as the skits fall short of their intentions. These include a skit with Mike Tyson talking about priorities changing as people grow up and one where a British man talks about his wealth. They contribute little to the overall presentation and strike listeners as superfluous. Without them, the mixtape would have been leaner and packed more of a punch.
The other major flaw comes from the collection of guest rappers. While the featured singers are all well used, the rappers — 2 Chainz, Wale, Diddy, Styles P, Birdman, Meek Mill and Pharrel — are all instantly forgettable and get swallowed by the huge beats and Ross's maximalist verses. Their inability to match Ross stylistically or lyrically might have been some Machiavellian ploy, as their weak contributions demonstrate Ross's superiority. But either way, their rapping mediocrity does not make for good listening.
Nas's guest appearance on "Triple Beams Dreams" stands out. He tries to recall his early days as a youthful street hustler, but his lines lack the pop of his first album, "Illmatic" (1994). It's sad to see how far Nas has fallen in recent years, and this mixtape is no exception.
The only guest rapper that doesn't fail is Drake. On a relatively short verse, Drake covers a lot of ground — he ups his feud with Common, rejects the mercenary tactics of inauthentic rappers and sympathizes with men like Kobe Bryant who lose millions in divorces to women who "[aren't] with him shooting in the gym." The verse is impressive, effortless and memorable.
The title track is the highlight of the album. "Rich Forever" has Ross explaining his beginnings and his youthful ambitions. Ross's choice of detail makes him an interesting storyteller and John Legend provides soulful vocals that smooth the song's chorus. Eventually, Ross's verses go back to his talk of excessive materialism, all the beautiful women in his life and just his general boss-ness. These verses would be expected to end up sounding redundant after a while, but in the same way that it's still interesting to hear Lil Wayne rap about weed after hundreds of songs, Ross finds ways to make all of it still work.
The mixtape ends with an interview with Ross where he explains what he wants for his next album. His ambition waxes as he explains that "God Forgives, I Don't" will be his biggest album. It is a fitting way to end a mixtape, as it does what a mixtape should: serve as an appetizer for the album to follow.
