A change of labels and an almost entirely different set of producers aside, Rather You Than Me is business as usual for Rick Ross.
Armed with a streak of eight Top Ten full-lengths, the rapper moves from Def Jam to Epic for album number nine, backed by a mix of old and new beatmaking associates -- and more featured guests than tracks -- with only a handful of Black Market holdovers on one cut each.
Just after the release of Black Market, Ross broke a lengthy crossover-hit dry spell with "Purple Lamborghini," his and Skrillex's unlikely if predictably blaring soundclash for the Suicide Squad soundtrack, but this largely picks up where Ross' full-length discography left off.
Trap productions switch between sleek and low profile to blaring and riotous, tempered with a batch of comparatively elegant, soul-dipped tracks, highlighted by a trio handled by old ally Bink and a C Gutta (aka Lil' C) flip of the Stylistics' "People Make the World Go Round." Ross' vainglorious pronouncements are broken up by reflective, sometimes pro-black moments with slightly greater frequency.
Some conflicts are resolved while others intensify, as on "Idols Become Rivals," where Ross gets Chris Rock, the comedian he once vengefully called a cornball, to effusively introduce a ruthless diss track directed at Birdman.
Just as noticeably, on the Raphael Saadiq-assisted opener "Apple of My Eye," Ross softens a stance that previously placed him in the far-right radar: "I'm happy Donald Trump became president, because we gotta destroy before we elevate." For some listeners, this album is just as likely to be known as the one on which Ross compares himself to assassinated Black Panther leader Fred Hampton (one verse away from "Fuckin' centerfolds like I still be dealin' dope").
Ross' mixtures of outrageous fantasy and sobering reality, side-splitting humor, and piercing vengeance, are intermittently as potent as ever.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Apple of My EyeWilliam Roberts, Raphael Saadiq, Chad Thomas | Rick Ross | Play | 04:51 | 11 MB | 33 MB |
| 2 | Santorini GreeceJudy Bailey, Roosevelt Harrell, John Parker, William Roberts | Rick Ross | Play | 05:32 | 12 MB | 39 MB |
| 3 | Idols Become RivalsRafael Pérez Botija, Byron Forest II, William Roberts | Rick Ross | Play | 05:41 | 13 MB | 37 MB |
| 4 | Trap Trap TrapOlubowale Akintimehin, Justin Cox, William Roberts, Jeffery Williams | Rick Ross | Play | 04:35 | 10 MB | 29 MB |
| 5 | Dead PresidentsShamann Cooke, Jay Jenkins, Mario Mims, William Roberts, Nayvadius Wilburn | Rick Ross | Play | 04:27 | 10 MB | 33 MB |
| 6 | She on My DickShamann Cooke, Radric Davis, William Roberts | Rick Ross | Play | 03:45 | 8 MB | 25 MB |
| 7 | I Think She Like MeThomas Randolph Bell, Linda Epstein, Tyrone Griffin, Darwin Quinn, William Roberts | Rick Ross | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 8 | Powers That BeNasir Jones, Jonathan King, William Roberts | Rick Ross | Play | 04:29 | 10 MB | 30 MB |
| 9 | Game Ain't Based on SympathyRoosevelt Harrell, William Roberts | Rick Ross | Play | 03:44 | 8 MB | 26 MB |
| 10 | ScientologyRoosevelt Harrell, William Roberts | Rick Ross | Play | 02:35 | 5 MB | 17 MB |
| 11 | Lamborghini DoorsTarik Azzouz, Clemm Rishad, William Roberts, Carlos Thornton, Demario Thornton, Nicholas Warwar, Robert Williams | Rick Ross | Play | 04:23 | 10 MB | 31 MB |
