For all intents and purposes, the man born William Leonard Roberts II a.k.a. Rick Ross career was supposed to be over on July 21, 2008. That day will remain in hip hop infamy, because on that day thesmokinggun.com released photos of a 19 year old Ross wearing a correctional officer's uniform. The photos contradicted everything that Rick Ross portrayed in his mafia boss persona. That was strike 1. Then the very next year, January 2009 to be exact, he went after Rap's Favorite Bully, 50 Cent. The beef was a back and forth war on wax, and videos. People who follow rap know of 50 Cent's track record when it comes to rap fueds. In other words: Ricky's career was over, for sure. That was strike 2. Entering this year, Ross found himself again at a career road block--this time a lawsuit, as former drug boss, Freeway Ricky Ross sued Rick Ross for 10 million for using his name. The original Rick Ross also tried to block the release of this very album that I'm reviewing. That was strike 3---or was it? Rewind time, and you can see that despite the controversy, Rick Ross' thrid album Deeper Than Rap still debuted at No. 1 (his third consecutive No. 1 album), and throughout the rap beefs and lawsuits, he still is here--ready to drop his forth album, Teflon Don, in hopes it can top the charts like his previous albums. The title Teflon Don is so fitting as it was taken from real crime boss, John Gotti, who got the nickname "Teflon Don" because of his ability to escape imprisonment unscathed during the 1980's. In the rap world, Ricky Rozay is the true "Teflon Don", because all these strikes against anyone else would have been career suicide. Rick Ross' new opus features him alongside the best the music business has to offer. On the somber Cee-lo Green assisted- "Tears Of Joy" Rick Ross' state of mind can be summed up in one line: "Biggie Smalls in the flesh/ Livin life after my death." The thing that makes Rick Ross so amusing is his larger than life persona that makes you listen to him even when you don't want to listen. He grabs your attention as if he was holding your ears hostage. Jay-Z and John Legend reprise their roles from previous Ross' albums, as they appear on the controversial track "Free Mason". Jay-Z uses the song to clear the air on those Devil worshiping rumors. Jay spits: "Niggas couldn't do nothin' with me/ They put the Devil on me/ I'd perferred if niggas squeezed the metal on me/Rumors of Lucifer, I don't know who to trust/ The world want my demise..." Later stating: "Bitch, I said that 'I'm amazing'/ Not that 'I'm a Mason'..." Just like any Rick Ross album, you know that the production is top notch. The best example of this is the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League produced--"Maybach Music III" which uses live orchestra-like intruments that blend so well with featured artist T.I., Jadakiss, and a jazzy hook provided by non-other than Erykah Badu. When the Bawse prepares for the third and final verse--the song's mood changes to a darker tone. The once angelic cords are now replaced with heavy bass and louder drumrolls. Ricky spits agressive bars: "Shine brighter than them bitches on the other side/ Time to make a blind muthafucka recognize/Ammunition got the competition non-existent..." Another standout track is the Kayne West-produced and featured -sure to be club banger "Live Fast Die Young" Ross and 'Ye celebrate the finer things in life, while knowing it could all end in a blink of an eye. Yezzy steals the show as he claims: "I'm back by un-popular demand/ Well at least he still poppin in Japan." Also rapping: "My outfit so disrespectful/ So you can gon' head and sneeze/ Cause my presence blessed you..." The only downers about this album is the bloated guest list and aside a few filler tracks (i.e. "MC Hammer") that make this really feel like a solo project. The album should have been called Teflon Don & Friends. Diddy, Ne-Yo, Gucci Mane, Trey Songz, Drake, Raphel Saadiq, Styles P. and Chrisette Michele all pop up on other tracks on the album. The good thing though is Rick Ross still shines and rarely takes a back seat on his own song or better yet his own album. Still wish Ross would have not been so welcoming to his colleagues and decided to go for self, but above all else you can't deny great music, no matter who's involved, and that's the only thing that matters at the end of the day: the music. I rate this 4/5
