When Rick Ross first emerged on the scene back in 2006, he introduced the world to his Miami drug lord persona with his debut single "Hustlin." Six albums and countless singles later, Ross is sticking to his guns with more-drug themed anthems on Hood Billionaire. All in all, the album seems to be a hit or miss, either you will love what Ross has to offer or you will bore easily of his repetitive tales. Check out a round-up of what critics are saying below.
HipHopDX gave the album 2 and a half x's out of 5, noting the rapper revisits previous works with no new enthusiasm.
Hood Billionaire is the second album of 2014 for Rick Ross. This stands in contrast to 2014s now well documented trajectory of A-listers holding back on their projects until 2015. Instead, Rozay is stepping out to the forefront with a project that is a diluted version of his initial 2014 offering Mastermind, which itself lacked the mythic grandiosity of his previous works. In that way, Hood Billionaire, offers itself as an example of good concepts that do not strike the chord they are meant to...Beyond those halved moments, the behind the boards wizardry and K.R.I.T., the album skips along predictably and offers nothing much outside of Rozay's usual narrative.
However, the folks over at The Early Registration appreciated the nostalgia of Ross' past releases.
Hood Billionaire doesn't reinvent the wheel or show us anything that we haven't seen from Ross since his debut in 2006, but he certainly isn't slacking. If you love Rick Ross than you will love this album. If you haven't been a fan in the past however, don't expect Hood Billionaire to win you over. Just because Ross has changed on the outside (having lost over 100 lbs.), he hasn't changed on the inside, musically at least. Depending on who you are, Hood Billionaire either brilliantly sticks with a theme and a certain sound or it is too repetitive and everything sounds the same (it is all about perception for this one).
Earlier this year, Ross released Mastermind, which he said would be the companion piece to Hood Billionaire. A reporter for Soul In Stereo advises that Hood Billionaire will likely disappoint if Mastermind wasn't a hit for you.
If you liked Mastermind, chances are you'll find a lot to love with Hood Billionaire, Rawse's seventh album.
But if you weren't a fan of Mastermind, Hood Billionaire certainly won't win you over.
That doesn't mean it doesn't have its pluses. Rick Ross's fairy tales of drug billions and hordes strippers often play out like those low-budget gangsta flicks you'll find on Netflix. No matter how ridiculous and unrealistic the plot seems, it's hard to turn away - it's just so entertaining.
Credit Rawse's charisma and fantastic ear for production.
Take a listen for yourself here.
© 2024 MusicTimes.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
