5 Reasons Rick Ross Could Be Hip-Hop's Greatest CEO

"I made a transition from the thieves to the biggest executive Def Jam's ever seen." (Magnificient 2009)

When I first heard Rick Ross utter these words I couldn't think of what drug in the world he wasn't on to make such a bold statement.

The biggest executive Def Jam had ever seen was obviously this guy

And Rick Ross obviously wasn't hangin with the thieves because he was this guy

But 2011 has proven different for the self-proclaimed "fat mutha****". Ross has got his C-O *cough* I mean CEO hat strong making some of the biggest signings of the year in rap music. Every move he's made is strategic, well-planned, and further proof that literally and figuratively he may be the "Biggest boss that we've seen thus far." Peep below for 5 reasons on why Ross may prove to be hip-hop's greatest CEO. #runh

1. Established His Brand: M-M-M-M-M-Maybach Music. Unless your deaf or never heard a Ross song you've heard this crafty signature at the beginning of most his tunes since it was originally introduced on the track "Maybach Music" ft. Jay-Z.  Ross is a branding monster. Who else would be able to survive a beef with 50 Cent (that he lost) and come out one of the biggest names in rap music. Establishing your brand is especially important when creating a musical dynasty. Fans have to fully understand and trust you as an artist before they can trust you as a co-signer of up & comer's. Unfortunately in hip-hop many people get this wrong. After a hit single, it seems any and everyone gets a label where they don't hesitate to put their aunties, cousins, brothers, best friends and baby mamas on...which brings me to my next point.

2. He didn't put his homeboys on: I have bolded and underlined this point because it is the NUMBER ONE mistake rappers make once they get a label. Loyalty is one thing, but putting your talentless friends at the forefront of your artist roster is going to make your talent assesment skills look sketchy. So yes, Gunplay does have a feature on Deeper Than Rap, and yes, Triple C's does have an album out (this may be your first time hearing this information) but these guys aren't the STARS of Maybach Music. Gunplay has slowly shifted to the back of the Maybach playing his role as label goon, more so than a credible rapper. Every group of people needs a goon, and who better for the position than a dude named Gunplay.

3. Did His Homework: When Ross began signing artists for Maybach, he did thorough research and sought after the most young, gifted, and talented artists he could find. It all started in 2010 when Ross declared on MTV Rapfix he wanted to sign Wiz Khalifa on the heels of his success with the "Kush & Orange Juice" mixtape. Although Wiz respectively declined we began to see the type of artists Ross was courting to build his empire. He was looking for MC's deeply rooted and respected within the hip-hop culture. Therefore, Ross signing struggling and heavily talented MC Wale to his Maybach imprint was a match made in heaven. Of all the rappers on his roster (outside of recently signed Stalley) Meek Mill, Pill, and Wale have all graced the  XXL Freshman cover. This award goes to the industry's most promising talent, and the bawse his proven that even with his signature frames covering his face...he's got his eyes on them.

4. Represented for the Regions: This point is actually the differentiator in what may make Ross Hip-Hop's greatest CEO. Ross has snagged artist that not only represent multiple locations on the map, but are Gods in their respective hometowns. Name a person in DC who doesn't love Wale. Name a person in Philly who doesn't rep hard for Meek Mill. Grabbing artist on your label that have that type of hometown loyalty allows your message to spread further, and more people to tune in to what your labels got going on. Even when Jay-Z was establishing the Roc, outside of Kanye a lot of his artists were located in the East (Beanie Sigel, Amil, Young Gunz.......Memphis Bleek.) Ross's artists interweave from interstate to interstate hailing from D.C all the way to Ohio. Multiple sounds will be experimented with, amazing collabos will be created, and hip-hop heads around the globe will tune in to see what Maybach's cooking up. (Speaking of cooking, there are also rumors swirling around the web that Ross has his eyes on signing Lil B to his label next. #swag)

5. Kept the Momentum Going (Can't Stop, Won't Stop): Ross is currently on the "I Am Music" tour with Lil Wayne and guess what he's using the opportunity to do. You guessed it...promote his labels compilation album. Ross has stated in interviews that he wants the album to be like the old Ruff Ryders joints that used to bang in the late 90's. I think his vision is right on point. Every artist he's signed is a true MC. They're not commercial, they're not pop, and all of them can spit. If done correctly this could be one of the most amazing group albums we've heard in hip- hop in a while, and if this is a sign of things to come..it won't disapoint.

