Customer Reviews

Teflon Don

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

With this his forth official release Rick Ross aka the Teflon Don might just have scored his best yet. I must start by saying I wasn't even a fan of Rick Ross before this album. All I knew to be honest was he did the song Hustlin. That song doesn't even begin to compare however to any of the songs on this album. Beginning with I'm Not a Star which is basically three minutes of Ross patting himself on the back we get something entirely different. The samples are more soulful and the guests more in-tune with Ross and exactly what he wants. On Free Mason, Ross and Hova himself go back and forth, and Ross just might end up outscoring his friend and co-worker. With Tears of Joy, Ross delivers what could be his most "serious" song to date with a breathtaking chorus delivered by Cee-Lo. (This could easily be one of the best of 2010.) The rest of the album follows a similar path with spots from T.I. Jadakiss, Erykah Badu, Drake, Gucci Mane, and Kanye. The only real drawbacks to this album are the lack luster track with Diddy and that it seems to end too soon. With this album, Ross might have simultaneously silenced his critics, delivered one of the best rap albums in a year already overcrowded, and truly lived up to his title as "The Teflon Don." Highly recommended.

Rick Ross doesn't care. He doesn't care who likes him. He doesn't care who hates his fast cars and fast women rap lifestyle. He's just going to keep making music that he loves. And if you don't like it, oh well. That's confident, cocky & arrogant all at the same time. But that's Rick Ross. And he has a right to be. No matter how much people clown him, he bounces back (the "Officer Ricky" scandal, the beef with 50, the lawsuit with the real Rick Ross) All of that has fed him and now he has dropped his best album so far, "Teflon Don".

"Teflon Don" is a good title for this album because just like John Gotti, nothing sticks to him. He keeps making street bangers and radio hits. Each of his albums has a hit song that gets heavy rotation in the clubs or radio. His first single "Super High", ft Ne-Yo is another radio hit (Similar to "Magnificent" from "Deeper Than Rap") Aston Martin Music", could possibly be another radio hit (I don't know why Drake is on here. He just sings a little on the chorus) As with every Rick Ross album there are a slew of guest appearances starting with Jay-Z on the solid track "Free Mason". Gucci Mane has no purpose on "MC Hammer". Neither does Styles P on "B.M.F (Blowin' Money Fast)". Both these songs are bangers but they sound so similar. They should not have been put back-to-back on the album. I don't know what he was aiming for on "Live Fast, Die Young", ft Kanye West. The same for "No. 1" with Diddy & Trey Songz. The epic "Maybach Music III", has the feel of a good movie. It has a sharp 16 from T.I. and a beautifully sung chorus by Erykah Badu. Jadakiss verse almost ruins the song but then there's a build-up that sets up Rick Ross that's perfect. This might be the best production I ever heard from J.U.S.T.I.C.E League.

Rick Ross must be reading my reviews. After my criticism of "Deeper Than Rap", he has improved in all the areas I burned him on. He has made an album that could have been classic. I think if he would have combined the top 5 songs of "Deeper Than Rap" and the top 6 songs of this album, he would have had a great album. His voice over a banging J.U.S.T.C.E. League track is dynamic. He still has that Mafioso bravado. That "Mayweather money, looking funny in the light" rap style. But this time we learn a little more about William Roberts. And no matter what you say to bring him down. No matter how many beefs he encounters. One thing is for sure, Rick Ross is living fast, spending money & loving his life. No matter if its real or not.

Let's get real here. Rick Ross isn't known for being a lyrical giant or anything like that. He has a occasionally punch line or two and that's it. The fact still remains this album is a good listen. Lyrically yes it's a 3 star album at best, but the end product is really really good. Fantastic for riding around, and letting the sub woofer cut loose. The best thing about the album is there is only 11 tracks which means it's short and to the point. Ross went with a very uncommon approach towards the beginning of the album. He starts if off slow and the albums momentum picks up as it goes along. Uncommon, but a very very good method it turns out. This being my first rick album I am satisfied with what I have. Music for a ground shaking ride down the street. Something I can bop my head to for most of the day. Hip Hop should be about more than who rhymes the best. It's about good music, and this is good music.

