Teflon Don (album)

Teflon Don
Studio album by Rick Ross
Released	July 20, 2010 (2010-07-20)
Recorded	2009–2010
Genre	Hip hop
Length	49:17
Label	Maybach Music Group, Slip-n-Slide, Def Jam
Producer	Clark Kent, Danja, The Inkredibles, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Lex Luger, No I.D., The Olympicks, The Remedy, Rick Ross (exec.), Kanye West
Rick Ross chronology
Deeper Than Rap (2009) Teflon Don (2010) God Forgives, I Don't (2011)
Singles from Teflon Don
"Super High" Released: May 4, 2010 "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" Released: June 29, 2010 "Aston Martin Music" Released: October 5, 2010

Teflon Don is the fourth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross, released July 20, 2010 on Maybach Music Group and Def Jam Recordings. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by several record producers, including Clark Kent, No I.D., The Olympicks, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Lex Luger, Danja, The Inkredibles, The Remedy, and Kanye West.

The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 176,300 copies in its first week. It attained some international charting and produced three singles with moderate Billboard chart success. Upon its release, Teflon Don received generally positive reviews from most music critics, earning praise for its cinematic production and Ross's lyrical persona.

Background

In 2009, Rick Ross announced to MTV his next album would be entitled Teflon Don.^[1] On the remix to his past single, "Maybach Music 2", DJ Khaled hyped the album, along with "Maybach Music III". In April 2010, on his official website, he stated that "Super High" would be the first single. Artists Kanye West, Jay-Z, T.I., Raphael Saadiq, and Drake were confirmed to be on the album.^[2][3][4] Producers for the album included No I.D. and Kanye West.^[5]

Release and promotion

Originally set for release on June 29, the album was pushed back twice before its July 20, 2010 release date.^[6] It was released through Maybach Music Group and Def Jam Recordings.^[7] Ross is supporting the album with his international "Blowin Money Fast" tour.^[8]

Singles

The album's first single, "Super High" featuring Ne-Yo, peaked at number 100 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.^[9] Its music video received airplay on MTV and BET. The album's second official single, "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)", was released June 29, 2010,^[10] and features rapper Styles P.^[11] It reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[12] The radio single was "Live Fast Die Young" which was sent to Rhythm/Crossover radio on July 13, 2010. It did not receive promotion and did not chart.^[13] The song "Aston Martin Music" which features Canadian rapper Drake and American singer Chrisette Michele debuted at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100 after heavy downloads the week of the albums release.^[14] "Aston Martin Music" was officially released as the third single on October 5, 2010.^[15] "Aston Martin Music" so far peaked at 30,^[16] making it the highest peaking single from the album.

Reception

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 176,300 copies.^[17] It is Ross's first album not to debut at number one in the United States.^[18] It also entered at number two on Billboard's R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and Rap Albums, and Digital Albums charts.^[19][20][21] In its second week, the album dropped to number three on the Billboard 200 and 63,000 copies.^[22] It moved to number five on the chart and sold 39,000 copies in its third week.^[23] In the United Kingdom, Teflon Don entered at number 169 on the UK Albums Chart,^[24] and also at number 23 on the Top 40 RnB Albums chart.^[25] In Canada, it debuted at number 17 on the Top 100 Albums chart.^[26] As of August 3, 2011, the album had sold 654,000 copies in the US.^[27] The album was then certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America.^[28]

Critical response

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[29]
Entertainment Weekly	(B+)[30]
Los Angeles Times	[31]
The New York Times	(favorable)[32]
Pitchfork Media	(8.0/10)[33]
PopMatters	(7/10)[34]
Rolling Stone	[35]
Slant Magazine	[36]
Spin	[37]
The Village Voice	(favorable)[38]

Teflon Don received positive reviews from most music critics.^[39] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 79, based on 19 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".^[39] Critics noted it as Ross's strongest album at the time and found its production cinematic and "epic".^[40] Allmusic writer David Jeffries gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and viewed it as an improvement over Ross's previous album Deeper Than Rap, stating "Teflon plays up the chilled and soulful elements of its predecessor, meaning Ross has graduated to a level where words like 'organic' and 'poignant' come into play".^[29] Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson called Ross "a competent rapper" and complimented his "ear for lush, expansive beats".^[30] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times described him as "a ferocious character, an impressive rapper... a clever and loose thinker" and wrote that Teflon Don "establishes him as one of rap’s most potent and creative forces".^[32] Sean Fennessey of The Washington Post praised Ross's lyricism and wrote that he "is an enunciator of the highest order, his voice a tidal wave baritone... his word choice and onomatopoetic gestures... are unmatched in rap right now".^[41] Brian Richardson of Tiny Mix Tapes gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and wrote "he employs such confidence and panache staying within his limitations".^[42] XXL writer Rob Markman gave the album an XL rating and stated "if it is simply judged on the music, Teflon Don is damn near spotless. The lyrics are on par, the beats are lush, and the imagery is larger than life".^[43]

However, some critics viewed that the album favors style over substance and criticized Ross's lyrics.^[40] Slant Magazine's Jesse Cataldo wrote that "despite fitful spots of brilliance, [it] feels distinctly swampy... too often comes off as a conspicuous mishandling of both assets and signifiers: too much drug posturing, too much repetition, too little real effort".^[36] OC Weekly writer Nate Jackson gave the album a C+ rating and stated "Ross squanders opportunities to expand the content of his verses beyond the digits of his bankroll".^[44] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club gave it a B rating and stated "Producers [...] provide lush, cinematic, larger-than-life soundscapes for Ross’ crass consumerism, while classy guest vocalists [...] regularly outshine the star... the only thing deep about Ross are his pockets and his rumbling voice. Teflon Don excels as sleek, smooth, shiny pop escapism, pure and simple".^[45] Wesley Case of The Baltimore Sun noted his lyrics as "sleek, too-often shallow", but praised its "elegance" and "grandiose stunting".^[46] USA Today's Steve Jones gave the album 3 out of 4 stars and wrote that Ross's "booming voice and colorful tales of ill-gotten wealth are hard to ignore. His Maybach music always sounds good rattling the trunk, even if your ride is less ostentatious".^[47] Ian Cohen of Pitchfork Media compared the album's embracement of "an aura of dominance" to late-1990s hip hop music and elaborated on its indulgent Mafioso-themes and sound, stating:

Ross' greatest gift is the ability to conjure a fully-formed Planet Boss, a refuge from the dwindling fortunes of gansta rap and the general economic downturn ... J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, No I.D., and Kanye West create beats that really do sound like they're fantastically out of reach to anyone but the financial elite, and you can hear every dollar that went into the record ... Lyrics that might look clumsy on paper turn into grand pronouncements through pure self-belief. And like a great action hero, Ross never lets cleverness get in the way of saying something memorable. Understandably, money is about the only tie Planet Boss has to reality, and nearly every interaction can be broken down as a financial transaction.^[33]

—Ian Cohen

Saxon Baird of PopMatters viewed that Ross's performance compensates for his "wet-dream fantastical lyrics" and stated "Ross is good at what he does and rap needs guys like him to liven up the party and get us hyped".^[34] Rolling Stone writer Jody Rosen complimented Ross's "gloating with wit and goofiness", stating "[he] pours out smart rhymes over sleek, synth-heavy beats".^[35] Tray Hova of Vibe lauded Ross's "penchant for exaggerated 16s and larger-than-life soundscapes" and "knack for picking colossal beats".^[48] Ben Detrick of Spin commented on Ross's assumption of his "kingpin" persona, stating "If the Miami rapper has been a shell, though, he's become Fabergé on Teflon Don, his fourth and best album. The songs here are baroquely structured, richly musical creations with humor and emotional depth".^[37] Jayson Greene of The Village Voice noted Ross's subject matter as "transcendent absurdity" and called the album "ridiculously extravagant and extravagantly ridiculous".^[38] Los Angeles Times writer Jeff Weiss gave it 3½ out of 4 stars and commended Ross's "chimerical mythologizing", while noting its sound as "beautifully constructed... a symphonic grandeur to match Ross’ elaborate delusions".^[31] Steve Juon of RapReviews gave Teflon Don a 7.5/10 rating and wrote "Over a short but impactful 50 minutes of music, the gravelly guru of hustling expands his repertoire beyond debates about authenticity... he's still able to weave together dope beats with great stories".^[49] was number 30 on Rolling Stone's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.^[50] Pitchfork Media placed it at number 38 on its list "The Top 50 Albums of 2010".^[51]

Track listing

Writers for Teflon Don adapted from physical edition booklet.^[52]

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"I'm Not a Star"	Erik "Rook" Ortiz, Kevin "Colione" Crowe, William Leonard Roberts II	J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League	3:00
2.	"Free Mason" (featuring John Legend & Jay-Z)	John Stephens, Johnny Mollings, Leigh Elliott, Lenny Mollings, Maurice Carpenter, Roberts, Shawn Corey Carter	The Inkredibles	4:07
3.	"Tears of Joy" (featuring Cee-Lo Green)	Bobby Seale, Dion Wilson, Roberts, Thomas DeCarlo Callaway, Willie McKinley Hutchison	No I.D.	5:33
4.	"Maybach Music III" (featuring T.I., Erykah Badu & Jadakiss)	Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr., Crowe, Erica Abi Wright, Jason Phillips, Ortiz, Roberts	J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League	4:26
5.	"Live Fast, Die Young" (featuring Kanye West)	Frederick Knight, Kanye West, Marvin Gaye, Roberts	Kanye West	6:13
6.	"Super High" (featuring Ne-Yo)	Emanuel Johnson, Knight, Mark Richardson, Mike Stokes, Roberts, Shaffer Chimere Smith, Jr.	Clark Kent, The Remedy for F.A.T.E., LLC	3:46
7.	"No. 1" (featuring Diddy & Trey Songz)	Floyd Nathaniel Hills, Robers, Sean John Combs, Tremaine Aldon Neverson	Danja	3:54
8.	"MC Hammer" (featuring Gucci Mane)	Felton Pilate, James Earley, Lexus Arnel Lewis, Louis K. Burrell, Michael Kelly, Radric Davis, Roberts, Stanley Kirk Burrell	Lex Luger	4:59
9.	"B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" (featuring Styles P)	David Styles, Lewis, Roberts	Lex Luger	4:10
10.	"Aston Martin Music" (featuring Chrisette Michele & Drake)	Aubrey Drake Graham, Chrisette Michele Payne, Crowe, Ortiz, Roberts	J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League	4:30
11.	"All the Money in the World" (featuring Raphael Saadiq)	Brian Parker, Bob Wicler, Charles Ray Wiggins, David Stokes, Jayson James, Kyle Miller, Roberts	The Olympicks	4:40

iTunes bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
12.	"Audio Meth" (featuring Raekwon)	Albert Johnson, Andrew Harr, Corey Woods, Jermaine Jackson, Kejuan Muchita, Roberts	The Runners	3:17

Sample credits

• "Tears Of Joy" - Contains a sample of "Hospital Prelude of Love Theme" by Willie Hutch and a interpolation of "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" by Jay-Z
• "Maybach Music III" - Contains a sample of "Ancient Source" by Caldera
• "Live Fast, Die Young" – Contains a sample of "If This World Were Mine" by The Bar-Kays, "Uphill Peace Of Mind" by Kid Dynamite and "Funky President (People It's Bad)" by James Brown
• "Super High" – Contains a sample of "Silly Love Song" by Enchantment and "Gangsta Gangsta" by N.W.A
• "MC Hammer" - Contains a vocal sample of "Too Legit to Quit" by MC Hammer
• "Aston Martin Music" - Contains a interpolation of "I Need Love" by LL Cool J
• "Audio Meth" – Contains a sample of "Shook Ones (Part II)" by Mobb Deep

Personnel

Credits for Teflon Don adapted from Allmusic.^[53]

Chris Athens – Mastering Chris Atlas – Marketing Inderan K. Bailey – Assistant Gabriel Bartolomeiv - Drums Scott Berger-Felder – Engineer Alex "Gucci Pucci" Bethune – A&R Jeff Bhasker – Keyboards Chris Bonawandt – Engineer Leslie Brathwaite – Mixing Adam Brooks – Conductor, French Horn Dee Brown – Assistant Leesa D. Brunson – A&R Tanner Chung – Cello Andre Cleghorn – Guitar (Bass) Andrew Colella – Viola Sean "Puffy" Combs – Composer Andrew Dawson – Engineer Ben Diehl – Engineer Kaye Fox – Vocals Marvin Gaye – Composer Samuel Gibbs – Trombone Jacob Goins – Violin Jaymz Hardy-Martin III – Engineer Eldwardo "Eddie Mix" Hernandez – Engineer Nate "Danja" Hills – Composer, Producer Keith "Pika" Holme – Stylistic Assistant The Inkredibles – Producer Derrick Jackson – Trombone Rennie Johnson – Guitar (Electric) Darrel Jones – Viola Terese Joseph – A&R J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League – Producer, Additional Production Sang Kang – Cello Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton – Engineer, Mixing Clark Kent – Producer Khaled Khaled – A&R Anthony Kilhoffer – Engineer Rob Kinelski – Engineer Brent Kolatalo – Instrumentation Anthony Kronfle – Assistant