To conclude, is Rick Ross the greatest CEO in the history of hip-hop? That remains to be seen. Kanye has also been doing his thing from a CEO standpoint so only time will tell. I'm excited to see how this all plays out. With Shady Records, GOOD Music, and Maybach all sporting multi-talented rosters, it seems hip-hop is transitioning back to the times of the label posse that we all loved in the late 90's. And i'll be honest...I ain't mad at it.

Editors Note: With Ross's signing of Stalley i'm looking forward to their collab album. "Wash the Throne (Chopped and Unshaved)" to drop soon. #fearthebeard

XXL Freshman Concert Review

Yoo...waddup world. Haven't blogged in a while, but I took my talents to BB Kings for the 2011 XXL Freshman showcase and it was nothing short of amazing. The energy in the building was off the charts, and every artist spit with the hunger and passion that got them to the level they're at today. I've gone through and graded each artist's performance (Cause their Freshman and in school you get grades..how clever I know) and showcased some of the highlights of the night.

Peep Below:

YG: C+
I may have a bias since I don't know much of homies music outside of @ThePuddingLied's favorite song "Toot It & Boot It". My issue was that the moment YG stepped on stage I could tell he had a little too much to drink. His energy was on point, but misdirected at times due to the abundance of alcohol in his system. His pants sagged down to his kneecaps in true rapper fashion, and he spent the majority of his performance dancing on stage to songs that weren't his. If it weren't for him bringing the breathtaking Rosa Acosta on stage, this grade might have been even lower.

Lil Twist: B+
I've got to say I was extremely impressed by Lil Twist's performance. I had never really listened to his music before, but he was a lot better than I expected him to be. He came out with a lot of energy, killed his flow throughout the show, and engaged well with the crowd. YG's drunk danceathon may have cut into some of Lil Twist's time since his performance ended rather abruptly as he ended his night bringing out Birdman (#brrt) to wave at the crowd for a hot second.

Fred The Godson: A-
Fred The Godson is New York to the death, and I love it. The crowd went crazy as the fat man approached the stage. Dude has bars for days and his metaphor game can match any artist currently rapping today. (Bold statement but it's true). When Fred brought Vado out for "HeadBanger" I thought the building was about to explode. Vado had some technical difficulties with his microphone but he definitely performed with a chip on his shoulder. The Harlem MC who was robbed from making this years list spit fiyah hotta than Dylan, and is a no brainer for next year as long as he doesn't slow down. Needless to say between BX and Harlem, uptown New York was in the building and they represented well.

Meek Mill: C+
This is going to be my hating portion of the review. I don't think Meek Mill's bad, I don't think he sucks, I just think he's

He proved that in his performance. He continuously cut off the music so we could hear him freestyle, but his bars just weren't that impressive to me. No surprise performances? No Wale? No Ross? On the other side of things, everyone in the crowd who came to see Meek Mill seemed rather impressed. So bottom line i'll say; if you came to see Meek Mill you were satisfied, if you weren't familiar with him before you probably weren't motivated to listen to him in the future.

Diggy Simmons: A for effort
Unlike other artists who i've graded i'm using A for effort because as a performer Diggy did what he was supposed to do. He came out with energy, spit his lyrics ferociously, but the crowd was not having it, nor giving him any type of respect. I recall some guy behind me yelling out "Yo does he still have his braces on?' and bursting out into laughter. This is quite unfortunate since I feel like Diggy is extremely talented, especially for someone his age. Regardless, all was forgiven when he brought his pops Rev Run on stage for a father/son collabo that put the crowd into a frenzy. Run then ended the performance by sayin "This is my seed, I love my lil boy!" #cmonrev you not helping your son get respect like that!

