I had no clue that
Rick Ross dropped two albums in 2014. Being who I am, of course, I had to look into both albums, just to be on the safe side.
"Mastermind" was truly a diamond in the rough. SO close to mainstream perfection that it literally hurt me to see him miss the mark. Then comes strolling in
"Hood Billionaire", a mere eight months later and on the cusp of greatness once more. Did he redeem himself?
"Hood Billionaire" is without a doubt the tamest record of
Ross' to date and a true companion to it's predecessor
"Mastermind". The major difference is that this time around he is focusing on the aesthetic principle of Dirty South trapping as opposed to a reverence to 90s Bad Boy. His body of work is seemingly stagnant and his attempt to redirect his energies to more serious works is still falling short. He's losing his core audience and not garnering new attention either.
But don't mistake my critique for denial.
Ross has commercial success but he's local
AF which is why
"Hood Billionaire" managed to snake a spot in the top ten of the Billboard 200 with ne'er a successful single in sight, but hardly saw a chart outside of the US. Understandable, however, because who drops two albums in one year? You know who does?
Rick Ross. And when asked why he simply stated,
"That's how bosses do it."
To be completely transparent...this album's existence is unnecessary. Not because it isn't good but because it's pointless. The smart and business savvy approach would have been to take the best of
"Mastermind" and the best of
"Hood Billionaire" and compile them into the greatest album humanly possible for his new image, outlook, and artistry...
Listen to
"Hood Billionaire" below:
Natasha Marie
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