Rick Ross - God Forgives, I Don't CD

God Forgives, I Don't songs This second album by Miami (by way of Haiti) rapper Rick Ross is one of the most hotly anticipated sophomore releases of the year. This collection is a more than respectable follow-up to his monster debut. The album--produced by J-Rock, the Runners, Cool & Dre, and others--features the hit single "Speedin'," with guest singer R. Kelly. Recording information: Chalice Recording Studios, Los Angeles, CA; Hitco Studios, Atlanta, GA; Jerusalem Studios, Miami, FL; Poe Boy Studios, Miami, FL; SoundTrap Studios, Atlanta, GA; The Chocolate Factory, Chicago, IL; The Hit Factory Criteria, Miami, FL. Photographer: Jonathan Mannion. Arranger: J.R. Rotem . Personnel: R. Kelly, Avery Storm (vocals); Terrell Sass (drums). Audio Mixers: John Frye; Ray Seay; Leslie Brathwaite; Fabian Marasciullo. ...

God Forgives, I Don't buy CD music Losing none of the momentum put in motion by his 2009 effort, Deeper Than Rap, Rick Ross keeps a very good thing going on Teflon Don, arguably his best album to date. You want rap-style luxury? Then Deeper is the better fit, but Teflon plays up the chilled and soulful elements of its predecessor, meaning Ross has graduated to a level where words like "organic" and "poignant" come into play. The former is best represented by "Mayback Music III" and it's swirling, `70s-flavored dreamscape created by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production team. Ross allows guests T.I. and Jadakiss to go first on the cut, then grabs his cigar for an uplifting story of ghetto triumph that goes from pushing to pleasing the folks ("Parents never had a good job/Now it's black American Express cards"). When it comes to "poignant," the evidence is dotted throughout the album with the rapper reflecting on where he's been, and he often questions his own lust for fame. He chants the title to the opening "I'm Not a Star" as if it was a remindful mantra, but it's his new love of contrasts that's really interesting, following Kanye's swaggering on "Live Fast, Die Young" with "Seems to me we gettin' money for the wrong things/Look around, Maseratis for the whole team/Look at Haiti, children dyin' round the clock/I'd send a hundred grand but that's a decent watch". The familiar party and thugging tunes work too with "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)," "No. 1," and the mixtape favorite "MC Hammer" -- now with added Gucci Mane verse -- all coming correct. Add all the Illuminati references in the Jay-Z team-up ("Free Mason"), a decent smoking song ("Super High"), and a track where Cee-Lo's performance just might make you misty ("Tears of Joy"), and it's obvious Ross' albums are no longer just vessels for his singles. ~ David Jeffries Recording information: Avex Recording Studio, Honolulu, HI; Blakeslee Recording Company, North Hollywood, CA; Bull Dog Studios, Sag Harbor, NY; Circle House Studios, Miami, FL; D-Block Studio, Yonkers, NY; F.A.T.E. Music Lab; PMCK Studios, Toronto, ON; Roc The Mic Studio, New York, NY; Solitaire Studios, Atlanta, GA; We The Best Studios, Miami, FL; Westlake, Hollywood, CA; Zenith Studios, Atlanta, GA. Photographer: Jonathan Mannion.

God Forgives, I Don't CD music That's Nas' ex-wife Kelis' wedding dress on the cover: she's a fellow recording artist, the two have a kid together, and she wasn't consulted about the album cover or the album itself. Life Is Good is that kind of album, and for the moment, Nas is that kind of guy. He may have recorded some game-changing albums early on, and his recent collaboration with Damian Marley, Distant Relatives, was vital as well, but this puff-chested bitch session is a completely different animal, coming off as Marvin Gaye's Here, My Dear, although this one prefers playing to radio over playing it as landmark disc, and prefers swaggering over staying on topic. Know that he's willing to take all the credit for his own Illmatic here, too, boasting that he's the best in the game before shooting insults at easy targets and his ex-wife/father-of-his-children, who never should have left because as "Roses" states, "I'm an ass magnet." This trashing without rebuttal is worth arguing about, and snarky and vicious aren't admirable qualities, so the best way to approach this unfiltered carpet bombing of love and marriage is thinking about how heartbreak can make a man go cold (808s & Heartbreak) or in this case, irresponsibly start fires. Well-funded fires, too, as Swizz Beatz's "On to the Next One" soundalike "Summer On Smash" gives Nas a bona fide club killer, and when it comes to headlines, that's the late Amy Winehouse on "Cherry Wine" in one of her last recordings -- on a track as intoxicating as its namesake. Don't let that vicious guy on the cover know that a woman also assists on the album's other truly rich moment, with Mary J. Blige in top form on "Reach Out," while Rick Ross winds up the album's top thug thanks to "Accident Murderers," a majestic street track with No I.D. on production and a reference to Illmatic's Jerome character, even when bringing that one up is sticky, seeing as Life Is Good isn't even in the same ballpark. Still, Nas doesn't seem to care, putting a Jim Jones-styled blast of boss talk called "Nasty" on the same album he pulls the heartstrings on with the well-written personal number "Daughters," but he sells it all, delivering everything here as if its classic status was assured and will never fall into an embarrassment trap, as long as the cover art isn't brought into the debate. If the game needed Illmatic, this is the one Nas needed to get out of his system, acting as a clearinghouse for all venom and bile, plus some gloss that doesn't fit but needed to go as well. ~ David Jeffries Recording information: 4220 Studios, Hollywood, CA; Conway Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA; East West Studios, Hollywood, CA; Instrument Zoo Studios, Miami, FL; Jungle City Studios, New York, NY; Oven Studios, New York, NY; Record One, Sherman Oaks, CA; WEstlake Studios, Los Angeles, CA. Photographers: Matthew Salacuse; Andrew Zaeh.

