{"id":547266,"date":"2026-07-18T07:01:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T07:01:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/547266\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T07:01:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T07:01:13","slug":"album-review-rick-ross-set-in-stone-soul-in-stereo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/547266\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: Rick Ross, Set in Stone \u2013 Soul In Stereo"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rick Ross<\/p>\n

Set in Stone (released July 17, 2026)<\/p>\n

Rick Ross is the biggest contradiction in hip-hop.<\/p>\n

And before you start throwing your used Wingstop napkins, hear a playa out.<\/p>\n

We know Officer Ricky\u2019s real-life backstory, but that doesn\u2019t stop him from spouting his Sopranos fantasies on every album, nor does it stop us from enjoying them.<\/p>\n

His stream-of-consciousness flow is silly at best and nonsense at worst, but when its delivered with boss-level confidence, it\u2019s easy to hang on every word.<\/p>\n

His massive discography is filled with more misses than hits, but thanks to an array of hits and guest verses \u2013 \u201cDevil in a New Dress\u201d is still a moment \u2013 \u00a0he\u2019s still seen as one of the best rappers of his generation.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s the aura of the Biggest Boss Thus Far, where perception is way bigger than reality. He\u2019s perfected a formula of the most audacious fairy tales over the most luxurious of beats, and his fans wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

And speaking of formulaic, that\u2019s pretty much Album No. 12 in a nutshell. While his last great album, 2019\u2019s Port of Miami 2, \u00a0was a surprisingly strong and often introspective effort, Set In Stone is pretty much every Ross album you\u2019ve ever \u00a0heard \u2013 a smattering of glitzy production, mafioso musings, and whatever was on Ross\u2019 menu at the time of his writing.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had my criticism of Rozay over the years, but there\u2019s no denying that the man can ride a beat. The opener \u201cCaviar Bumps\u201d doesn\u2019t offer much outside of its 80s-inspired production \u2013 sort of like the theme song to Knight Rider if KITT was a Maybach \u2013 but Rawse glides over it like a dream.<\/p>\n

While the production is often the biggest draw on all of Bawse Rawse\u2019s effort, the chicken wing fiend\u2019s beat selection is surprisingly inconsistent here. \u201cRing Around the Rolls\u201d 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 \u201cCamel Meat,\u201d Rawse rambles on about his multiple wives while comparing himself to Darth Vader \u2026 playa, I don\u2019t know, I was too busy listening to the soul sample to make sense of his Maybach misinformation.<\/p>\n

And speaking of Double MM, it wouldn\u2019t be a Rick Ross project with a new entry into the Maybach Music series. As you\u2019d expect, the production on \u201cMaybach Music VII\u201d shines \u2013 along with Jeezy stealing the show with his verse \u2013 but I really wish that \u201cDiamonds Never Die\u201d got the MM title this time around. The beat is so offensively elegant it makes me want to swing from chandeliers. It\u2019s so great that I can overlook Kodak Black\u2019s horrendous verse \u2013 plus Ball Greezy more than carries the slack anyway.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, not all of the remaining tracks can flex that level of sonic superiority. \u201cFace Down\u201d and \u201cPorsche GT3\u201d have oddly pedestrian trap production that doesn\u2019t dare to be different.<\/p>\n

And can we take a second to talk about \u201cPorsche GT3\u201d and Rawse\u2019s decision to yelp the last word of every bar like he\u2019s getting punched in his Wingstop at the end of every sentence!? At least it\u2019s better than him bragging about staring at a woman\u2019s butt like a peephole in \u201c#23.\u201d Somebody call security.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

OH WAIT, not him. He\u2019s off duty.<\/p>\n

Despite the many ridiculous holes that come with every Rawse project, there are decent tracks to cover the gaps.<\/p>\n

The mumbling production of \u201cMahogany Caskets\u201d is pretty annoying, but thankfully TI\u2019s comeback tour continues with great results, offsetting the sonic woes. Big Tone is so off beat on \u201cChain of Command\u201d that even Big Sean is clutching is pearls, but BigXThaPlug makes for a much better tag team partner for Rozay on \u201cLiving Large.\u201d And while the disposable radio track \u201cShe\u2019s My Star\u201d with Yung Miami is as by the numbers as a sudoku puzzle, Leon Thomas brings real life to \u201cRemarkable Hussle,\u201d one of the few moments where Ross feels like a real person and not a cartoon character: \u201cImma give it to you raw, tell you what I saw\/never said I\u2019m perfect, leave it to Allah.\u201d<\/p>\n

As an album, Set in Stone is all over the place, with songs so atrocious that they shouldn\u2019t have seen the light of day (I\u2019m looking at you, \u201cPorsche GT3\u201d) but also more than a few tracks that instantly win you over, like the 2010s-coded \u201cCity Lights\u201d with The-Dream and the sonically seductive closer \u201cThe Algorithm.\u201d It\u2019s annoying and it\u2019s sorta endearing; it\u2019s ridiculous, and pretty fun too.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s Rick Ross personified. You appreciate it in spite of itself.<\/p>\n

Best tracks: \u201cDiamonds Never Die,\u201d\u00a0 \u201cMaybach Music VIII,\u201d \u201cRemarkable Hussle\u201d<\/p>\n

3.5 stars out of 5<\/p>\n

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