Almost 99 percent of the time I would tell anybody to ignore what they hear or read about online about an album unless you have physically listened to it over and over again but this time I will go as far to say believe what you hear and read about.I don't believe Rick Ross gave his all in this album and just put this together poorly.The beats are probably the best thing about this whole album and if he ever comes out with an instrumental version of this I will for sure be buying.Its like as he has dropped albums the quality has slowly decreased much like 50 Cents have as well.You can't just drop one bangin album and expect put in half the effort on the rest following and expect to stay on top catching peoples attention.He may have a few good songs on this album but as a whole it really is not pleasant to listen too.

i love this album. although it has alot of features he proved to us again that he is at the top of the rap game. i love the fact he didnt back down from 50 like others. who let 50 bully them and fell off in a corner. he stood his ground and kept releasing good music along with great bars. His music is real laid back not too much. i love this album point blank period.

Rick Ross is a wonderful throwback to the days when a new release from a hot artist meant something. In this era of peeps downloading music in Starbucks while texting friends and sipping on designer caffeine, this guy's album releases make big noise and he keeps getting better with each project. He really aims to please fans with his lyrical paintings, all-star guest lists, and brilliant beat selections. Teflon Don is gangsta fun from start to finish. My favorite bangers are Free Mason with Jay and Legend killing it, Maybach Music III with awesome flows by Tip and Jada plus lovely singing from Erykah Badu, Live Fast, Die Young where Rick and Kanye rip over an old school track, M.C. Hammer with Gucci, and the current Chi-Town street anthem, B.M.F. where Styles P shines at the tail-end of an already dope track. Drake and Chrisette Michele's shared hook duties on Aston Martin Music have instantly made it the album's most popular track and Raphael Saadiq adds a blessing to the final cut, All The Money In The World. I like the entire album but these songs are the ones bringing the ruckus for me right now. My only beef is that there are only 11 tracks. I know The Boss put together more jams than this. I feel an EP coming and I'll be rushing to buy it also. Teflon Don is great stuff. Get at it.

First off I would like to say this is what Hip-Hop Is missing. I do feel that he should of put Mafia Music 2 as the intro, but overall the album is a future classic. This album had more variety than Deeper than Rap; but dont get me wrong Deeper than Rap is a certified Classic. In deeper than rap it was all in one sound throughout the whole album, but I would of like to hear a couple more songs, he should of put Super high remix on their as well. This is an album you should definitely purchase if you like real music.

The album opens up with the track 'I'm Not A Star' which to me, isn't anything special. It has the typical kind of beat you would find on a Young Jeezy or T.I. album. Very southern sounding arrangement with bragadocious lyrics and technical crack talk (I guess to prove to people that he's "real") Not the best I've heard from Rick Ross, but better then the "Face" song on his last album, meaning it's at least tolerable.

Things sort of vier off the drugs, and self praise on the controversial track, 'Free Mason'. For a couple of years now, people have been calling Jay-Z a Freemason, devil worshiper, Illuminati, etc and Jay used this song to finally let people know where he stands in terms of all that. Jay defiantly raps, "I'm on my third six, but a devil I'm not". This is a good track with simple, yet enjoyable production. Rick's hook will keep you interested and the lyrics are good all around.

'Tears of Joy' begins with a clip which seems to come from former Civil rights activist, Bobby Seale. This was a little surprising to hear on a Rick Ross album but given the contexts of the clip, it sort of makes sense for a gangster rapper to use it. No ID produces the beat, which I didn't really like at first, but it grows on you after a few listens. The lyrics are all over the place and I don't get what they have to do with having "Tears of Joy", but it's still a pretty good song, just nothing really mind blowing.

