William Leonard Roberts II, better known by his stage name inspired by drug kingpin Rick Ross, is fast becoming one of hip-hop’s old guard. But his ninth album, Rather You Than Me, is a strong showing from the former corrections officer turned rap mogul. On this latest offering, the self-proclaimed “Bawse” is as flamboyant as ever, giving us his rap-boss flows over trap bangers and soulful instrumentals. It’s what we’ve come to expect from him.

The opening track, ‘Apple of My Eye’, sees the Florida-repping rapper in an unusually introspective mood. Over a jazzy instrumental produced by Major Nine and accompanied by a classy chorus courtesy of legendary R&B crooner Raphael Saadiq, Ross addresses the recent split of Nicki Minaj and Meek Mill (“I told Meek, I wouldn’t trust Nicki”). This intro sees Ross being far more insightful than usual, with lines like “Lights off so you never tend to speak much/Go your separate ways every time the lease up”, revealing a vulnerability we rarely see from him. Whilw the Maybach Music Group label head honcho has found success with heavy-hitting trap anthems like ‘B.M.F.’ and ‘Hold Me Back’ in the past, his selection of soul-sampling beats is second to none. On ‘Santorini Greece’, Ross is in his element, spitting his grandiose rap over horn samples provided by Bink.

But Ross has never been one to shy away from animosity, and he quickly gets down to business after the opening songs. On the album’s third track, ‘Idols Become Rivals’, he goes directly at Louisiana rapper Birdman. Though Ross has released one or two run-of-the-mill diss-tracks in his time, this song is more of a means for him to vent his frustration and disappointment at Birdman’s behaviour, with Ross focusing on claims that Birdman ripped off various artists signed to his Cash Money label. This attack is particularly affecting given the rappers’ similarly Southern routes and the fact that Ross “grew up on that Cash Money” by listening to Cash Money-signed artists in his teenage years. Ross compares Birdman’s antics to those of paedophilic Catholic priests before pleading “I pray you find the kindness in your heart for Wayne/His entire life, he gave you what there was to gain”. The track is only slightly weakened by an unnecessary drunken ramble from Chris Rock, who shamelessly plugs Wingstop, a chicken wing chain restaurant of which Ross owns various franchises.

“Ross has never been one to shy away from animosity, and he quickly gets down to business”

The album certainly has its less sophisticated moments. The heavy-hitting ‘Dead Presidents’ features Jeezy, Young Gotti and a verse from Future circa 2012, and sounds like it could be placed anywhere within Rick Ross’s discography, while songs like ‘She on My Dick’ and ‘Trap Trap Trap’ are far from thought-provoking (though a Gucci Mane feature is always welcomed). However, the repetitive hook on the latter somehow works without being annoying and features the ever-energetic Young Thug and a solid verse from Wale, who is thankfully not talking about trapping. These songs don’t tread new ground, but are still enjoyable listens despite not reaching the levels of songs from previous offerings such as ‘I’m Not A Star’. ‘I Think She Like Me’ features another groovy soul sample, as well an expectedly smooth chorus from Ty Dolla $ign.

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A couple of the later songs on the album exude luxury  but offer less by way of lyrical content than the earlier tracks. The Nas-featuring ‘Powers That Be’ and ‘Lamborghini Doors’ (featuring Meek Mill and Anthony Hamilton) are both good songs but do not offer much we haven’t already heard from Ross, although on ‘Game Ain’t Based On Sympathy’ Ross raps what may be one of his most truthful lyrics ever: “Never was a gangster, I just wanted in/No longer could I deny that I wanted a Benz”. Rather You Than Me doesn’t take Ross to the peaks reached on his earlier albums Deeper Than Rap and Teflon Don, but it is a stronger effort than many of his more recent projects and reaffirms his place at the head of Southern rap