If 50 Cent is randomly picking a fight with you, that means that you have the goods. We all remember the album chart race with Kanye West back in 2007. More recently his target of choice has been Rick Ross, the correction officer turned rapper that purports the name of a drug king, Freeway Ricky Ross. Rick Ross has definitely paid his dues and is certainly of the caliber to be taunted by the increasingly whiny 50 Cent. (In all fairness, this time 50 Cent just acted on supposed beef after Rick Ross threw some lines at him in a song. Apparently 50 gave him a dirty look at an awards show. Really tho? Get it together ladies.) With his third album, Deeper than Rap, still at the top of the charts after being released in April of this year, Ross has cushionly positioned himself at the top.

Ross’s third album highlights the odd juxtaposition of his persona and career. A former Albany State University student and corrections officer, his career is based on tales of the drug game. Like several rappers before him, Ross has followed the dreams of gangsters and held movies like Scarface up to the highest esteem, even modeling his own videos after the film. At the same time, his label imprint -Maybach Music- epitomizes the ideal luxury that few are able to enjoy. The album opens with Mafia Music, a solid track that has its share of jabs at 50 Cent. Then switches straight to Maybach Music 2 which opens with a verse from Kanye West–whose persona is all things luxury and nothing really connected to the street game. This flip flop continues throughout the track listing, but in an odd manner the cohesiveness of the album lays in this constant switch. The reality is for too many people the path to the finer things in life is through illegal activity. Asides from Mr. West, several other performers appear on the album including T-Pain, Magazeen, Lil Wayne, John Legend, Nas, Robin Thicke, Foxy Brown, Ne-Yo, The Dream and Trina. For those less interested in hearing Ross’s gruff voice on repeat, the guests add a very welcome interlude. And unlike some of his peers, Ross’s music would not work with him speaking over all the choruses. While a restless spirt drives the album, the songs portraying an aspirational life are the better -particulary Maybach Music 2 and Magnficent. The only thing that’s missing is an understanding of what exactly Ross is portraying as deeper than rap. Perhaps this is expecting too much from an album title. But if he’s talking about his supposed criminal life, that’s a farce that extends to gun and marijuana possession. It really is the type of title you’d expect from a backpack rapper trying to push a new level of consciousness on the game, but we’ll have to take the title with the album as it exists.

Of the rap releases we’ve seen for this half of 2009, Deeper than Rap is definitely up there. With several solid singles out already, Ross stands poised to make it big this year and with his previous two blockbuster albums, solidify his place within the late noughties hip hop topography.