Rick Ross burst onto the scene in 2006 with his first studio album, “Port of Miami”. It was the album where Ross saw his first major commercial success. This album featured the songs “Push It” and “Hustlin” which are still some of his most successful singles.
But starting in 2008 on the Trilla album, Ross started the “Maybach Music” series. Nearly 13 years later, Rick Ross has gone on to release 6 “Maybach Music” songs. Each is epic in it’s own way.
Here is my list ranking all 6 songs of the “Maybach Music” series…
6. Maybach Music V
#6 on my list goes to “Maybach Music 5”. It is actually the only song in the series that isn’t produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Rick Ross enlists DeJ Loaf and singer Katt Rockell to be the features on this song. It is a solid song. Rockell provides a smooth hook where she sings “…you’re all I need to get by”. DeJ Loaf delivers a solid verse but she really stands out when her and Rockell alternate providing the chorus and post-chorus.
Rick Ross delivers his first verse after a Dej Loaf verse and the post chorus. He delivers a couple of his more underwhelming verses in the “Maybach Music” series. That is largely why “Maybach Music V” lands at #6 on the list.
5. Maybach Music VI
“Maybach Music VI” is the most recent addition to the series. Released on Ross’ Port of Miami 2 album, this song features John Legend and Lil Wayne. Of course John Legend was assigned the task of delivering the hook. And he really did deliver! The hook reminds Rick Ross’ fans when him and John Legend linked up on “Magnificent” on Deeper Than Rap in 2009.
Lil Wayne makes his second appearance in Rick Ross’ “Maybach Music” series. He was featured on the second “Maybach Music” song which obviously appears later in this list. Wayne provides a decent verse here but it pales in comparison to his verse on “Maybach Music II”.
Fans would later learn that this song was initially intended to have verses from both Lil Wayne and Pusha T. Ross made the executive decision to cut Pusha T’s verse because he felt the content of his message wouldn’t get the two rappers closer to resolving their past issues. Pusha T’s verse was leaked online and it became clear that he would have had the best verse on the song. This is largely why “Maybach Music VI” comes in at #5 on my list.
4. Maybach Music IV
“Maybach Music IV” ironically comes in at #4 on my list. In my opinion, this song is the most underrated of the entire series. Rick Ross enlists his frequent collaborator, Ne-Yo, as the sole feature on this song. The song was released on the God Forgives, I Don’t album that was released in August of 2012.
J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League’s production on this song is largely what makes this song so great.Rick Ross has always had an ear for song of the best production in the industry.
Rick Ross is lyrically in his prime on this song. His chemistry with Ne-Yo is obvious throughout the record. The two linked to collaborate on the song “Super High” on the Teflon Don album in 2010. The bridge at the end of the song is one of the best moments of the entire God Forgives, I Don’t album.
3. Maybach Music III
“Maybach Music III” is a legendary song that comes on arguably one of Rick Ross’ best albums, Teflon Don. It features, T.I., Erykah Badu, and Jadakiss.
T.I. sets the tempo for the song with his verse coming just 35 seconds into the song. T.I. and Rick Ross collaborating was a great moment because the two had small rifts in the past that largely had to do with T.I.’s dominance of the rap game in the early 2000s and Ross’ competitive nature. It was great to see them both on the same song.
Erykah Badu provides a soothing hook that blends perfectly into the themes of the “Maybach Music” series. Jadakiss provides one of the most memorable lines of the song when he raps “if I ain’t in the back of the Bach I ain’t in nothin’ else”. Rick Ross uses his verse to reminisce on his past and reflect on how far he’s come.
It’s a great song and one of the lesser celebrated in the series. It’s worthy to be #3 on this list.
2. Maybach Music
The first song of the entire “Maybach Music” series comes in at #2 on my list. It was released on Rick Ross’ Trilla album which was released in 2008. This is actually the only song in the entire series where Ross provides part of the hook himself and it’s arguably one of the best hooks.
Ross’ sets up the hook by rapping:
“Close your eyes and inhale the smoke
It’s Maybach music, the realist shit I wrote, n***a
Buy an ounce, take a toke
Of this Maybach music, the realest sh*t I wrote, boss!”
Rick Ross calls on Jay Z as the only feature on the song. Jay Z provides so many noteworthy quotes throughout his verse and delivers the full hook himself. It’s a great song where Ross’ held his own with one of the greatest rappers of all time. This song felt like Ross was telling the world he was going to cement himself as a force in hip hop for years to come. Some may argue that this song is the best of the series but the next song of the series takes the #1 spot.
1. Maybach Music II
“Maybach Music 2” from Ross’ Deeper Than Rap album is the best of the entire series. The song is epic on so many levels. It features T-Pain, Kanye West, and Lil Wayne. All 4 artists on this song were arguably in the prime of their careers in 2009 when this song was released.
T-Pain was hip-hop’s hook master from 2006-2010 and he’s in his bag on this track. Kanye West provides the first verse of the album. When this song was released in 2009, it felt great to hear Kanye getting back to actually rapping. He had just released 808s & Heartbreak a few months prior.
Rick Ross provided the 2nd verse and Lil Wayne the 3rd. Lil Wayne was the self proclaimed “Best Rapper Alive” at this time and his verse showcased his greatness at the time.
This song felt massive when it was released because of its star-studded features. It showcased 4 artists at the top of their craft and it delivered in all areas. It’s a great song that still plays well even a decade after its release. This is why it is #1 in the “Maybach Music” series.
