Image via Complex Original
Rick Ross leaves no room for mercy on God Forgives, I Don't. Equally at home in his luxury Florida residence or hustling on the streets, Ross takes the signature Maybach Music style to new heights over the course of the album's 17 tracks. At times, the LP comes close to too heavily stressing the same ideas, but Rozay's knack for entertaining lyricism keeps recurrent themes sounding fresh on each track.
The album is littered with hyperbolic Biblical references, and Ross clearly holds himself in high regard, but his ego matches the output, and on God Forgives, I Don't, he maintains his status as one of rap's elite. Rap Genius listened to the album and picked 10 lines that drive the point home.
“I can tell you what a dope boy feels like/I can tell you that he never sleeps/He may smile, but it's never sweet” - Rick Ross
Song: "Ice Cold" f/ Omarion
The life of a drug-dealing mafiaso is rich with luxury, but never easy. While it is fairly easy to brand the wealthy lifestyle as one of dreams, the struggle needed to reach that point nearly invalidates the benefits. The unnamed “d-boy” in “Ice Cold” keeps a strong appearance, but is actually a tortured, war-scarred man who skirts death and danger daily.
“Versace shirt, Jesus laying on the chest/Man, I swear Big did it the best/I mean, Nas did it fresh, Jay did it fresh/I mean, 'Ye did it fresh, but man, Big did it the best” - Stalley
Song: "Ten Jesus Pieces" f/ Stalley
The "Jesus Piece" chain has been worn by some of the most talented rappers to live, reinterpreted each time as a token of power and mastery. The comparisons between Ross and Biggie are visibly obvious, and the inclusion of this small detail about the style's history shows that Ross and his camp have the ultimate respect for Biggie as an influence on today's rap music.
“New Maybach after it was discontinued” - Rick Ross
Song: "Maybach Music IV" f/ Ne-Yo
Ross involves his namesake, Maybach cars, in a sweeping double-entendre. The first read tells of the history of the luxury brand, first produced in 1909 and discontinued in 1945. After purchase by Daimler-Benz, the first reincarnated Maybach roared onto the streets in 1997. Once again, the automobile line has been discontinued, but even so, Ross' wealth and Don-like influence means that he can still buy a 2013 Maybach from a private line—the epitome of luxury.
“My neck so frosty, you frauding, yo' shit refrigerator/Boy you an imitator” - Meek Mill
Song: "So Sophisticated" f/ Meek Mill
Meek wins with this reference to the physical properties of ice. With a chain full of diamonds, or "ice," his status as a baller is brightly established. He then likens a competitor's jewelry to a refrigerator, which isn't cold enough to make ice. Slick.
“Ex-D-boy, used to park my Beamer/Now look at me, I can park in my own arena” - Jay-Z
Song: "3 Kings" f/ Dr. Dre & Jay-Z
Hov calls back the glory days of dealing in New York, using cocaine money to buy cars too nice to park anywhere near the 'hood. Now, with his part ownership of the relocated Brooklyn Nets and recent investment in the $1 billion Barclays Center, Jay-Z can go home to Brooklyn and leave his car safe in the VIP parking lot of his own basketball arena.
“Killers ride for that paycheck/AK, okay, check/Bitch n****, let's play chess/Your bitch next, no latex” - Rick Ross
Song: "Hold Me Back"
Ross is no stranger to blending delicate wordplay with harsh themes. Here, he manages to litter a line about murder and adultery with references to chess. Ross puts his enemies in check, has his eye on the most powerful piece, the Queen, and is ready to send his pawns to finish the job.
“She yelling that selling’s a sin/Well, so is telling young men that selling is a sin/If you don’t offer new ways to win” - André 3000
Song: "Sixteen" f/ André 3000
Drug dealing is a crime that brings a negative stigma and hate from every mother and mentor. Endless lessons, PSAs, and police lectures create a paradox. Andre realizes that every time a mother criticizes drug dealing, she is doing the right thing, but sadly feeding the cycle. Because dealing is the only way “to win,” shutting down drugs sales implies killing the futures and dreams of poverty-stricken children. Without a better plan, dealing seems more viable than nothing.
“Fabricate 'bout your fortune, all my fabric's imported/Fornicate in my fortress, 40K still my mortgage/24K my toilet, all my taxes reported” - Rick Ross
Song: "Hold Me Back"
These bars offer wonderful imagery of outrageous wealth. His home is complete with tapestries of imported, fine fabrics. All wages are reported legally, keeping the Feds away from his operation. Ross is then left with one more purchase of pure luxury: a toilet with a price tag rivaling some people's salaries. That's some expensive shit.
“A project-minded individual, criminal tactics/Us black kids born with birth defects, we hyperactive/Mentally sex-crazed, dysfunctional, they describe us/They liars, the end of the day, we fucking survivors” - Nas
Song: "Triple Beam Dreams" f/ Nas
Crime and decline rule the media perception of the streets, but Nas sees the truth, where criminal training and a life with defects and disease breeds the fittest, not the weakest, and marks the ghetto as a haven for the best survivors. It turns out that those "hyperactive" kids are simply filled with ambitio.
“Fishscale made me major profit margins/I'm a prophet stuffing my pockets, you n****s starving” - Rick Ross
Song: "Presidential"
“Fishscale” refers to extremely pure cocaine that draws a much higher profit margin, but the line also references Biblical prose. “Fish” refers back to the classic story of Jesus miraculously feeding thousands with two fish. Ross likens himself to Jesus, but instead fills his own pockets, leaving followers starving. He is cold enough to take the Lord in vain and make a killing at the same time. The album title doesn't lie; Rick Ross is not your savior.
