[ALBUM REVIEW] Rick Ross 'Teflon Don'

Miami rapper Rick Ross has come a long way from his days as the second half to the beef involving 50 Cent. When Rick first stepped on the scene he had a persona that could only be compared to that of a boss. He exuded confidence and demanded attention without being too forceful. But the aforementioned qualities were threatened when information about his past as a correctional officer was leaked into the hands of a critical music adoring community.

Although most don’t see a problem with Rick having a job that may have been in law enforcement before becoming a rapper that rapped about slinging drugs and breaking laws, it was a complete 360 to what he was attempting to portray as this character known as Rick Ross and that rubbed most people the wrong way.

With Rick Ross’ new album Teflon Don, all of that will more than likely become like dust and particles in his past that he can simply just brush off. Teflon Don is refreshing and a well-deserved change of pace for those who frequent the genre of commercial Hip-Hop searching for something that they can listen to more than once.


Rick’s fourth studio album has potential classic written all over it with its robust lyrics and penetrating beats. It’s the perfect blend that every Hip-Hop fanatic craves and most importantly it can be sat through without having the urge to push the fast-forward button on your CD player (if you still have one of those :o]).

With cameos from the likes of Diddy, Jay-Z, T.I., Kanye West, Raphael Saadiq, Drake, Erykah Badu, and Ne-yo, Teflon Don is packed with materialistic ear candy and songs that have the potential of being top-charting singles.

The album starts off with “Im Not A Star” with a beat that has a commanding organ and collapsing high-hats that instantly draws you into Rick’s world. The Jay-Z assisted “Free Mason” does the job of keeping the listeners attention as Jay downplays devil-worship rumors by being witty and clever with his lyrics.

“Maybach Music III”, “Live Fast, Die Young”, and “Super High”sees Rick boasting about his lavish lifestyle with the help of Erykah Badu, T.I., Kanye West, and Ne-Yo respectively. At this point in the album, the listener is convinced that this isn’t a regular old album that won’t stand the test of time; in fact, it just might be the album that will earn Rick the respect he was on the road of attaining before he was exposed as a possible Hip-Hop fraud.

“No.1” which features appearances from Diddy and Trey Songz (who lends a sing-rapping verse) will more than likely find a place on a club DJ’s heavy rotation. It is the balance that the album needs for those who are interested in jamming out to just the beat. The album could have probably been fine without it but its presence certainly does not go unnoticed.

All in all, Teflon Don is a good follow-up to the interesting year Ross experienced in 2009. The album proves that beyond it all if you’ve got a league of notable artists that will lend a verse or two, creative producers and plausible lyrics, beef isn’t the end; it’s just the beginning to possibly cementing one’s self as one of the best.

Out of 5 yummy cones, Teflon Don gets…