God Forgives, I Don't album for sale Previewed by the single "Lose My Mind" and the Don Cannon-helmed mixtape Trap or Die II: By Any Means Necessary, TM 103 is Jeezy's fourth major-label release. The much delayed album features productions from Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, and Shawty Red along with guest shots from rappers Lil Wayne, Bun B, and Plies. There is also a collaboration with superstar Beyoncé on the cut "Mama Told Me." Recording information: 11th Street Studios, Atlanta, GA; Carrington House Studios, Atlanta, GA; HHS1978 Studios, Atlanta, GA; Justice League Studios; PatchWerk Recording Studios, Atlanta, GA; Quad Studios, New York, NY; Slumdrum, Strong Mountain Recording Studios, Stone Moun; Soapbox Midtown, Atlanta, GA; Soul Asylum Studios, Atlanta, GA. Photographer: James Minchin III.

God Forgives, I Don't CD music If there's a reason to cheer for 2 Chainz, it's that the limited but now loveable rapper lifted himself out of a dead-end group (the Sporty Thievz-like Playaz Circle), dropped his awful name (who wants to say they're the world's biggest Tity Boy fan?), and reinvented himself as a welcome character somewhere between the syrup-sipping Pluto and the slang-slinging Pootie Tang, all while rocking True Religion everything (and if the clothing company didn't pay for all this album's product placement, they should send Chainz a box of swag immediately). This devil-may-care style that's right in line with the flash-flavoring landscape of 2012, was refined over mixtapes, street releases, and guest spots, all of it smart preparation for this official debut. Based on a T.R.U. Story is a fine payoff, coming off as trendy as those jeans Chainz keeps repping, but still quirky enough to stick to the ribs. Prime example is the opening "Yuck!," a high-powered Streetrunner production with Lil Wayne getting in the distasteful spirit of the album (warning: he's searching through his black book for a girlfriend who's not experiencing "the monthlies") while Chainz places his second favorite product when Similac gets another mention, once again thanks to the rapper's skill at baby making. "Birthday Song" borrows Wayne's love of dumb bluntness for the great "She got a big booty, so I call her 'Big Booty'," while "Extremely Blessed" offers both "Our first date was the Waffle House" and "If you a chicken head, go and lay some eggs" which producer The-Dream coats in polished R&B for a track that's quite velvety and Ludacris. In this environment, a stripper track with Nicki Minaj can't go wrong, and when hooky singles "No Lie" with Drake and "Birthday Song" with Kanye West find their respective superstars coming down to Chainz' big booty level, it's like free drinks and table dances all night long. Still, there are a couple unexpected highlights, like Mike Posner getting convincingly nasty on "In Town," or "Stop Me Now," which plays it soulful, smooth, and nostalgic ("All my Planets were Digable"). The claim "Every line is so dope, you can snort it" is an oversell, but 2 Chainz over-promises and almost delivers on his official debut, putting him right in the punch-line rapper's sweet spot. ~ David Jeffries Photographers: Kristen Yiengst; Tai Linzie; Fabien Montique.

God Forgives, I Don't buy CD music Released just as summer 2012 became official, Maybach Music Group Presents Self Made, Vol. 2: The Untouchable Empire finds Rick Ross and his crew doing it big with a mixtape worth of thuggy club music, but there are some solid anchors here that go way deeper than expected. First and best of the deep bits is the Wale, Ross, and Nas team-up "This Thing of Ours," a slower creeper from Don Cannon that bleeps along with economical production, all as the three Dons solemnly reflect on their wins and losses. New Maybach signee Omarion joins Wale for the prime break-up and quick rebound cut "M.I.A.," which is built a slippery, stark, and challenging Tone the Beat Bully production that rewards with each return visit. When it comes to gutter music, Gunplay's "Black and Black" with Ace Hood and Bun B is as loud, raucous, and reckless as mad gangsters require. That's three unexpected triumphs with Ross as executive producer, and when it comes to his usual Rozay-big, crowd-pleasing club track, there's plenty, including the wonderfully ridiculous, eight-minute opener "Power Circle," which comes with both "The square root of kilo is me" and "If Michael Jackson came alive right now, he'd ask you to smoke for him. So in his honor.. (sound of a joint being lit)". Political correctness aside, brute humor from Ross ("My bank account is Jewish") is in abundance, and with Maybach folks like Stalley (check his "Fluorescent Ink" for some organic and jazzy uplift) and Meek Mill (an asset on the hook-filled "Black Magic") mixing with Wiz Khalifa, T.I., T-Pain, and other established names, Self Made 2 is an interesting mix of in-house and all-star, and another reason to take Ross the ring-leader seriously. ~ David Jeffries Photographers: Clay Patrick McBride; Joaquin Palting.