Rick Ross, Richer Than I Ever Been | Album Review

Rapper Rick Ross maintains consistency on his enjoyable 11^th studio album, Richer Than I Ever Been.

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onsistent.  That’s the best way to describe rapper Rick Ross.  After breaking through in 2006 with his hit “Hustlin’” ( Port of Miami), he’s remained invested and relevant in rap. Sure, a younger group of rappers are more lucrative – that’s how the biz works – but there’s still a space for the 45-year-old vet.  His 11^th studio album, Richer Than I Ever Been, arrives two years after Port of Miami 2 (2019).  All in all, the results are favorable.  Honestly, Richer Than I’ve Ever Been is better than expected.  It’s not perfect or game changing this far into The Bawse’s career, but CONSISTENT.

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“Little Havana” 

“Problem was I never was a prodigy / Possibly, my biggest flaw is lack of modesty.” On opener “Little Havana”, Rick Ross enlists self-proclaimed cocaine king, Willie Falcon for a spoken word intro.  Also joining Ross is The-Dream, who provides ad-libs, a verse, and an outro. About 20 seconds in, production by Boi-1da begins to enter the mix – oh those pulsating, intense synths! As the production establishes itself, it’s awesome, playing to Ross’ strengths (luxurious sounding). Ross arrives about 45 seconds in, serving up an interlude, before busting into rhymes. As always, his flow is compelling, filled with drip, some beef (Meek Mill + references the Omarion fallout), and a heaping dose of braggadocio. Beyond Ross, The-Dream delivers sweet vocal lines, taking the reins from Ross on the second verse and concluding with the outro.  All in all, the result is an enjoyable, overall respectable record.

 “Doctor J in the bank, scorin’ title in the paint / Ray Kroc on my block, double cup my purple drank.” Woo! “The Pulitzer” follows, giving Ross a short but potent banger.  Here, Rick has no shortage of his confidence with an electrifying rhymes and flow over a Timbaland beat (“Timbaland rich, two-fifty a beat”).  Indeed, Timbaland is rich (and expensive), but I like the work he puts in behind the boards here.  Furthermore, Ross has no shortage of compelling lines with his best being, “I got the prize, motherfucker, it’s the Pulitzer.” 

“Rapper Estates” featuring Benny the Butcher doesn’t miss a beat.  Once more, Boi-1da provides a lift on the boards, alongside Vinylz and Coleman.  This is vintage Rozay, with the backdrop oozing with luxurious vibes. Ross takes first blood, dropping an intro and first verse filled with straight-up B-A-R-S.  Benny comes in strong on the second verse, flowing naturally yet packing a mean punch.  I love the way he closes out his verse, asserting, “Got my strip quakin’ off a wrist, takin’ big paper / I’m really in the field, you just Skip Bayless, ah.” Ross closes out with the third and final verse and outro.  Three for three so far on Richer Than I Ever Been.

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“Marathon” 

Rick Ross continues to “kick ass and take names” on the fourth track from Richer Than I’ve Ever Been, “Marathon.”  Again, The Bawse is in his comfort zone, backed by a refined, high-end backdrop courtesy of Streetrunner and Tarik Azzouz.  Woo – you can’t go wrong with that talented team! Rick eats it up, kicking off the verse with the assured titular lyric, “Richer than I’ve ever been.”  Throughout the record, he speaks about his drip, his come up, and perhaps most thoughtfully, Black Lives Matters on the third verse.  Notably, he mentions Emmett Till and George Floyd by name.  Where does the marathon come into play considering there’s no chorus? That would be on the third verse as well, when he asserts, “Marathon, it still continues, and I put my label on it.”

“Warm Words in a Cold World” marks another stand-out from Richer Than I Ever Been.  Again, it’s a blend of confident, fiery rhymes from Ross and the production ( Bink!).  Of course, it doesn’t hurt that The Bawse enlists friends over this soulful, rhythmic soundscape: Wale (second verse) and Future (third verse).  Both bring the heat. After eschewing choruses for the past couple of songs, “Warm Words in a Cold World” finally gets a hook.  It’s simple mind you, but you won’t be able to resist those “Warms words in a cold world / Iced out shorty and the homegirl!”