Juliene Kung – Viola Stephen Lawrence – Violin John Legend – Vocals, Vocals (bckgr) Ken Lewis – Instrumentation Tai Linzie – Artwork, Photo Coordination Andre Lipscomb – Assistant Michael Lu – Violin Lex Luger – Producer Phil Mallory – Guitar (Bass) Jonathan Mannion – Photography Deborah Mannis-Gardner – Sample Clearance Marlon Marcel – Engineer Graham Marsh – Engineer Connie Mitchell – Vocals (bckgr) Latoya Murray-Berry – Stylist Edward J. "Uk" Nixon – Engineer No I.D. – Producer The Olympicks – Producer Duncan Osborn – Violin Joe Peluso – Mixing Poobs – Engineer Kevin Randolph – Keyboards Remedy – Producer Derek Roche – Stylist Rick Ross – Executive Producer TaVon Sampson – Art Direction, Design Ray Seay – Mixing Noah Shebib – Engineer Shaffer Smith – Composer Antonie Swain – Trombone Matthew Testa Engineer Forrest Watkins – French Horn Kanye West – Composer, Producer Jonathan White – Viola Edward Williams III - Trumpet Tony Williams – – Vocals (bckgr) Brandon Wilson – Trumpet Steve Wyreman – Guitar Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young – Engineer Tina Yu – Violin

Charts

Chart (2010)	Peak position
Canadian Albums Chart[26]	17
UK R&B Chart[25]	23
UK Albums Chart[24]	169
US Billboard 200[17]	2
US Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[19]	2
US Billboard Rap Albums[20]	2

Year-end charts

Chart (2010)	Position
US Billboard 200[54]	55

Certifications

Country	Certification
United States	Gold[55]

