Rick Ross – Telfon Don Review

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Rick Ross comes through with his fourth album, titled ‘ Teflon Don‘, a promising and a much-anticipated effort from ‘The Bawse‘.  The album also has many features including Kanye West, T.I., Badu, Jay-Z, Legend, Cee-Lo & Drake.

Ever since the beginning of his high-profile career, besides his larger than life persona and beard,  Ross is known for his great beat selection and his impeccable flow.  Affiliated with production teams such as  the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, The Olympiks and The Inkredibles,  Ross maybe has the most illustrious production with his latest album.  Without further a do, let’s go in and discuss the standout tracks of the album.

1.  Free Mason (feat.  Jay-Z & John Legend)

Ross and Jay-Z team up once again on a controversial titled track ‘ Free Mason’.   You can pretty much guess what the song is about,  Jay-Z confidently address his recent allegations with the occult organizations.  Jay-Z spits ‘It’s amazing that I made it through the maze that I was in / Lord forgive me I never would have made it without sin / Holy water, my face in the basin / Diamonds in my rosary shows he forgive him’. Anyway, the The Inkredibles do a fantastic job with infectious beat, Ross comes through with a solid intro combined with John Legend’s soulful hook.

2.  Maybach Music III (feat.  T.I., Erykah Badu & Jadakiss)

Ross returns with his famous Maybach Music series, but this sequel comes up short compared to its predecessors.  The production is great, but I felt the hook was pretty weak.  T.I. has a solid first verse (the dolorian reference is a funny one) and Jadakiss’s verse is pretty good, nothing really memorable though.  When its Ross’s turn to go in, the beat changes to a more energetic tone, which is the highlight of this Maybach Music.

3. Live Fast, Die Young (feat.  Kanye West)

College Dropout vibe with this production (and West’s Delivery).  Addictive hook, quality album cut and overall a good Hip-Hop hook.

4. Super High (feat. Ne-Yo)

First single of Teflon Don, chilled out beat and Ne-Yo does his thing on the hook.  Check out the remix with ‘Curren$y & Wiz Khalifa‘.

5. Aston Martin Music (feat. Drake & Chrisette Michele)

We have Maybach Music, Mafia Music and now Aston Martin Music?! Ross links up with Drizzy and Michele where the latter two make a great team for doing the hook.  Another chilled out beat, Michele’s voice is timeless and Drake brings the soulful emotion to this track.

A notable mention goes to B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast) which features as a street anthem , a bass heavy banger which is perfect to ride with, cruising with your boys.  Unfortunately, Telfon Don comes up short with only 11 tracks compared to his previous album (14).  One of my biggest disappointments was the absence presence of Mafia Music 2 (featuring Chrisette Michele).  This track is arguably the best track that Ross has ever done even without a hook.  The lyrics are the deepest I have seen from Ross, one of the best flows I have heard on a track, Chrisette Michele has a breath-taking voice and the production is just hypnotizing.  Why again was this not included on Telfon Don? Check the official video below, which IMO blows all the other Teflon Don tracks.

Ross can become repetitive with his shallow lyrics and excessive use of profanity, but he makes it up with his standout flow. The album is packed with too many features, leaving only one solo joint, highlighting the possibility that Ross may not be able to carry himself alone.  Lyrically, he hasn’t progressed much since Deeper Than Rap, but his latest work is still quality and most definitely Ross fans will appreciate.

Rating – 8/10

Top 5 Tracks

1. Free Mason (feat. Jay-Z)
2. Aston Martin Music (feat. Drake & Chrisette Michele)
3. Live Fast, Die Young (feat. Kanye West)
4. Maybach Music III (feat. T.I., Jadakiss & Erykah Badu)
5. Super High (feat. Ne-Yo)

Tracklist

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