Black Market

No rapper has embraced the absurdity of excess better than Rick Ross, a man who once claimed he ate lobster bisque for breakfast and wore a pinky ring that cost twice America’s average household income. But Ross scaled back on 2014’s *Mastermind*, making room for a mellower, more contemplative mood. And while *Black Market* isn’t short on tall tales, we do get reflections about mom (“Smile Mama, Smile”), loose, \'90s-style beats (DJ Premier’s blunted “Black Opium”), and “Crocodile Python,” where Ross examines the perils of success as intensely as he celebrates it. Also telling: The album’s guest list features more R&B luminaries than it does fellow rappers.

September's Black Dollar showed Rick Ross refocused, proving that he’s more interesting with his back against the wall. His new album, which has no MMG features, continues the motivated, slightly weary feeling of that mixtape, scrapping his cartoon supervillain persona.

For 10 years, Rick Ross was hip-hop’s most indefatigable boss.

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Is Rick Ross a changed man? For years he's been the personification of how keeping it real need not be a prerequisite for those wanting a chair at

The eighth full-length release from Rick Ross, the Dade County Don Juan, is a conflicted album.