A lot has occurred since Ross’ last release, questioning of his street cred (former fed. Prison guard) and one of the bigger beefs in recent memory with G-Unit head, 50 Cent. Promising to be more lyrical with this release, the Miami boss teams up with typical down south hitmakers, The Runners, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and hot duo The Inkredibles.
Mafia Music: Blood bumping bass and boss aura organs create an excellent intro for Ross. Mainly filled with boasting and the lavish life of a boss, Ross sends a barb at enemy 50 Cent with, “Curtis Jackson baby mama I ain’t askin for a cent, burn the house down, gotta buy another, don’t forget the gas can jealous stupid motherf***er”. 3.5/5
Maybach Music II: J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League deliver another extravagant and grand production, as the sequel to “Maybach Music” is less smooth and more celebratory. T-Pain’s fitting hook, Kanye and Wayne’s on point performances make for a superstar collab that fits the grand Miami collabs. Not necessarily better, but equal to the original. 4/5
Magnificent: Originally didn’t like the track, however it grew on me and rides like a smooth summer maybach. John Legend adds a decent hook, while the Boss flaunts his wealth smoothly on this chilled summer number. 4/5
Yacht Club: Bouncy keys and summery beat is joined by the reggae Magazeen hook. The track is merely decent, a nice summer joint, but Ross’ flow is a bit choppy. 3/5
Usual Suspects: New R&B singer Kevin Cossom offers a decent hook, while Nas drops a decent verse. Ross spits well on this and the production serves him well. 3.5/5
All I Really Want: Mediocre club joint that is scheduled as the second single. Tricky didn’t really deliver hit quality production, it just seems average, while Dream’s hook is likeable, but not his best and merely one of his less catchy ones. Ross sounds only decent on the track. 3/5
Rich Off Cocaine: Another on point beat by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, the production is dreamy and smooth, supporting “Here I Am”’s hookman, Avery Storm with a lush hook of being on top of the world. Ross sounds in his element on the track, delivering some stories, boasting of his wealth and speaking about his past. 4/5
Lay Back: Decent hook by Robin Thicke, the production is decent and Ross brags about his lady and his typical boss style. Decent track. 2.5/5
Murda Mami: Track comes off as a bland attempt at a gangsta ’09 Bonnie & Clyde collab between Foxy Brown and Ross. The track is average, but forgettable. 2.5/5
Gunplay: Production is nice and Ross comes with an energized flow, however Triple C member Gunplay sounds awkward on the hook and in his verse. 3/5
Bossy Lady: Ne-Yo drops a decent hook and the production isn’t bad, but the track just seems too cliched and bland. 3/5
Face: Drumma Boy’s knocking 808s and heavy horns make for a club banger. The production is on point, however the hook is uncreative and weak, however Trina adds her gangsta baddest chick attitude that helps the track. 3/5
Valley Of Death: Toomp’s soul sample and Ross’ reflection of life and some controversial issues. Ross speaks on fellow 305 native, Trick Daddy’s lupus, “very first line he called Trick Daddy stupid, say he got AIDS tellin people that its lupus, not the one just to jump to conclusions, I’m gettin money small talk could be a nuisance” and while everybody says he says C.O. as correctional officer, he spits “I’ll shovel s***, I C.E.O., so we can bow and pray over the meatloaf”. 3.5/5
In Cold Blood: The album finishes with a burner, as The Runners menacing horns and heavy percussion proclaim a menacing Ross attacking 50. 3.5/5
Ross’ third offering is his best so far, lyrically he has stepped it up and while he isn’t any lyrical genius and has a fairly short amount of topics, guest shots and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League productions help things work. While the album isn’t “deep”, Ross blazes the heart thumping “Mafia Music”, while the extravagant yet relaxed sequel of “Maybach Music II” has the collaboration succeeding. The album never truly takes it to the streets, spare the puzzling “Face”, but the album flows considerably well and smooth. The latter half is a bit weaker than the early highlights of “Magnificent” which has the boss coasting with a decent Legend hook, as the Nas assisted “Usual Suspects” is decent and the smooth production groove of “Rich Off Cocaine” works remarkably well, while Storm croons smoothly. Where the album falters is when the boss becomes too smooth, the glitzy “All I Really Want” has some mediocre Stewart & Dream performances and Ross sounds out of place, the uptempo “Lay Back” fails to impress, as well as the cliched “Bossy Lady” with Ne-Yo. “Murda Mami” is a bit bland, but the menacing “In Cold Blood” and reflective “Valley Of Death” finish things nicely. Frequent sayings of “p****’s don’t get p****” seem aimed at 50 and while many will not listen and judge this album based off the officer incident, the music is Ross at his best. Respectable release by Ross that shows he steps up the lyrics and continues to understand his role of when to use a guest, as he becomes limited sometimes. The excellent productions help things flow and forgive some mistakes made, solid album from the Boss.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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