The album starts to pick up with the long awaited 'Maybach Music III' This is the successor to the last two amazing songs Rick Ross has under his belt of hits. The series is known for it's features, and this one continues that format with verses by Jadakiss, T.I. and a very good, but unexpected chorus by Erykah Badu. Jadakiss' bars are as good as ever, and T.I. actually surprised me on this one. What's great about this song is that the beat sounds like something from a movie score. The production switches up when Rick's verse starts and I thought it had a very epic feel to it. It felt as if a king had returned from exile or something. If I had to say anything bad about this song it would be that the "J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League" [Producers] tags are annoying and that Rick Ross could have taken one of those features off and had an extra verse. But then again, having two verses probably would have lessoned the significance and importance of Rick's verse on that song. Overall though, this is probably the best track 'Teflon Don' has to offer.

Kanye produced this next one, and it's clear that this isn't the same producer we met in 2004. When I first listened to this I thought it was a jumbled mess that had way too many things going on at once (saxophone, claps, sample of someone saying "hey", drums, etc) But the song kind of grows on you after a while. Undoubtedly, not Kanye's best work, but I liked it. (After 9, 10 listens) Kanye is also featured on the track, and it's nice to hear his signature word stretching and egotistical lyrics again. What confuses me about this song, however is the upbeat nature of it. The song is called 'Live Fast, Die Young' so I thought it would be deeper and darker, but it's very happy and celebratory, like they're saying dying young is the greatest thing in the world. But this seems to be the kind of thing you just listen to and play in your car, without really thinking about the lyrics so I'll give that a pass.

The next track on the album is 'Super High' with Neyo, which is great, but it clearly doesn't belong on this album due to it's age. I first heard this song months ago and Rick Ross also included it on the "Albert Anastasia EP" which was given out for free. For me, this was just a skip track. Moving on...

'Number 1' is an okay song, with even more features by Diddy and Trey Songz. The drums on the beat are a little too heavy for me to enjoy the track fully though. When a beat has drums that are so loud they drown out other instruments and melody of the song, you should know there's a problem. This is a simple thing that could have been fixed if the song was mixed properly. The singing by Trey is decent, but I don't think Diddy's verse was a necessity...

Finally we get to the album's biggest faults, 'BMF' and 'MC Hammer'. What I noticed immediately, when I heard them on the Albert Anitasha EP is how EXTREMELY similar they sound. This is a huge problem considering how short this album is. The first track, 'I'm Not A Star' also sounds like these tracks. How do you end up with 3 songs on an 11 track album that sound the same? It seems like Rick Ross had the BMF song and took two producers to sample it and make their own variations of it. I suspect all 3 of these, along with the bones old 'Super High' where included because they spent all the album money on the features (Who weren't always needed.) instead of saving for new beats and sample clearances. While I'm on the topic of features; Styles P has a short, 12 bar verse on the BMF song, which I think was an unnecessary waste and I don't even want to address the "other" guest...

This next track, 'Ashton Martin Music' is probably the second best song after Maybach Music III and it's also produced by the "J.U.T.I.C.E League" group. Future musical great, Chrisette Michele and new comer Drake are featured, and it's a formula that works itself out quite nicely. Drake isn't that great a singer, but his part of the chorus is really well done, and reminiscent of the hooks on his own album. Rick's verses are great and he does a good job of painting vivid imagery in his lyrics. "When I'm alone in my room, sometimes I stare at the wall, automatic weapons on the floor, but who can you call?"

The final song is called 'All the Money in the World'. The beat used on this is very southern sounding, but it works for me. When looking at the title one might think this is some huge, greedy, money track, but it's much more then that when you listen to some of the things he's saying. Is this the best song to close out an album? I don't think so... But it's a pretty good track all the same.