| 12 | Triple PlatinumJeffrey Baranowski, Kenneth Campbell, Jesse James, William Roberts, David Stokes, Brian Wicker | Rick Ross | Play | 06:12 | 14 MB | 40 MB |
| 13 | Maybach Music VEliot Dubock, Dan Garcia, William Roberts, Katrina Russ, Deja Trimble, Francis Ubiera | Rick Ross | Play | 05:22 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 14 | Summer SeventeenShamann Cooke, Mario Mims, William Roberts | Rick Ross | Play | 03:13 | 7 MB | 24 MB |
| 62 mins | 144 MB | |||||
| 62 mins | 431 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Olubowale Akintimehin | Composer |
| 2 | Chris Athens | Mastering |
| 3 | Tarik Azzouz | Composer, Producer |
| 4 | Judy Bailey | Composer |
| 5 | Jeffrey Baranowski | Composer |
| 6 | Beat Billionaire | Producer |
| 7 | Beat Butcha | Producer |
| 8 | Thomas Randolph Bell | Composer |
| 9 | Thomas "Tomcat" Bennett | Engineer |
| 10 | Anita Marisa Boriboon | Creative Director |
| 11 | Rafael Pérez Botija | Composer |
| 12 | Max Breton | Guitar |
| 13 | Buda Da Future | Producer |
| 14 | Kenneth Campbell | Composer |
| 15 | Chad Nine | Producer |
| 16 | Shamann Cooke | Composer |
| 17 | Ericka Coulter | A&R |
| 18 | Justin Cox | Composer |
| 19 | Radric Davis | Composer |
| 20 | DeJ Loaf | Featured Artist |
| 21 | Dria | Vocals |
| 22 | Eliot Dubock | Composer |
| 23 | Linda Epstein | Composer |
| 24 | Byron Forest II | Composer |
| 25 | Future | Featured Artist |
| 26 | Dan Garcia | Composer |
| 27 | Mark "Exit" Goodchild | Engineer |
| 28 | Grandz Muzik | Producer |
| 29 | Tyrone Griffin | Composer |
| 30 | Gucci Mane | Featured Artist |
| 31 | Anthony Hamilton | Featured Artist |
| 32 | Roosevelt Harrell | Composer |
| 33 | Almond "Aj" Jackson | Mixing |
| 34 | Jesse James | Composer |
| 35 | Jeezy | Featured Artist |
| 36 | Jay Jenkins | Composer |
| 37 | Nasir Jones | Composer |
| 38 | Jonathan King | Composer |
| 39 | Fabian Marasciullo | Mixing |
| 40 | McCoy Socalgargoyle | Assistant |
| 41 | Meek Mill | Featured Artist |
| 42 | Mario Mims | Composer |
| 43 | Carlos Munoz | Guitar |
| 44 | Nas | Featured Artist |
| 45 | John Parker | Composer |
| 46 | Darwin Quinn | Composer |
| 47 | Clemm Rishad | Composer |
| 48 | William Roberts | Composer |
| 49 | Chris Rock | Featured Artist |
| 50 | Kat Rockwell | Vocals |
| 51 | Rick Ross | Executive Producer, Primary Artist |
| 52 | Katrina Russ | Composer |
| 53 | Raphael Saadiq | Bass, Composer, Featured Artist |
| 54 | Scrilla | Featured Artist |
| 55 | Olivia Smith | Art Direction, Design |
| 56 | Zach Steele | Vocal Engineer |
| 57 | David Stokes | Composer |
| 58 | Streetrunner | Producer |
| 59 | Chad Thomas | Composer |
| 60 | Carlos Thornton | Composer |
| 61 | Demario Thornton | Assistant Engineer, Composer |
| 62 | Deja Trimble | Composer |
| 63 | Daniel Tureck | Assistant Engineer |
| 64 | Ty Dolla $ign | Featured Artist |
| 65 | Francis Ubiera | Composer |
| 66 | Wale | Featured Artist |
| 67 | Nicholas Warwar | Composer |
| 68 | Brian Wicker | Composer |
| 69 | Nayvadius Wilburn | Composer |
| 70 | Jeffery Williams | Composer |
| 71 | Robert Williams | Composer |
| 72 | Yo Gotti | Featured Artist |
| 73 | Young Thug | Featured Artist |
| 74 | Yung Coke | Producer |
| 75 | Gabriel Zardes | A&R |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |