“ROSEY” comes the shout of the crowd as the Maybach Music maven leads his band through another track from the depths of his catalog, in a sharp suit with chains and with a steadfast presence so large it seems to have its own gravitational pull. Wait, back up a second, Rick Ross’ own band?
In an experimental in modern hip hop gangsta culture, the former Biggie Smalls wannabe has the hugely popular 1500 Or Nothin band playing, you know, real instruments behind me. A five piece band who opened the two hour set, no break between opens, with 20 minutes of live on stage hip hop covers. Lead by Larrance Dopson and Lamar “Mars” Edwards, the band have been involved with all the heavyweights as producers and collaborators. But there set felt like karaoke in reverse; not bad but not special. The DJ set that followed had me scratching my head a little, I mean, really, “Juicy”? DJ sets in the middle of concerts never work for me. I don’t know what to do with myself? Check my FB wall? Stare blankly at the stage?
But Rosey knows what side of the kentucky friend chicken his bread is buttered and by the second song has unfurled his Jay-Z joint highlight of Magna Carta “fuckwithmeyouknowigotit” and later the DJ Khaled- Drake groove “I’m On One”. Both of these are what Ross excels at, taking a track, adding his verse, and making it indelible, he brings gravitas to everything he sings.
What he doesn’t do is the things Biggie good, he isn’t important. Too heavy handed, too vicious, too gangsta and witless to be a real superstar, but with one of the best voices in rap, he takes yup space without giving much back. Possibly one of the least charming performers in a genre known for heavy handedness, he throttles every rhyme in baby crib death and on stage he is both large and distant. His raps are out of breathe, his come ons crude, and his success a little baffling. It is like somebody decided he was a star and not a bit player and so he was a star and not a bit player. But he doesn’t have all the things a star need and the Beacon is far from sold out.
The Beacon Theater set had moments, a terrific ” Box Chevy” makes use of the best sound I’ve heard at a hip hop concert since Hay-Z and West at MSG. The song is a spit out blast down play on “pussy” (if you’ll forgive the play on pussy pun) and the videos playing, though at first I didn’t realize they weren’t connected with the music, were filled with lovely Nubian Princesses. A terrific take on Wale’s “Poor Decisions” as well as a thrilla of a “Bugatti”. Still Ross kept it in the hear and now with “Stack On My Belt” from this years Self, and “No Game” from the upcoming Mastermind.
But Ross is not a hip hop leader, he is a male Nicki Minaj, a guy who works better on the edges where his performance can add shading and depth and get out before you realize how average his flow is. The man has a great voice but he is a juvenile, humorless man. There is something unpleasant about his performance, Meek Mill, in a two song mid set, was more fun to watch. There is nothing easy about Ross, he is a worrying, cumbersome man. He is like somebody you just meet at a party and five minutes into the conversation you realize they are a creep. Ross told Metro about the band: ““It’s most definitely a lot more work, most definitely a lot more time, but it’s something I feel my fans deserve.” Perhaps, but I can’t hear it, the sound is immaculate but Ross doesn’t use them correctly.
Ross has songs in his arsenal, nasty, dirty, violent songs, and some of them are very good. Live? Not so much.
Grade: C