References

1. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2009-06-25). "Exclusive: Rick Ross Announces His Next Two Album Titles". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1614667/20090624/ross__rick__rap_.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-06-25. 
2. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2010-05-25). "Rick Ross Talks About 'Secrets' Shared With Kanye West". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1639952/20100525/ross__rick__rap_.jhtml. Retrieved 2009-05-25. 
3. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2010-05-20). "Rick Ross Was 'In Awe' Of Jay-Z During Teflon Don Studio Session". MTV News. http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1639722/20100520/ross__rick__rap_.jhtml. Retrieved 2010-05-20. 
4. ^ Big Homie (2010-06-23). "'B.M.F.' & 'MC Hammer' Added To Teflon Don". Rap Radar. http://rapradar.com/2010/06/23/bmf-mc-hammer-added-to-teflon-don/. Retrieved 2010-06-24. 
5. ^ Concepcion, Mariel (2010-05-26). "Rick Ross: Summer Album Preview 2010". Billboard. (Nielsen Business Media, Inc). http://www.billboard.com/features/rick-ross-summer-album-preview-2010-1004093834.story. Retrieved 2010-05-26. 
6. ^ Carter, Jay (2010-06-07). "Rick Ross Teflon Don pushes back to July 20". 24hourhiphop. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11278/title.rick-ross-teflon-don-pushes-back-to-july-20. Retrieved 2010-06-07. 
7. ^ Yanney, Henry. Review: Teflon Don. SoulCulture. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
8. ^ Paine, Jake (2010-10-19). "Rick Ross Announces Blowin' Money Fast Tour Dates | Get The Latest Hip Hop News, Rap News & Hip Hop Album Sales". HipHopDX. http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.12661/title.rick-ross-announces-blowin-money-fast-tour-dates. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
9. ^ Song Performance: Super High. acharts. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
10. ^ B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast) - Single. iTunes Store. Retrieved on 2010-06-30.
11. ^ New Music: Rick Ross - B.M.F. (Blow Money Fast) Featuring Styles P. Island Def Jam. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
12. ^ "Rick Ross Music News & Info". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/artist/rick-ross/690440#/artist/rick-ross/chart-history/690440. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
13. ^ Available for Airplay. FMQB. Archived from the original on 2010-07-23.
14. ^ "Rick Ross Music News & Info". Billboard.com. http://www.billboard.com/artist/rick-ross/690440. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
15. ^ "Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Arbitron Ratings, Music News and more!". FMQB. http://www.fmqb.com/Article.asp?id=16691. Retrieved 2011-02-23. 
16. ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/rick-ross/chart-history/690440
17. ^ ^{a b} Caulfield, Keith. Eminem Still No. 1, Rick Ross Bows at No. 2 on Billboard 200. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-07-28.
18. ^ Castillo, Arielle. Rick Ross' Teflon Don Sales Fail to Knock Eminem Out of Number-One Chart Slot. Miami New Times. Retrieved on 2010-07-29.
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20. ^ ^{a b} Rap Albums - Week of August 07, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-07-15.
21. ^ Digital Albums - Week of August 07, 2010. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-07-21.
22. ^ Caulfield, Keith. Avenged Sevenfold Scores First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-08-04.
23. ^ Caulfield, Keith. Arcade Fire and Taylor Swift Sweep in with New No. 1s. Billboard. Retrieved on 2010-08-12.
24. ^ ^{a b} Chart Log UK - Weekly Updates Sales 2010. zobbel.de. Retrieved on 2011-04-23.
25. ^ ^{a b} UK Top 40 RnB Albums - 25 July 2010. BBC Online. Retrieved on 2010-07-28.
26. ^ ^{a b} Top 100 - For the Week Ending 22 July, 2010. Jam!. Retrieved on 2010-07-29.
27. ^ Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 7/31/2011. hiphopdx.com. Retrieved on 2011-08-24.
28. ^ RIAA Database
29. ^ ^{a b} Jeffries, David. Review: Teflon Don. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
30. ^ ^{a b} Vozick-Levinson, Simon. Review: Teflon Don. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
31. ^ ^{a b} Weiss, Jeff. Review: Teflon Don. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
32. ^ ^{a b} Caramanica, Jon. Review: Teflon Don. The New York Times. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
33. ^ ^{a b} Cohen, Ian. Review: Teflon Don. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved on 2010-08-03.
34. ^ ^{a b} Baird, Saxon. Review: Teflon Don. PopMatters. Retrieved on 2010-08-07.
35. ^ ^{a b} Rosen, Jody. Review: Teflon Don. Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2010-07-21.
36. ^ ^{a b} Cataldo, Jesse. Review: Teflon Don. Slant Magazine. Retrieved on 2010-07-24.
37. ^ ^{a b} Detrick, Ben. Review: Teflon Don. Spin. Retrieved on 2010-07-29.
38. ^ ^{a b} Greene, Jayson. Review: Teflon Don. The Village Voice. Retrieved on 2010-07-22.
39. ^ ^{a b} Teflon Don (2010): Reviews. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
40. ^ ^{a b} Dietz, Jason. July’s Best New Music. Metacritic. Retrieved on 2010-07-29.
41. ^ Fennessey, Sean. Review: Teflon Don. The Washington Post. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
42. ^ Richardson, Brian. Review: Teflon Don. Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved on 2010-08-25.
43. ^ Markman, Rob. Review: Teflon Don. XXL. Retrieved on 2010-07-21.
44. ^ Jackson, Nate. Review: Teflon Don. OC Weekly. Retrieved on 2010-07-28.
45. ^ Rabin, Nathan. Review: Teflon Don. The A.V. Club. Retrieved on 2010-07-28.
46. ^ Case, Wesley. Review: Teflon Don. The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
47. ^ Jones, Steve. Review: Teflon Don. USA Today. Retrieved on 2010-07-20.
48. ^ Hova, Tray. Review: Teflon Don. Vibe. Retrieved on 2010-07-21.
49. ^ Juon, Steve. Review: Teflon Don. RapReviews. Retrieved on 2010-07-28.
50. ^ "The 30 Best Albums of 2010". Rolling Stone (December 25, 2010). Retrieved 2011-01-18
51. ^ http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/7893-the-top-50-albums-of-2010/2
52. ^ (2010) Album notes for Teflon Don by Rick Ross [CD booklet]. Def Jam.
53. ^ Credits: Teflon Don. Allmusic. Retrieved on 2010-07-21.
54. ^ "Best of 2010 - Billboard Top 200". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. http://www.billboard.com/#/charts-year-end/top-billboard-200?year=2010. Retrieved 2010-12-31. 
55. ^ RIAA Database

External links

• Official website
• Teflon Don at Metacritic