Rick Ross – Rise to Power
Suave House II (9/18/2007)
Rap / Hip-hop
William “Rick Ross” Roberts dropped his debut album, Port of Miami, in August of 2006. In a commercial era where “gold” is the new “platinum”, the 825,000+ units that Ross has moved since last summer has to be considered nothing less than an unqualified (if unexplainable) success.
Ross isn’t the deepest or most diverse rapper around. He takes his stage name from one of the most notorious drug traffickers in American history, while his music’s subject matter leans heavily on—to paraphrase a major Sunday night sitcom star—cocaine and cocaine accessories. Still, Ross has ascended within the competitive Miami rap scene, which previously graduated 2 Live Crew, Trick Daddy and Trina to the big leagues of MTV and BET.
Rise to Power is a collection of Rick Ross material that was originally intended to be part of his debut album on the Suave House label. The usual hip-hop politics that seem to scuttle every rap album release date in one way or another prevented the album from ever seeing the light of day. Consequently, Ross eventually moved on to Slip-N-Slide Records, while the masters from the Rise to Power recordings became the rope in a multi-label tug-of-war that eventually saw the newly-minted Suave House II gain the rights their commercial release.
Still with me?
We kick things off with “It’s On”, a surprisingly strong opening that only has Ross on one verse, but is carried by a layered and, dare I say, understated Southern beat. “Get That Bread” is the first single and features Big Duke from Boyz N The Hood. It’s your run of the mill made-for-radio reach, but Ross’ effort is notable for the palpable determination in his voice. Again, though, Ross is barely heard, as he cedes the mic for much of the song.
That’s really the only complaint, as much of this album plays like those posthumous Tupac releases… sounding more like studio outtakes cobbled together with more recent material. In fact, the only solo Ross track here is the excellent “Hold Me Down”, a fatalistic blend of bullets and brotherhood.
The Clipse come through on “B.L.O.W.” and turn the track into an old-school ’80s coke party—easily the best guest verses on the entire album. Scarface, himself, turns the clock back to the 1990s with his cameo on “Dear Lord”. He and Ross have great chemistry on another stripped-down (by Southern standards) cut.
Oddly enough, the Rick Ross portion of the album spans the first 12 tracks (including one skit with a funny little payoff at the end), and then it becomes a sampler of sorts for newcomer Jiggolo. He’s got the mic for the final three songs. “Been” is as loud, bombastic and indistinguishable as every other song on the radio right now. Jiggolo’s other two tracks (“Breath In, Breath Out” and “737”) are equally uninspiring.
Without much promotion, Rise to Power was a casualty of the Kanye West/50 Cent Wars, but Rick Ross fans should hunt this one down. It’s actually better than most of the Southern albums in current rotation and, while it’s not re-inventing the wheel, it’s often listenable and, occasionally, very entertaining.
Rating:
