Biggest album that you seen thus far

Rick Ross has always sounded (and looked) larger than life. However, there always seemed to be something missing — something diminutive that made his swagger pale in comparison to the likes of Jay-Z or Kanye West.

On “Teflon Don,” which quite possibly might be Ross’ best album to date, he has finally found a way to create an environment for himself to thrive. He lets others do some of the heavy lifting, laying off hooks he might have smothered before in favor of big names like Erykah Badu and Drake.

Those might sound like contradictory ideas, but less is more in Ross’ case. His wit is more apparent, and he flows better than ever, rather than the buoyant shouting that has marked his tunes in the past.

On tracks like “Live Fast, Die Young” and “Free Mason,” he is perfectly complemented by Kanye  and Jay-Z, respectively, both with refined beats and a collaborative contrast that increases Ross’ qualities instead of diminishing them.

“Teflon Don” stands as a surprisingly strong release from an oft-overlooked artist in the hip-hop industry. Time will tell if that helps “The Boss” break into the mainstream consciousness.