Rick Ross’ Mixtape Gets Listeners Excited For 2012

Once you hear it, there's no confusion about what's to come: "M-m-m-maybach Music." Yeah, you know what you're in for. What soon follows is the deep, bellowing voice of big-bellied Miami rapper Rick Ross.

 

After announcing that the release of his fifth album, God Forgives, I Don't, would be delayed from December 2011 until sometime in 2012, much to the dismay of fans, Rozay needed to give us something to ease the disappointment. On Friday, Jan. 6, Ross' mixtape Rich Forever was released online, which the rapper calls the "appetizer to God Forgives, I Don't." What is definitely noticeable about the album is the variety in style of each song, from straight up typical Maybach rap (i.e. "Stay Schemin'" and "New Bugatti") to soft, or as soft as Ross can be, R&B ballads, as in "Mine Games" with Kelly Rowland.

 

However, most striking about the bold mixtape are the widely varied collaborations; almost every song features another artist, including, but not limited to, John Legend, Diddy, Nas, and (of course) Drake. This seemingly strong dependence on other artists to produce a song should not be seen as a flaw of the mixtape at all. Instead it should be seen as a feature emphasizing the depth and variety of Ross' music. While his solo music is by no means unsatisfying (one simply has to listen to "B.M.F." to rid himself of that idea), Ross is known for his collaborations with other artists, and this mixtape is no different.

 

While each song has pretty much the same narrative, which can only be summed up briefly as "the struggle of the hustle," it somehow doesn't get old. "Stay Schemin'," the mixtape's first song, features Drake and French Montana and the song drops a subtle, but catchy beat. While Drake assumes the spotlight in this particular song with his tight verse, Ross' opening verse and control of the chorus certainly sets a great tone for the piece.

 

"Triple Beam Dreams" featuring Nas is a great song, which has the same beat and similar opening format to the opening of his fantastic song featuring Lil Wayne, "John (Chopper in the Car)," where Ross claims "I'm not a star." As with any song Nas is a part of, it seems to have a deep meaning underneath his aggressive, high-energy rhymes, and his work on this song is nostalgic for fans of his work. It's a mixture of his two most loved songs: the spitting and beat of "One Mic" with a message, as seen in "I Can." Nas and Ross give us a Tony Montana-esque story of a drug dealer, who becomes sick of his work and grows bored of all the material things that come along with the job.

 

The real "piece de resistance" of the mixtape is, without a doubt, "New Buggatti" featuring Diddy. The slightly Twilight Zone-esque background beat is a perfect accompaniment to Ross' slightly more laid back verse at the opening of the song. As always, Ross and Diddy are talking about how hood, rich, and in demand they are, but there is certainly something special about this song, distinguishing it from all other Rich Forever songs. Diddy is surprisingly hood in this particular song, so much so that I almost forgot he was Diddy. Their collaboration on this song is absolutely perfect, and I can already hear "New Bugatti" at college parties everywhere.

 

As a break from all this Maybach rap, Ross offers us "London Skit," spoken word poetry. He describes wealth and cashmere socks, but with a hip hop twist, proclaiming at the end of his eloquent verse that, "We gon' be rich foreva."

 

One thing that can certainly be said of Ross' raps are the fantastic one-liners he spits (which are by no means limited to his raps … just Google his GQ interview. The man speaks in quotable lines). Unfortunately, most wouldn't be appropriate to quote in this album review.