Following up on the breakout success of his debut album Port of Miami, Rick Ross returns with Trilla, his second batch of narratives from the underworld of the drug empire. Whereas his first record was the perspective of a young, fledgling hustler on the block, Trilla finds Ross in a position of power. Sitting care-free in the back of a luxury car, Rick Ross feels comfortable emulating Jay-Z's rise to power in the rap game. The only difference being that Jay-Z has been a powerhouse for over a decade, whereas Ross still has to prove he's worth his weight.
Beat It
On his second album, Rick Ross enrolls the same lineup of producers who helped catapult his success: The Runners, J.R. Rotem, and DJ Toomp man the boards alongside new collaborators like Bink! and Drumma Boy. Surprisingly, it's the familiar faces who deliver the least inspired tracks. "Speedin'," the R.Kelly-featured lead single, is laced by The Runners' recognized fast-paced, synth-stacked sound. Unfortunately, it sounds like a leftover from Beanie Sigel's "All of the Above" recording session. J.R. Rotem's contribution on "The Boss" falls awfully short of his 2006 Ross smash "Push It," a track that perfectly meshed Rick's style with his familiar Miami-in-the-80's swag. Bland hooks by the human vocoder T-Pain further detracts from the track. DJ Toomp's board magic on "This Me," though better than the aforementioned duds, sounds eerily too similar in structure to his work on Kanye West's "Big Brother." It's like "Hate It or Love It" and "Say I" all over again, when Cool & Dre turned in the same beat twice.
On the flipside, soul-sample production by Bink! on "We Shinin'," a friendly reminder of Roc-A-Fella's golden era, blends well with Ross' deep and husky voice. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League also comes through with a three-peat of rich soundscapes. From the floaty waves of "Maybach Music" to the ardent tenderness of the "Luxury Tax," their production prowess is undeniable.
All in all, the production on Trilla is hit and miss, good and bad.Lyrical Drought
The lyrics, on the other hand, are much easier to call -- downright mediocre. The album is riddled with clichés and undemanding, monotonous rhymes ("Yeah, this the 'Super Bowl'/ Of this street sh*t/ This all fast-food/ My ni***s eat quick"). Ross' great attribute is his dominant voice, but if he's all bark and no bite, it's like a Pit Bull getting trounced by a Chihuahua. This example resonates accurately on "Luxury Tax," featuring Young Jeezy and Trick Daddy, but most prominently, Lil Wayne. The smallest of the pack, Weezy delivers the hardest punches and holds the strongest presence on the track ("Like a needle in the haystack, we ain't tryna see the pin [penn']/").
For a guy who once compared his pen-and-pad skills to that of Rakim, Ricky Ross has a long way to go before he can even step in the ring.
The Bottom Line on Trilla
There's no clear sense of progression between Port of Miami and Trilla, other than the expansion of Rick's machismo and pride. Stereotypical tracks on the album only succeed in devaluing Ross' quality, and the lack of character-defining anthems like past hits "Hustlin'" and "Push It" make Trilla feel like a step backwards.
As he moves up in the ranks from a bagman to a don, Rick Ross loses the familiarity and forward motion of the sociable and alluring street hustler. No longer presenting plots and storylines from the block, Ross dictates and stands above the reportage like the executive producer at a conglomerate news corporation who started out as a young, developing journalist. On Port of Miami, Ross flashed his chain and piece; on Trilla, he flosses his whip -- the chain is a mere accessory now. All the glitz and glam in the world can't save an album which lacks that one, truly essential quality: substance.
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