'Mastermind'

Everybody has that family member you like but only in moderation. You go to grandma’s house, and Cousin Joe is there, and you’re happy to see him. You play video games and complain about the same drunk uncle together.

But then he starts to be annoying. He makes fun of your favorite band and makes a weird comment about gay rights. By the end of the day, you’re glad to be rid of him.
Rick Ross is like that cousin. He hasn’t been around in a while. In 2012, he released the “Rich Forever” mixtape. That was one of the best mixtapes in recent memory.

But his album “God Forgives, I Don’t” was a major disappointment later that year, especially after how good his 2010 album, “Teflon Don,” was.

“Mastermind” starts out well. Opener “Rich as Gangsta” and “Drug Dealer’s Dream” are straight up mafioso rap songs like few do better than Rozay. The heavy boom-bap beats complement Ross’s powerful delivery.

Lead single “The Devil Is A Lie” features a great beat with horns and wailing vocals. A not-completely disappointing Jay-Z feature makes it one of the album’s finest tracks.

“Mafia Music III” takes cues from “Yeezus” with its features of Jamaican dancehall artists Sizzla and Mavado. The sleek, guitar-driven beat sounds like it shouldn’t be working as well as it somehow does.

And the Mike WiLL Made It-produced “War Ready” should be way too long. But Ross and Jeezy help the track breeze through its seven minutes. It’s appropriately out of control.

But then the album comes to a screeching halt. Ross should have featured someone to do the hook on “Blk & Wht,” because he sounds awful on it.

He follows that up with one of the laziest, most unnecessary hip hop skits ever. Then the Weeknd comes in on “In Vein” and puts to sleep anyone who hadn’t already nodded off.

Ross is at his best when he does energetic, straightforward party bangers. When he tries to do a soulful slow jam, he rarely succeeds.

The exception to that rule is the next track on the album. The Kanye West and DJ Mustard-produced “Sanctified”proves the second half of “Mastermind” isn’t all bad.

A nasty synth bassline counters the soul vocal sample, and it’s a beat that is immediately recognizable as Kanye. He and Big Sean contribute good verses.

It’s probably not Kanye’s best effort, but even a bad track from him is enough to be the best song by a mile on the second half of “Mastermind.” Ross seems to have lost interest entirely by the end.

Overall, the features are enough to make the album diverse without overshadowing Ross himself. He holds his own next to some of the genre’s best.

The album has its moments, but by the end of its 62 minutes you’re probably ready to be done with it. Ross starts doing annoying things, and like with Cousin Joe, you just want to get in the car and go to sleep while dad drives home.