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Album Review: Rick Ross - Mastermind

Ross has transformed from one of hip hop’s greatest frauds to one of its greatest guilty pleasures.

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Though perhaps initially bending the truth, after five successful albums, Ross is now fully entitled to rap about being “Rich As Gangsta” and is surely a testament to the old adage, “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.” On his sixth album, Ross again showcases his playalistic visions, predictably occasionally venturing into played-out southern/trappy-ness, though more often into soulful territories, as on the gospel-ish Sanctified with Kanye and Big Sean and the horn-laced, Jay-Z-featured baws-fest The Devil Is A Lie. Ross has transformed from one of hip hop's greatest frauds to one of its greatest guilty pleasures.