have to say I am very happy with where the genre is at this point in time. When Nas said hip-hop was dead in 2006, I agreed, but now times have changed, largely due to one of my favorite rappers of the moment. Rick Ross has a style un­like any other rapper, and he has slowly been building an empire for himself with his record label, Maybach Music Group.

Let’s start with what makes Rozay unique. First of all, he’s probably about 350 pounds. This is bad news for his arter­ies, but great news for any song he decides to rap on, since his voice literally sounds like it weighs a ton. Second, I know rap is based on lies, but Rick Ross only tells lies. It is widely known that the boss has never dealt cocaine, shot people or done anything else he claims to have done. To me, it is almost more impressive to fab­ricate a ridiculous persona for yourself than it is to have lived through a tough life and simply be retelling your life story, like many other rappers have done. Lastly, Rick Ross has some of the best beats in the game, getting production from artists like Lex Luger, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Kanye West and Raekwon.

Ross has made a few notable albums, but to me, the best by far is Teflon Don. When we talk about Teflon Don, I think we are talking about one of the best rap albums ever. This album could be placed in the same category as Illmatic, Doggy­style or Ready to Die. I’m certainly not ready to place Rozay above Nas, Snoop or Biggie, but he is certainly coming close with this album. With songs like “B.M.F.,” “Free Mason” and “I’m Not A Star,” the boss has himself a sure classic. Every beat on this album sounds like it cost thousands and thousands of dol­lars, and not a penny was wasted. This album literally sounds like a Hollywood film, complete with all of the drama, violence, humor, horror and action you would expect.

Lyrically, it’s tough to take Rozay seri­ously. Ross, like Kanye West and Jay-Z on their latest album Watch the Throne, seems to be obsessed with the idea of excess and luxury. It is fair to say that Ross is better known for his punch lines and ridiculous adlibs (such as “ugh!” and “woo!”) as opposed to rapping about any­thing of substance, like many of his pre­decessors. For me, rap music is not com­pletely about the lyrics. Rather, it’s about the production (the beat itself ), the style of the rapper and the comedy within the lyrics. Ross seems to nail all of these right on the head.

It’s been a little more than a year since Teflon Don was released, and within that time, Ross has still remained active on the scene, forming Maybach Music Group with Wale, Pill, and Meek Mil. I would say that their first album as a group, Self Made, was a success overall, but it did not reach the level of Teflon Don. A good chunk of the songs on Self Made were ex­cellent, while others were subpar, but it still was a great album.

What’s next for Ross? Currently, he’s working on his fifth studio album, titled God Forgives, I Don’t. We already know that his collaboration with Lil’ Wayne, “9 Piece,” will be on there, but as for the rest, it’s up in the air. I’ll be sure to do a re­view of the album when it comes out, but for now, keep bumping the Rozay that’s already out.

Contact Jackson Leeds at

[email protected].