Despite taking a big blow upon discovery of his past as a correctional officer emerging, the Miami Florida rapper Rick Ross bounced right back with his 2009 album "Deeper Than Rap", which has the artist bring back the sounds of nineties Rap with a style reflecting that of the Mafioso scene on this, his third album.
1. "Mafia Music"
To begin the release we have a track which brought along much controversy with it as it was the tune which opened up one of the most high-profile Hip Hop beefs of 2009 as he goes straight in on 50 Cent on it to get this thing underway, and speak about what he means by the title of the album, and where it will take him.
**Four Stars**
2. "Maybach Music 2"
After basically telling us where he is with his music, you see him choosing to make more out of a track on his second album "Trilla" with this one. Rather than working with jay-Z, you have some more of the great this time around with Lil' Wayne, Kanye West and T-Pain coming to join him and show just how far it can be taken as he talks about the money he is raking in.
**Five Stars**
3. "Magnificent"
You are drawn straight into the lead single from the album here, and I have to say that this collaboration with John legend is, for me, the best track that Rick Ross has come up with. It finds him taking his material away from the hardcore
Gangsta Rap, and towards much more gentle things, and so while taking from classic work by Special Ed, he shows how he can adapt his flow to fit in with much more delicate rap.
**Five Stars**
4. "Yacht Club"
You get even more form the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League's production, on this one, and I felt that it was just the type of thing which was needed to get this one going as he keeps the feel of this particular track just as classy as the one you got just prior to it as he talks us through what he has to offer, and how his girls will be treated to things such as his yacht journeys.
**Four Stars**
5. "Usual Suspects"
With Nas on his side you see that he is made to adapt his style quite a bit as he does things on top of some beats from The Inkredibles, which have he pair deal with just how much they have gone through in their life, and how they have been able to come up without anything put hate since the grind started. The pair isn't two I would have placed together, but the track is a strong one.
**Five Stars**
6. "All I Really Want"
With Tricky Stewart on the beats, it was obvious that The-Dream would accompany him n the hook and that is exactly hat you get form this one as he chooses to pick up the pace significantly with a club tune, and I felt that it was a pretty risky one from him (as it is unlike anything we have had form him before) but for change I really got down to the freaky beats which are loosely based upon the Miami Bass scene which paved the way for southern rap acts of today.
**Five Stars**
7. "Rich Off Cocaine"
Taking his name from the well-known drug lord Ricky Ross, the rapper chooses to do a trakc which has him addressing his experiences with it by doing a track which has him dealing with it in subtle ways. I felt that it showed that he has made progression with his flows and is apparently able to do much more than with previous records. It is a track which has him flowing in a laid-back manner on light synth to reflect how comfortable he feels by this point in his career.
**Four Stars**
8. "Lay Back"
You find him exploring more of this gentle rap through this one as after Robin Thicke has been given the opportunity to set the scene with a soothing hook, you see that he chooses to turn his attention to rapping towards a special girl in his life. It is a nice little one from him, and shows how successful he can be at this type of thing (despite expectations).
**Four Stars**
9. "Murda Mami"
The beats in this track are hardcore and they indicate that we are in for a big switch in the direction of the artist as you see that we have him getting back down to the Gangsta Rap style of music. I felt that it was extremely significant that it was Foxy brown who he chose to recruit to join him, in a similar way to having Nas earlier as these (along with Cormega, AZ and Nature) made up the Mafioso Rap group The Firm,) who did a style of Hip Hop which Ross is attempting to bring back.
**Five Stars**
10. "Gunplay"
The Inkredibles return for this one to guide him when getting further into the Gangsta Rap, you see that the artist gets back to the diss tracks as in this one you see him going hard on 50 and talking and rather personal occurrences in his life which he pulls out when calling him out. I felt that it was a successful track form him and it showed consistency from him by sticking to the newer, more sophisticated version of himself and not resorting to the same old street rap.
**Five Stars**
11. "Bossy Lady"
You have another big R&B name backing the artist on this one as Ne-Yo joins Ross for this one and offers a gentle chorus or the artist to allow him to come across as genuine when doign more of this music whenever he chooses to offer up time to speak about his girl and how to some degree he looks up to her for what she as been able to do and achieve.
**Four Stars**
12. "Face"
You get more Florida rap talent on this one as this time Ross chooses Trina to back him up on this one as he finally gets to the street rap as Drumma Boy does his typical rap. I would say that it reveals how simplistic and often repetitive this type of thing is, but with the beats and verses hard, you can't help but get down to it.
T.I.'s right-hand man, DJ Toomp, is the one to provide the beats for this one, and I felt that the results of it were pretty successful as the artist appears to try out a few things which he doesn't often get to, and so although it has a similar feel to the res o it, the approach is completely different and tackles it in a way the other producers wouldn't have come up with alone.
**Four Stars**
14. "In Cold Blood"
Ending this album, you have a track which sees the rapper backed by The Runners (who haven't been as prominent in this album as they were previously) and it allows him to do things alone whilst showing how effectively he can exercise his rhymes. It felt that it was a great conclusion to the album, and it rounds it off well whilst incorporating all aspects of the album into it.
**Five Stars**
This was a surprisingly strong album from Rick Ross, and it shows that despite the massive increase in hate he received after straight-out lying about his past hasn't affected his music in any way, and has allowed him to progress even further. He brings in lots of new things and performs them to their full potential so you can't complain about it. It has him showing the world that southern Rap has quite a bit of diversity to it too, and is uncovering another potential direction for it in the future.
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