COURTESY: HIPHOPDX.COM
On the first single from his upcoming album, Rick Ross imagines himself aligned with one of the most grandiose and celebrated figures in American music history. Leaned back in a pink Cadillac for the single’s cover artwork, the Maybach Music Group boss exudes assurance. In his lyrics, Ross has always emphasized the luxuries that come along with hard work and dedication rather than the harsher realities of street life more commonplace in the work of his contemporaries.
That’s why it should come as no surprise that when Ross finally revealed the artwork for his upcoming album, “Hood Billionaire,” his signature bearded mug was missing from both the deluxe and regular retail versions. Instead, in the photograph, stood a stash of gaudy diamonds that could make the King of Rock ’n’ Roll himself trade in his blue suede shoes.
However, if Ross set his trajectory on matching the illustrious career of “The King,” he first must prove his place in the pantheon of rap giants.
In a mixtape-based rap industry in which very few artist have the ability to bring home platinum-selling numbers, Ross chose to prove his rap supremacy by achieving a feat even more coveted by rap enthusiast – releasing the follow up to his last album within the same calendar year.
With the pace of rap music releases today, rappers commonly record enough material to keep fans satisfied. Enlisting the help of the blogosphere and social media, many hip-hop artists treat fans with mixtapes, one-off singles and freestyles aplenty at an intense, rapid frequency.
For those who actually take the time to package major label distributed releases, much of the free content released to their Internet fan base is comprised of the material left on the cutting room floor during the process of producing a proper album.
In 2012, Ross experienced an unlikely consequence of this formula when he released his mixtape “Rich Forever” to gain attention for his upcoming album “God Forgives, I Don’t.” Although critics donned both projects with generally favorable reviews, some gave “Rich Forever” a surprising edge.
Pitchfork.com’s Jayson Greene touted that “God Forgives” standout track “911” “sounds like it was recorded during the same time as the far-superior material on last winter’s Rich Forever and is therefore excellent.”
Complex.com listed “Rich Forever” as the third best album of the year, comparing the release of a free album of such high quality to “lighting up a cigar with a one million dollar bill.”
Despite enjoying commercial success with the sale of the Gold-certified “God Forgives” album,
the lead single “Touch N’ You” failed to break into the Billboard Hot 100 chart while the sole single from “Rich Forever” remarkably broke to number 58 on the list.
Releasing “Mastermind” earlier this year, Ross appears to have found his footing.
The album, met with positive reviews earlier this year, approached the large scope of sprawling rap tastes. The portly “Port of Miami” penning rap star prepped his upcoming album with a weight-loss regimen that made headlines rather than releasing a wealth of free music to promote.
With the unusual six month turnaround between solo album releases, Ross finds himself in the company of two rap artists who yielded vastly different results when rolling out two LPs in one year.
DMX’s second album “Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood” came out on the heels of fellow 1998 release and his debut album “It’s Dark and Hell is Hot.”
Both albums entered the Billboard charts at number one and received multi-platinum certifications from the RIAA, catapulting DMX’s career.
The following year, veteran rapper Nas paired “I Am…” and “Nastradamus,” falling short of critics’ expectations with both albums, despite some significant commercial success.
When asked by members of “The Breakfast Club” morning show on New York’s Power 105 why he chose to take on the task of unveiling two major projects in one year, Ross said, “That’s how bosses do it, ya heard me?” adding, “If you go back and listen to my interviews speaking on ‘Mastermind,’ I was saying I felt like I made two albums because it was two different feelings.”
Rick Ross and Def Jam Recordings will release “Hood Billionaire” on Nov. 24.
