Rick Ross
Set in Stone (released July 17, 2026)
Rick Ross is the biggest contradiction in hip-hop.
And before you start throwing your used Wingstop napkins, hear a playa out.
We know Officer Ricky’s real-life backstory, but that doesn’t stop him from spouting his Sopranos fantasies on every album, nor does it stop us from enjoying them.
His stream-of-consciousness flow is silly at best and nonsense at worst, but when its delivered with boss-level confidence, it’s easy to hang on every word.
His massive discography is filled with more misses than hits, but thanks to an array of hits and guest verses – “Devil in a New Dress” is still a moment – he’s still seen as one of the best rappers of his generation.
That’s the aura of the Biggest Boss Thus Far, where perception is way bigger than reality. He’s perfected a formula of the most audacious fairy tales over the most luxurious of beats, and his fans wouldn’t have it any other way.
And speaking of formulaic, that’s pretty much Album No. 12 in a nutshell. While his last great album, 2019’s Port of Miami 2, was a surprisingly strong and often introspective effort, Set In Stone is pretty much every Ross album you’ve ever heard – a smattering of glitzy production, mafioso musings, and whatever was on Ross’ menu at the time of his writing.
I’ve had my criticism of Rozay over the years, but there’s no denying that the man can ride a beat. The opener “Caviar Bumps” doesn’t offer much outside of its 80s-inspired production – sort of like the theme song to Knight Rider if KITT was a Maybach – but Rawse glides over it like a dream.
While the production is often the biggest draw on all of Bawse Rawse’s effort, the chicken wing fiend’s beat selection is surprisingly inconsistent here. “Ring Around the Rolls” gives listeners the luxury rap they signed up for, along with a solid feature from YFN Lucci that adds greatly to the soulful atmosphere. On “Camel Meat,” Rawse rambles on about his multiple wives while comparing himself to Darth Vader … playa, I don’t know, I was too busy listening to the soul sample to make sense of his Maybach misinformation.
And speaking of Double MM, it wouldn’t be a Rick Ross project with a new entry into the Maybach Music series. As you’d expect, the production on “Maybach Music VII” shines – along with Jeezy stealing the show with his verse – but I really wish that “Diamonds Never Die” got the MM title this time around. The beat is so offensively elegant it makes me want to swing from chandeliers. It’s so great that I can overlook Kodak Black’s horrendous verse – plus Ball Greezy more than carries the slack anyway.
Unfortunately, not all of the remaining tracks can flex that level of sonic superiority. “Face Down” and “Porsche GT3” have oddly pedestrian trap production that doesn’t dare to be different.
And can we take a second to talk about “Porsche GT3” and Rawse’s decision to yelp the last word of every bar like he’s getting punched in his Wingstop at the end of every sentence!? At least it’s better than him bragging about staring at a woman’s butt like a peephole in “#23.” Somebody call security.
OH WAIT, not him. He’s off duty.
Despite the many ridiculous holes that come with every Rawse project, there are decent tracks to cover the gaps.
The mumbling production of “Mahogany Caskets” is pretty annoying, but thankfully TI’s comeback tour continues with great results, offsetting the sonic woes. Big Tone is so off beat on “Chain of Command” that even Big Sean is clutching is pearls, but BigXThaPlug makes for a much better tag team partner for Rozay on “Living Large.” And while the disposable radio track “She’s My Star” with Yung Miami is as by the numbers as a sudoku puzzle, Leon Thomas brings real life to “Remarkable Hussle,” one of the few moments where Ross feels like a real person and not a cartoon character: “Imma give it to you raw, tell you what I saw/never said I’m perfect, leave it to Allah.”
As an album, Set in Stone is all over the place, with songs so atrocious that they shouldn’t have seen the light of day (I’m looking at you, “Porsche GT3”) but also more than a few tracks that instantly win you over, like the 2010s-coded “City Lights” with The-Dream and the sonically seductive closer “The Algorithm.” It’s annoying and it’s sorta endearing; it’s ridiculous, and pretty fun too.
It’s Rick Ross personified. You appreciate it in spite of itself.
Best tracks: “Diamonds Never Die,” “Maybach Music VIII,” “Remarkable Hussle”
3.5 stars out of 5
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