“Wiggle” featuring DreamDoll expectedly interpolates the Jason Derulo hit, “Wiggle”.  Does it supplant the original? No by any means, but the toughness – the oomph – are cool.  Ross has “Got ‘em tain’ off they clothes like it’s The Luke Show” – a killer reference to Uncle Luke.  As for DreamDoll, she’s a “Boss bitch, give a fuck what it cost, bitch.” Woo! If nothing else, “Wiggle” is a stellar turn-up track.

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“Can’t Be Broke”

On “Can’t Be Broke,” Ross collaborates with the younger generation, specifically, Yungeen Ace.  Worth noting, Ace is about half of Ross’ age. Yungeen dominates the first part of the recording, bring a melodic touch to Richer Than I Ever Been.  Even when Ross takes the reins on the second verse, there are melodic ad-libs by Yungeen in the background. Beyond Yungeen, Majornine guests on the third verse. While an enjoyable and respectable showing, it should be noted that there’s less Ross on this one.

Keeping things more melodic, Blxst joins Rick Ross on the eighth track, “Made it Out Alive.”  Unlike “Can’t Be Broke” that precedes, there is more rhymes from Ross.  Blxst delivers the soulful, real-talk chorus, a nice complement to the bars by Rick on the first and second verses.  Again, I must compliment his flow here – agile, hard-nosed, and vintage.

“I got a line of cars wrappin’ ‘round the block / And livin’ better than these rappers rappin’ ‘round the clock.” Woo! Among the crème de la crème of Richer Than I Ever Been arrives with “Outlawz.”  Here, Rick Ross enlists the services of Jazmine Sullivan and 21 Savage (“On God!”).  Both musicians are in top-rate form.  Sullivan gives us those awesome, soulful pipes on the chorus.  21 Savage contrasts, with his beloved, deadpan, yet ‘savage’ rhymes (“Glock 45, ready to get my boogie on / You pussy niggas panties showin’”).  As for Ross, he continues to be on autopilot, bringing that fire.

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“Imperial High”

The final quarter of Richer Than I Ever Been continues to pack a punch.  On “Imperial High,” Rick Ross drops one verse.  He makes it meaningful, over a piano-driven, minor-key backdrop.  The takeaways are he’s one hard-nosed, tough, mother-.  Finally, the title track, “Richer Than I Ever Been” arrives as the penultimate track.  Motif Alumni and Black Metaphor provide a classy yet ‘hard’ backdrop for The Bawse to flex like the boss that he is.  The chorus in particularly is simple yet it easily gets stuck in your head! Like he’s done most of the album, Ross is ‘on.’

“Hella Smoke” successfully concludes Richer Than I Ever Been. I wouldn’t call it the best song, but it’s well-rounded like the 11 songs that precede it.  Again, the production kicks a$$, courtesy of Bobby Keyz and Fuse 808. I love the refined sound of the keys and the robust bass line.  Also, Ross gets a guest that perfectly complements any smoking song, Wiz Khalifa.  Hey, why not close out the album with that smoke?

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Final Thoughts  

All in all, I’d call Richer Than I Ever Been a pleasant surprise.  Rick Ross tends to make well-rounded albums by my estimations, though some are more memorable than others.  Richer Than I Ever Been has plenty of highlights, without question.  Do these highlights stack up against the biggest hits of his career? Probably not, but it’s great to know that the 45-year-old rapper can still drop solid bangers. 

Gems : “Little Havana,” “The Pulitzer,” “Rapper Estates,” “Marathon,” “Warm Words in a Cold World,” “Outlawz” & “Richer Than I Ever Been”

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Rick Ross • Richer Than I Ever Been • Epic • 12.10.21
[: Epic]

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