Rick Ross Scores Yet Another No. 1 Album With ‘Mastermind’

Rick Ross’ prolific run of success in the rap game is showing no signs of slowing down. The album Mastermind has debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, the fifth such occurrence for Ross in his career.

Ross appeared at the music festival South By Southwest (SXSW) on Saturday night in Austin, and was more than happy to discuss his latest triumph. Ross emphasized the collaborative effort of the album and his motivation for wanting to be the best:

“You know what, when this is what you center everything around, you just want the best, not only for yourself, but for your team, everybody you build with,” Ross explained. “I not only want a No. 1 for me but for all the new-time dudes who’ve never been on a No. 1 album.”

During his set at SXSW, Ross performed a liberal mix of old hits and tracks from Mastermind, including new hits “The Devil is a Lie”, which features Jay-Z, as well as “Sanctified”, featuring Kanye West and Big Sean.

Ross’ place among the pantheon of rap artists seems to be secured with the dropping of Mastermind. Ross now finds himself in the same discussion with legends such as Jay-Z, Eminem, NAS, Kanye West, Tupac Shakur and DMX in terms of number of albums topping the Billboard 200 chart.

The creative juices are clearly flowing for the 38-year old Ross, who seems to have a firm grasp on his success, along with a sense of perspective:

“Regardless of the success I see, I still go back to my foundation… that made me,” Ross mused after a performance at SXSW. “Yesterday, after being out on promo for two months, I took a day out of my schedule to go to the smaller markets in South Carolina, the Columbias, you know the (places) that don’t get attention. But those are the places where I remember making my first $5,000 shows from, so I still go to those places. At the end of the day, I still think that’s the energy that keep that moving like that.”

Ross also got personal with his fans, referencing his involvement in an early 2013 drive-by shooting in Fort Lauderdale. Ross indicated that surviving the incident has provided him with a new prism to view his life and career through.

Mastermind represents both a critical and commercial success for Ross, who is primed to be a major player in the rap game for the foreseeable future.