This is an album plagued with reused songs, and a ridiculous amount of features, but it's not the worst album of the year. This actually could have been really good with minor changes. If you're checking out Rick Ross for the first time, I would go with his last LP though. Iumak gives this one a 6.5/10

I LOVE ROSS ANYWAY BUT THIS ALBUM JUST RPOVES THAT THE "BAWSE" JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER, IF YOU CONSIDER YOURSELF A FAN OF RAP, HIP-HOP OR THE BAWSE HIMSELF YOU DEFINETLY HAVE TO HAVE THIS ALBUM

Since his ongoing feud with 50 Cent started in 2008, Rick Ross has been on a mission. And that mission was to become one of the best mc's in the game. I've always liked Rick Ross but I admit that he was not a powerhouse lyricist when he first came into the game with Port of Miami. He was a good rapper with occasional flashes of brilliance. However, on his 4th studio album Teflon Don, I'm not hesitant to call Rick Ross the best mc right now.

There's no doubt that Ricky Rozay is everywhere these days. Whether hanging with Diddy, forming supergroups, or hopping on the latest remix from everyone from Erykah Badu to Big Boi, there's no doubt the Rick Ross brand has grown significantly. Ever since 50 Cent set out to "destroy his life", it seems that he has done nothing but grow in popularity. Even through lawsuits (one vs. DJ Vlad and the other against Freeway Rick Ross (The Real Rick Ross)), he's managed to come out on top. Now with Teflon Don he aims to continue his dominance of the rap game.

About a month earlier Rick Ross released the Albert Anastasia EP. That contained great songs such as 300 Soldiers, Fire Hazard, Sweet Life ft. John Legend, and Money Maker and was the surprise EP/Mixtape of the year (so far) easily trumping T.I.'s Eff A Mixtape which dropped on the same day. That EP also contained the songs BMF (Blowin Money Fast) ft. Styles P and MC Hammer. These songs became summer anthems especially BMF. Currently you can't go anywhere without someone thinking they are Big Meech or Larry Hoover. In response, those songs appeared on the album although slightly altered. MC Hammer now features Gucci Mane and BMF has a slight variation in the beat.

After that mixtape, anticipation for the album grew substantially. Dubbed as "the biggest release of the year" and "his best album to date" many were still skeptical. That doubt is all but removed now as the 11 track album is indeed one of the best albums released this year.

Guests include headliners in every sense of the word. Jay-Z, Kanye West, Diddy, T.I., Cee-Lo Green (yes that Cee-Lo Green), Erykah Badu, Jadakiss, Drake, Raphael Saadiq, Trey Songz, Gucci Mane, Chrisette Michele and Styles P. There are many features on this album and you would think it would make the album bogged down and feel more like a compilation. However this is not the case. Each feature works beautifully and only moves to enhance the song rather than take it over. Rick Ross performs extremely well lyrically on every song so there's no fall off there. Production is provided by Justice League, The Inkredibles, No ID, Kanye, Lex Luger, & The Olympicks.

I simply cannot decide my favorite song on this album. BMF is just stupid (in a good way), Maybach Music III is a triumphant end to the trilogy, Aston Martin Music is so well performed and constructed and is a masterpiece, Super High is another feel good classic summer tune and on and on. The Super High video was produced by F. Gary Gray and starred Stacey Dash. The only song I'm not feeling is No. 1 ft. Trey Songz & Diddy. It's just not up to par with the rest of the album and feels like Diddy forced him to put that on there.

I do believe Rick Ross has outdone himself with Teflon Don and is one of the top albums of the year along with Sir Luscious Left Foot and Pilot Talk. Do yourself a favor and pick up Teflon Don. You won't be disappointed.

*Also track down the Super High (Sativa Remix) ft. Curren$y and Wiz Khalifa, Teflon Don Freestyle, the itunes bonus track Audio Meth ft. Raekwon, and Mafia Music Pt. 2 ft. Chrisette Michelle for added goodness. There's also an extended version to Aston Martin Music that contains a verse from Drake instead of just hook work.*