"First of all I would like to thank God for making me the boss I am."
That's how Rick Ross begins his acknowledgements in the liner notes of his new album Trilla. Never before has the main theme of an album been boiled down to a single sentence so well.
That theme? Rick Ross is a boss and he's really cocky about it.
Being a boss in the eyes of Ross is about what you'd expect - owning big cars, loving fine women, exhibiting drug dealing expertise. He'll beat you over the head with this approximately 4000 times over the course of the 14 synth-heavy tracks. Ross has a nice flow and a great raspy bass voice, but he puts it to little use. There's nothing as catchy as his previous hit, "Hustlin'" though there are more than a few unsuccessful attempts to duplicate it. Gangsta clichés are about all we get, only instead of "gangsta" he uses "boss" because, hey, it rhymes with "Ross".
Props to Ross for assembling a nice group of guest stars, though. Trilla gives us a fun Lil' Wayne verse, a strong Jay-Z appearance and the requisite T-Pain cyborg crooning. Are there appropriate situations in which this album should be played? Sure - crappy frat parties, ghost riding and the slow motion sequence that reveals the enemy dance team in the next Stomp the Yard film all come to mind. But if for some reason you're looking to get any substance out of Trilla, it's all right there in that quote above.
