My crew is constantly axing me, "Ali, what is it about Rick Ross that you love so much? Why is it that whenever one of his jams come on, that fat ass of yours just starts bumpin?"
I'm totally sick of trying to answer these questions when all I want to be doing is smoking a Rick Ross sized blunt and grinding my shit off. So I thought maybe on here, I could clear up any questions so I can just get back to gettin busy to The Bawss.
Friends can, and do hold me to previous statements that fat rappers are gross. Biggie, Big Pun, Fat Joe.. they all sound like they're enjoying a 'Double Down' while gettin busy in the studio. I stand by that statement. But for whatever reason, Rick Ross' fat ass voice is pleasing to me. The second I hear a song start with "run with me or run from me," "pussy's don't get pussy" or the classic "Maybach Music" my levels of serotonin start to rise and I get a rosy glow in my cheeks that starts in my heart.
Rick Ross's beats are huge. Layers upon layers of sounds, and electronics combined with REAL instruments, REAL! I'm not going to get too deep into this section because I think the part of my brain that is supposed to be able to differentiate, process and describe sounds is broken. But anyone that listens to The Bawss best agree that the beats are large. And amazing for walking to. I lived in Victoria this summer, right in the middle of tourist season. I had to walk from downtown, through the inner harbour to get to work each day. For those who haven't been to Victoria, from May through September, the downtown and inner harbor area is a cluster fuck of nerdy parents, (fanny packs and sweaters around their shoulders. Actually.) annoying children, asians with those enormous visors, buskers, horse and carriages and bike taxi's. Rick Ross helped me through the tough times when I wanted to murder everyone. (Why do people forget common walking etiquette when on holidays?) Instead of losing my temper, punting djembe's out of wannabe hippie busker kids' hands and face-pushing old ladies I would put on my headphones and find myself completely lost in the fat beats and voice of Rick Ross, feeling totally badass the whole way.
The video below is kind of crappy and pretty low budget. I remember watching it with my cousin this summer only for him to yell "HEY RICK ROSS, WHY DO YOU HAVE YOUR SHIRT ON IN THE POOL!?" However this was my #1 jam this summer.
I'm not going to lie and say Ricky Rawss the Bawss has deep and meaningful lyrics. I'm pretty sure he didn't have the tough ghetto life that many other rappers have experienced. He was a corrections officer, which is why Ross receives tons of criticism and peeps like to harsh on his legitimacy. (Back off y'all, Kanye had a good family and went to college and legitimacy is the one thing he isn't getting harassed about.) He hits up all the classics: bitches, smoking weed, cocaine, fancy cars, fucking and spending money. Nothing new. But the combination of Ross's huge beats and delivery make rapping what everybody else raps about into something exciting.
Location matters for Rick Ross too. Rappers are generally based out of LA or New York. They may take their 'soldiers' on vaycays to Miami, but rarely do we hear of rappers based in Florida. I get the feeling that Ross is basically on holidays 24/7. He's singin' about yacht clubs for Christ sakes! Where many rappers like to situate their videos in poor ghettos to reinforce the fact that they haven't had it easy and that they haven't forgotten where they came from, Ross's videos are always lavish, summer based, bikini clad and he's usually seen with a big fat stogie. This is basically a 'black Miami Vice' but 100x more intimidating. I'm just glad Ricky is being real with us, y'know? Not pretending that he spends his time slumming around Detroit, but instead shows himself having crazy yacht parties in Miami, like I am absolutely certain he does in real life.
Ross' songs also includes the perfect amount of cheesy R&B that I love so much. I'm a huge fan of The Weeknd and Frank Ocean, and Ross's album Deeper Than Rap delivers tons of silky smooth R&B samples that I like to listen to in the privacy of my car or bedroom, including the songs All I Really Want, Rich Off Cocaine, Lay Back, Bossy Lady, etc.
I've known for a long time that I'm a huge Bawss fan. It was only when I sat down to write this that I actually considered what it is that I love about the guy so much. It's Ross's combination of crass lyrics which make me feel more than just a shy and awkward middle class white girl, a fantasy-Miami lifestyle with disposable income, fat beats, husky build and beard, (not sure why it makes him better) and slow jam samples that turn this man into a Bawss.
Ross has just released a new mixtape, Rich Forever. I haven't given it a huge listen yet but I am definitely looking forward to doing so. This is my favorite jam so far:
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