His past as a corrections officer, feud with 50 Cent, and lawsuit from former drug kingpin Ricky Ross couldn’t hold back the indestructible Rick Ross, who releases his star-studded fourth solo album Teflon Don today. How did the Bawse weigh in with critics? Find out below.
HHUCIT’s [Rating:4.5]
Entertainment Weekly: Ross’ ear for lush, expansive beats has become keener and his industry Rolodex deeper, allowing him to make every track but the intro feel like an epic, costarring major talents like Jay-Z, Kanye West, Erykah Badu, and Drake. B+
Los Angeles Times: One of the best summer blockbusters in recent memory, Teflon Don proves how thin the line is between a flight of fancy and something fantastic. 3.5 out of 4
Rolling Stone: The old Ross was mired in drug-rap clichés; today, he sounds easeful, letting his basso profundo do the heavy lifting in the Jay-Z collabo “Free Mason,” and gloating with wit and goofiness, of which he once seemed incapable. 3.5 out of 5
The New York Times: Teflon Don isn’t the consistently sumptuous affair that his last album, the magisterial Deeper Than Rap, was, but it’s just as confident, a reminder that hip-hop social climbing isn’t monochromatic.
The Washington Post: At just 11 songs, Teflon Don is Ross’ slimmest and also strongest album. His goals remain the same: acquire wealth, explain wealth. But his word choice and onomatopoetic gestures (“Money machines, yeah, they r-r-r-ring like a mobile phone!”) are unmatched in rap right now.