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Rick Ross - Deeper Than Rap
| Rapreviews |
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Aaron Yates is nothing if not one of the most colorful rappers in all of hip-hop. The Kansas City native better known as Tech N9ne embodies this spirit both figuratively with lyrics about everything from demonic women to being held prisoner in his own body, and literally with a tendency to do strange things to his face and his hairstyle. To date he may be the only person to release a hip-hop album with artwork parodying Michael Jackson, although Tech posed as a "Killer" instead of a "Thriller," appearing in said parody in a straightjacket. It's this open willingness to eschew convention, mock himself, stir shit up and create some of the midwest's most innovative music that has made Tecca Nina a cult favorite for over a decade. There's little question he's the best-selling and most popular rapper in K.C. history, and thanks to the fact Tech releases all of his albums on his own Strange Music label, he may be one of the best PAID emcees in all of rap - period. With so much going right in his career with or without mainstream radio exposure, Tech N9ne has the enviable luxury of not even needing to be in the spotlight 100% of the time on his own albums. "Sickology 101" is the second in a series of self-described "Collabos" albums where Tech brings in artists he likes and artists from his own label to fill up an album. Don't get it twisted, you'll still hear from Tech N9ne throughout the entire joint, but he's not the sole voice. The weight is not entirely on his shoulders to make this album a failure or a success, and you can tell right from the opening title track that Tech is relaxed, singing and scatting his way through his verse spitting raps to "make it buttery, utterly beautiful, make it fluid" while "murdering motherfuckers in music." From there he turns it over to two comrades who are equally slept on - underground Cali gangster Crooked I and East coast lyrical legend Chino XL. The latter's intense flow threatens to steal the show from the both the heartland and the Westside:...full text |
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| Vibe |
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It was all fun and games last night until Rick Ross turned on the music. With selected media gathered in the theater of the Tribeca Grand Hotel to preview his third album, Deeper Than Rap, “Officer Ricky” jabs peppered every punch line (allegations of the coke rapper formerly being a correctional officer have long been confirmed), and while the anticipation was high, the expectations were low. Then the Bawss walked through the door wearing a shiny gold track jacket and white linen pants. Cue laugh track. But Ross was unfazed. Settling into a seat in the front of the room with an Ace of Spades bottle close at the hand, he pressed play. The rest was no joke. With a montage of classic gangsta flicks—Belly, Scarface, Blow, New Jack City, and others—lighting up a screen behind him, Ross ran through nine solid tracks backed by multi-layered and rich production provided primarily by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League and The Inkredibles. He opened with “In Cold Blood,” a proud cut about the realization that wealth isn’t only measured in dollars and cents. “Money don’t mean nothing / Why they calling me rich?” he raps over a kicking bass and horns. Next up was “Usual Suspects,” featuring Nas, who delivered a stellar verse (“And still my talent is yet to be challenged”) that set the tone for the guest appearances to come. ...full text |
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| Allmusic |
| Everything is big with Rick Ross. Triumphs, blunders, singles, videos, and everything else he does is huge, but having the audacity to call his third effort Deeper Than Rap is extra risky, especially since it's his first effort since being "exposed" as a former corrections officer. That's poison in the gangsta rap game, and while there's little here to sway the haters -- and certainly nothing "deep" -- the rapper's ability to steamroll over all of his shortcomings, along with all of our preconceived notions, is simply remarkable. In a sure trilogy of albums, Deeper Than Rap is the surest, kicking off with a decent 50 Cent diss and closing with a "Run with me or run from me" ultimatum that's gutsy enough to feature harps and castanets. While that's enough fuel for the haters to burn the whole place down, anyone willing to ignore Ross' iffy relationship with street cred and his incredibly narrow subject matter (money, women, victory) will find Deeper is the superstar, gangster weekend album done right. Boss of them all is the grand "Maybach Music" with T-Pain, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne all in top form. Same goes for the cut's production team, the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, who are also in charge of the slippery and swaggering "Magnificent" with John Legend, plus the Caribbean flavored highlight "Yacht Club." "Face," with Trina, is the street cut of note, and "Usual Suspects" places in the album's top five, although Nas' loyal fanbase will find his contribution rather ordinary. Redundancy is an unsurprising and ignorable issue thanks to all the hooks and slick beats, including a batch from the returning Runners. Even if this isn't much "Deeper" than the average Three 6 Mafia album, the glitz and guts of Deeper are a big step up, making Ross sound like a Miami-fied version of Young Jeezy....full text |
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