| Teflon Don | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 20, 2010 (2010-07-20) | |||
| Recorded | 2009–2010 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 49:17 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Rick Ross chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Teflon Don | ||||
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Teflon Don is the fourthstudio album by American rapperRick Ross, released on July 20, 2010, onMaybach Music Group,Slip-n-Slide Records andDef Jam Recordings. Production for the album took place during 2009 to 2010 and was handled by several record producers, includingClark Kent,No I.D.,The Olympicks,J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League,Lex Luger,Danja,The Inkredibles, The Remedy, andKanye West.
The album debuted at number two on the USBillboard 200 chart, selling 176,300 copies in its first week. It attained some international charting and produced three singles with moderateBillboard chart success. On its release,Teflon Don received generally positive reviews from most music critics, earning praise for its cinematic production and Ross' lyrical persona. Based on an average score of 79 atMetacritic, it remains Ross's most critically acclaimed album to date.[2]
In 2010, Ross announced toMTV that his next album would be entitledTeflon Don.[3] On the remix to his earlier 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, andDrake were confirmed to be represented on the album.[4][5][6] Producers for the album included West and No I.D.[7]
The album was set for release on June 29, 2010, but was pushed back twice to a July 20 release date.[8] It was released throughMaybach Music Group andDef Jam Recordings.[9] Ross supported the album with his international Blowin' Money Fast Tour.[10]
The album's first single, "Super High" featuringNe-Yo, peaked at number 100 on the USBillboard Hot 100.[11] Its music video received airplay onMTV andBET. The album's second single, "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)", was released on June 29, 2010,[12] and features the rapperStyles P.[13] The song reached number 60 on theBillboard Hot 100.[14] 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.[15] The song "Aston Martin Music", featuring the Canadian rapperDrake and the American singerChrisette Michele, debuted at number 98 on theBillboard Hot 100 after heavy downloads the week of the album's release.[16] "Aston Martin Music" was released as the album's third single on October 5, 2010.[17] It peaked at number 30, making it the highest peaking single from the album.[18]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 79/100[19] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [20] |
| The A.V. Club | B[21] |
| Billboard |  [22] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B+[23] |
| Los Angeles Times | [24] |
| Pitchfork | 8.0/10[25] |
| Rolling Stone | [26] |
| Spin | 8/10[27] |
| USA Today | [28] |
| XXL | 4/5[29] |
Teflon Don received critical acclaim from music critics.[19] AtMetacritic, which assigns anormalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received anaverage score of 79, based on 18 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews".[19] Critics noted it as Ross's strongest album at the time and found its production cinematic and "epic".[30]AllMusic writer David Jeffries gave the album 4 out of 5 stars and viewed it as an improvement over Ross's previous albumDeeper 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".[20]Entertainment Weekly's Simon Vozick-Levinson called Ross "a competent rapper" and complimented his "ear for lush, expansive beats".[23] Jon Caramanica ofThe New York Times described him as "a ferocious character, an impressive rapper... a clever and loose thinker" and wrote thatTeflon Don "establishes him as one of rap's most potent and creative forces".[31] Sean Fennessey ofThe 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".[32] Brian Richardson ofTiny Mix Tapes gave it 3½ out of 5 stars and wrote "he employs such confidence and panache staying within his limitations".[33]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".[29]
However, some critics thought that the album favored style over substance and criticized Ross's lyrics.[30]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".[34]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".[35] Nathan Rabin ofThe 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".[21] Wesley Case ofThe Baltimore Sun noted his lyrics as "sleek, too-often shallow", but praised its "elegance" and "grandiose stunting".[36]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".[28] Ian Cohen ofPitchfork compared the album's embracement of "an aura of dominance" to late-1990s hip-hop music and elaborated on its indulgentMafioso-themes and sound, stating:
Ross' greatest gift is the ability to conjure a fully-formed Planet Boss, a refuge from the dwindling fortunes of gangsta 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.[25]
— Ian Cohen
Saxon Baird ofPopMatters 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".[37]Rolling Stone writerJody Rosen complimented Ross's "gloating with wit and goofiness", stating "[he] pours out smart rhymes over sleek, synth-heavy beats".[26] Tray Hova ofVibe lauded Ross's "penchant for exaggerated 16s and larger-than-life soundscapes" and "knack for picking colossal beats".[38] Ben Detrick ofSpin commented on Ross's assumption of his "kingpin" persona, stating "If the Miami rapper has been a shell, though, he's becomeFabergé onTeflon Don, his fourth and best album. The songs here are baroquely structured, richly musical creations with humor and emotional depth".[27] Jayson Greene ofThe Village Voice noted Ross's subject matter as "transcendent absurdity" and called the album "ridiculously extravagant and extravagantly ridiculous".[39]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".[24] Steve Juon of RapReviews gaveTeflon 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".[40] was number 30 onRolling Stone's list of the 30 Best Albums of 2010.[41]Pitchfork placed it at number 38 on its list "The Top 50 Albums of 2010".[42] In 2012,Complex named the album one of the classic albums of the previous decade.[43]
Teflon Don debuted at number two on the USBillboard 200 chart behindEminem'sRecovery, with first-week sales of 176,300 copies.[44] It is Ross's first album not to debut at number one in the United States.[45] It also entered at number two onBillboard'sR&B/Hip-Hop Albums,Rap Albums andDigital Albums charts.[46][47][48] In its second week, the album dropped to number three on the chart, selling 63,000 copies.[49] In its third week, the album dropped to number five on the chart, selling 39,000 copies that week.[50] On November 10, 2010, the album was certifiedgold by theRecording Industry Association of America for sales of over 500,000 copies in the United States.[51] As of May 2012, the album had sold 724,000 copies in the US.[52]
In the United Kingdom, the album entered theUK Albums Chart at number 169,[53] and also at number 23 on theTop 40 RnB Albums chart.[54] In Canada, it debuted at number 17 on theTop 100 Albums chart.[55]
Writers forTeflon Don adapted from physical edition booklet.[56]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I'm Not a Star" | J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League | 3:00 | |
| 2. | "Free Mason" (featuringJay-Z) |
| The Inkredibles | 4:07 |
| 3. | "Tears of Joy" (featuringCee Lo Green) | No I.D. | 5:33 | |
| 4. | "Maybach Music III" (featuringT.I.,Jadakiss &Erykah Badu) |
| J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League | 4:26 |
| 5. | "Live Fast, Die Young" (featuringKanye West) |
| Kanye West | 6:13 |
| 6. | "Super High" (featuringNe-Yo) |
|
| 3:46 |
| 7. | "No. 1" (featuringDiddy &Trey Songz) | Danja | 3:54 | |
| 8. | "MC Hammer" (featuringGucci Mane) |
| Lex Luger | 4:59 |
| 9. | "B.M.F. (Blowin' Money Fast)" (featuringStyles P) |
| Lex Luger | 4:10 |
| 10. | "Aston Martin Music" (featuringDrake &Chrisette Michele) |
| J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League | 4:30 |
| 11. | "All the Money in the World" (featuringRaphael Saadiq) |
| The Olympicks | 4:40 |
| Total length: | 49:17 | |||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12. | "Audio Meth" (featuringRaekwon) | The Runners | 3:33 |
Notes
Sample credits
Credits forTeflon Don adapted fromAllMusic.[57]
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Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[66] | Gold | 500,000^ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. | ||
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