Words by Claudio E. Cabrera Rating: 4.0 out of 5.0
Models, Aston Martins, Ocean Drive, Club Prive. Will Smith described it to a "T" in his 1997 hit, "Miami." But, just like any other city, there's always another side. To quote Jay-Z, "Ain't nothing nice." Carol City, Miami rapper Rick Ross was the man chosen to expose the glamour that is Miami. Vivid drug tales, homicide and all its accessories is what the Boss offers up on Port Of Miami.
On the Akon-produced "Cross That Line," Akon let's it be know that when you cross into Dade County, he'll "guarantee they'll be nothing to save ya." Later on, Ross proves that line right. Supported by concrete and cracking drums, the rapper takes us into his childhood spitting, "I was birthed in the crackhouse / But what made it worse, every first is a packed house / Little brother knowin' life illegal / No toys just playin' wit pipes and needles."
After years of laying in the cut on Slip-N-Slide throughout Trick Daddy and Trina's success, Ross caught the attention of Def Jam honcho Jay-Z with his street anthem "Hustlin'," and like he says on the dark, dramatic, DJ Toomp-produced track "White House," "Don't f--- with pu--- n----s/ took my sh-- to Jiggaman / went to Manhattan / and came home a young millionaire."
On the J.R. Rotem-produced second single, "Push It," Ross plays Scarface (Tony Montana) and details how he's enjoying beating the odds and sitting on top. Cool & Dre join the soiree on the infectious, head banging, album standout, "Blow," where Ross brags about what comes with being "The Boss." The Runners grab the baton and continue the hard-hitting theme with "Where My Money (I Need That)," where Ross forwards you to the Carol City Cartel if you short on his dough: "Triple C the Mafia, they kill when I say so."
Synthesizers and snaps are injected into the Jazze Pha-produced "For Da Low," where the Ricky lays claim to the title "King of Miami" with lines like, "M-I-Yayo on the map / now it's my city." The Runners return to assist Ross on other standouts such as "It's My Time" featuring Lyfe Jennings and "Prayer" which are the only real peeks into repentance on the LP, being that he asks the Lord to pardon his sins.
Forgiveness is definitely needed for some of the major misses on this album. "Pots And Pans" sounds like a cheap rip-off of Lil' Wayne's "Hustler Muzik." While "Hit U From The Back" and "Get Away" don't sound right from the start. "I'm Bad," which samples the S.W.A.T. theme, fails before it gets started, as Ross displays some very elementary rhymes like, "I'm bad, I'm back, I'm mad, I'm strapped."
Sprayed with synthesizers, keyboards, and soul pounding drums, Port Of Miami is a welcomed break from the usual bass-heavy Southern mold, which could very well help the album achieve the best Southern albums of the year title. Think of it as the Southern version of The Documentary, except that Ross ain't on Game's lyrical level yet and probably never will be.
The braggadocio, cocaine, money talk reminiscent of Pusha T and Malice is heard throughout Port Of Miami, but despite his lack of depth lyrically, Ross makes up for it with a wit and flair that compliments his flow. A lot of questions concerning one-hit wonder were brought up after "Hustlin'," but with the five to six potential singles on this album, there's no question The Boss knows the recipe for cooking up hits in his "Pots And Pans."
Features Slim (of 112): Hi Haters What else do you want from Slim? His prolific group 112 has sold over 20 million records worldwide, and with a bevy ... full story
Editorials & Columns Scouting Report: Bambu You can refer to Bambu with various terms: rebel, revolutionist, Filipino, thug, artist. From the outside looking in, ... full story
Beyond Hip-Hop Game Review: Far Cry 2 Gone are Jack Carver, his Hawaiian shirt, and the trigens from the first installment of "Far Cry," but in comes spine ... full story
Video Bambu: Like Us (Music Video) We recently featured Filipino rapper, Bambu, in our Scouting Report column, and now, he's just dropped a new video. ... full story
Digg It
Del.icio.us