Mac Miller: A
I've never really listened to Mac Miller but I know he's affiliated with the Taylor Gang. Therefore I knew that more than likely his subject matter would consist of Weed, Alcohol, and Partying...which it did and I was highly amused. More than anything I think what made Mac's performance dope is that he is a great performer and knows how to engage with the crowd. He began the night bringing a 13 yr old kid from the audience on stage. Mac engaged with him in hilarious fashion "How old are you? You listen to my music? You got a girlfriend?" Once the youngster responded "No", Mac proceeded to instruct every woman in the crowd to "Make sure they gave him som p***" tonight" He had the crowd in the palm of his hands from that point on.

Cyhi Da Prynce: A
I've always been a fan of Cyhi, but my admiration for his skills went to another level after his performance. Cyhi's a lyrical monster, but what people forget is that he's from Atlanta and he definitely brings that southern crunk energy to his performances. He repeatedly asked the crowd if they were ready for  "Good Fridays S***"," bringing out label buddies Big Sean and Pusha T to join him on "Looking for Trouble" and "So Apalled" respectively. One would believe that star power warrants enough effort to end his set, but Da Prynce had another trick up his sleeve bringing out a hip-hop violinist to join him on stage for a head-thrashing rendition of "Sideways" Bow to the prince.

Kendrick Lamar: A+ (Performance of the night)
So A+'s are the grades that don't really exist but teachers always give them to you if they really like you. Although Kendrick was one of the artists that I came to the concert I came to see, he really outdid himself with this performance. He started off the night ferociously spitting and performing "The Heart Pt. 2" off his (O)verly (D)edicated mixtape. (At this point I kinda felt bad for people who never listened to Kendrick Lamar before because they were probably scared lol) He then asked the crowd if he could tell them a little about where he was from bursting into his hometown anthem "Compton" and seamlessly transitioning into the self-proclaimed Negro-spritual "P&P" (Outside of me overhearing a caucasian gentleman behind me reciting the words "Story of my life n**** this performance went off without a hitch.) When I thought it couldn't get any better Lamar did a mini-tribute to Nate Dogg and performed the track "Look out for Detox" before moving into a bounce-heavy rendition of "Ignorance is Bliss" that had the entire audience rocking in unison. (This was easily my favorite part of his performance) Kendrick Lamar ended the night with the bass-heavy "Michael Jordan" and had the crowd jumping around as if they were at a Lil Jon concert in early 2000. Lamar provided one of those performances that you just can't get out of your head, I keep envisioning how passionately he performed, and how engaged the crowd was with him over the course of the night. Well done Westcoast..well done

Big K.R.I.T: A-
I've seen Krit perform about 3 times in the past 3 months so i'm not going to get too detailed. He's a great performer, but the crowd wasn't really engaging with him either. Krit fixed this by jumping into the crowd during his performance of "Country S***" The crowd didn't hesitate to give their "country cuzin" their all after that

Yelawolf: B+ 
Yelawolf's night began when he swiftly joined Big Krit for the "Hometown Hero Remix", and he didn't stop from there. Some of you who were in attendance are probably looking like B+ ? This guy must be out his mind. Don't get me wrong. Yelawolf is a dope performer and has an amazing flow, but at times his energy was a bit off to me. Maybe i'm trippin, but that's just how I saw it. My favorite part of the night however was when he snatched a woman's purse from the crowd and swung it around on stage yellin "Look what I got!" While performing he proceeded to pretend to give it back to her several times and snatched it back just as she reached from the crowd. Great crowd engagement, dope performer, but energy was a bit off at times.

Lil B: F- 
I don't know what happened but the "Based God" was the only XXL Freshman not to show up. After reading the news this morning, apparently it was due to a previous engagement. Not sure what that means since he was tweeting a good portion of the night, but him not showing up was was a slap in the face to XXL, hip-hop, and all his fans who came to support. I for one was ready to show off my cooking dance expertise. We weren't notified til the end of the night that Lil B wasn't going to show and the crowd began booing furiously. Say what you will about his skill, but his fan base is dedicated like no other. This was a disappointment but luckily the rest of the night was so awesome I couldn't even be mad. Still a fan, but due to Lil B not showing up, there was an act I was gonna allow him to do with my female counterpart that he can no longer go through with. #notbased

All in all, the show was amazing. It is beyond worth $15 and all of Ticketmaster's ridiculous fees. I'll be in attendance next year and i'm hoping to see guys like Stalley, Smoke DZA, Skyzoo, and Chip Tha Ripper *wink wink* XXL