Through the weblog period, few labels had been as rife with expertise and constant of their output as Maybach Music Group (MMG). Spearheaded by Miami Hip Hop legend and pear fanatic Rick Ross, the label housed a promising roster, together with Stalley, Capsule, Gunplay, Wale and naturally, Philly’s personal Meek Mill. Whereas these artists all skilled success of their respective lanes, it was clear that Ross and Meek had been two artists lower from the identical fabric, with Meek serving as a stylistic protege for Ross to take beneath his wing and concurrently, considered one of his finest lyrical sparring companions.
Born William Roberts (Ross) and Robert Williams (Meek), you’d be hard-pressed to discover a pair that has been so persistently complementary to at least one one other. Smash hits like “I’ma Boss” rang out via each automotive stereo, whereas different fan-favourite album cuts ranged from easy luxurious raps to thudding, hi-hat-laced bangers. Whatever the music, the duo have all the time introduced the very best out of one another. However neither rapper remains to be in his prime, making their collab album, Too Good to be True, just a little too late.
The pair showcase that whereas they might probably have crafted a basic collab album a decade or so in the past, they don’t have anything to supply past what’s anticipated of them now, struggling to satisfy that bar all through. With neither of them having something new to say and instrumentals which might be generic at their finest, and at worst, fully void of something aside from a manufactured MMG sound, the album falls fully flat.
It tries as arduous as it might to seize the essence and sound of their early work to indulge their followers’ nostalgia, however the result’s on the contrary, with songs feeling so dated and soulless that you simply’d be higher off listening to their older work. This stale power bleeds into the options on right here as nicely, as they really feel like they had been hand-picked to recapture the power of a bygone period. The visitor that suffers essentially the most on this entrance is Future, delivering an abysmal hook on “In Luv With the Cash” that feels devoid of any magic.
Rick Ross lacks gravitas, feeling checked out all through a lot of the tracklist. A rapper recognized for his impeccable ear for beats and constant output, he delivers his laziest and most basic rhymes to this point, pairing them with a number of the least attention-grabbing instrumentals of his profession. It’s past disappointing since Meek remains to be rapping like he has one thing to show, whereas Ross coasts on, utilizing single-syllable rhyme schemes and the identical lackadaisical circulation on each beat.
The one constructive to how low-effort Ross seems throughout almost the whole lot of this mission is that it highlights the power the Meek brings to nearly each observe. “Iconic” for instance, is Ross at his most boring, lazily meandering via the music with one of the languorous flows he’s ever used. Alternatively, Meek revitalizes the observe in the course of his verse, bringing an power that elevates the comparatively stripped-back instrumental to new ranges.
A number of cases within the tracklist ship on the premise of what this report was speculated to be. The Cool & Dre-produced “Go To Hell” sees Ross and Meek buying and selling verses over an extravagant organ-laced instrumental that options grandiose drums and an amazing pattern of the Tears for Fears hit, “Shout”. The lead single “SHAQ & KOBE” is the prototypical Meek & Ross collab, with a stable instrumental and nice verses from the pair.
The largest spotlight although is “High-quality Traces,” which options an immaculate verse from fellow MMG member Wale and an beautiful hook and backing vocals from The-Dream. It’s the one second on the report that actually and organically seems like a classic MMG second, with Ross at his most luxurious and Wale accenting the observe along with his easy, conversational supply. It’s only a disgrace that Ross determined to showcase himself at his finest on the one music that Meek didn’t contribute to in any respect, as this album would’ve significantly benefited from Ross placing this stage of effort into his verses all through.
Sadly, the output on this report isn’t greater than serviceable, because it both barely meets or rests proper under the bar that the decade-plus of historical past between these two has set.
The pair not too long ago stopped by Funk Flex’s Sizzling 97 present as a part of his freestyle collection. The video exhibits an always-up-for-the-task Meek Mill freestyling for over 5 minutes as a gauntlet of rotating instrumentals performs one after the opposite. In the meantime, Ross spends most of that point scrolling via his cellphone earlier than ultimately doing just a little dance to the “Knuck If You Buck” instrumental.
It’s a becoming visible illustration of the disparity in effort between the pair on this LP and a testomony to the power Meek brings to attempt to make it work regardless of Ross’ shortcomings.
