RICK ROSS DOES IT AGAIN - DEBUTS AT #1 SOUNDSCAN WITH TRILLA, NEW ALBUM FOR SLIP N’ SLIDE/DEF JAM - HIS 2nd CONSECUTIVE #1 ENTRY ON BILLBOARD 200, R&B. & DIGITAL ALBUM CHARTS - FOLLOWS #1 MAJOR LABEL DEBUT OF 2006, PORT OF MIAMI
“The Boss” featuring T-Pain bullets up Urban and Rhythmic radio charts
Slip N’ Slide/Def Jam recording artist Rick Ross joins the exclusive VIP club reserved for MCs whose first two consecutive major label album releases have entered the Soundscan chart at #1, as TRILLA (in stores March 11th) debuts at #1 on first week sales of over 198,000 units. The #1 chart debut- and #1 Digital Album - was powered by Rick’s current single, “The Boss,” featuring T-Pain, coupled with an aggressive street marketing campaign and a release week performance on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. TRILLA follows the success of Port Of Miami, Rick’s IDJ debut album (released August 2006) which entered at #1 with first week sales of 187,000 units.
“We are thrilled to bring home this hard-fought #1 for Rick Ross,” said Island Def Jam Music Group chairman Antonio “LA” Reid. “The Def Jam and Slip N’ Slide staffs, and especially Ross himself, pushed really hard to get here. I’m proud of the work, but more importantly, I’m proud to have Ross cemented among hip-hop’s elite, where he belongs”
“The Boss” was produced by Jonathan Rotem, L.A.-based hitmaker for Sean Kingston, the Game, Snoop Dogg, Jennifer Lopez, Chamillionare, and others. The new single moves up to #14-bullet on both the R&R/BDS and Mediabase Urban charts; and also breaks the Top 40 on both the R&R/BDS and Mediabase Rhythmic charts. The song’s Hot 100 Airplay audience continues to build, now over 28 million with 3,600-plus spins.
Online, Rick’s personal “TrillaWorld” blog is in its second month of operation. His http://www.myspace.com/rickross website shows more than 14.3 million profile views, and over 366,000 friends, with an amazing 22.8 million total plays.
JR Rotem and T-Pain are just two of the guest producers and artists who contributed to TRILLA. Four of the tracks - the album’s opening “Trilla Intro”; the upcoming next single “Maybach Music” featuring Jay-Z; “Luxury Tax” featuring Lil Wayne, Trick Daddy, and Young Jeezy; and “Billionaire” - were produced by the Tampa-based J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, who won this year’s Best R&B Album Grammy for Mary J. Blige’s The Breakthrough (named Billboard’s 2007 R&B/Hip-Hop Album Of the Year).
More: Drumma Boy produced two tracks, “Money Make Me Cum” featuring Ebony Love, and “Here I Am” featuring Nelly and Avery Storm. Def Jam South and Cash Money producer Mannie Fresh is featured on “All I Have In This World (Japanese Denim),” which he produced. Other guest producers include: Bink! (”We Shinin’”); Drumma Boy (”Money Make Me Cum” featuring Ebony Love); Elvis (”This Is The Life” featuring Trey Songz); DJ Toomp (”This Me”); Carlos & Dada (”Reppin’ My City” featuring Triple C’s & Brisco); and DJ Nasty (”I’m Only Human” featuring Rodney). TRILLA’s previous single, “Speedin’” featuring R. Kelly, was produced by the Runners.
Rick Ross rose from ruling the underground rap scene in Miami, to becoming 2006’s buzz-worthiest hip-hop artist with his #1 Pop/#1 R&B/#1 Rap major label debut album Port Of Miami. Its unstoppable single “Hustlin’” became the first mastertone ever certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1 million copies before the associated album had even been released. A remix was subsequently issued, featuring Jay-Z and Young Jeezy. The second single from Port Of Miami was “Push It,” whose movie soundtrack excerpts (circa 1990) from Giorgio Moroder’s “Scarface (Push It To The Limit),” evoked the gritty soul of a city that is always on the edge of exploding.
Six-foot-two, 300-pound Rick Ross - who was signed to Miami-based Slip N’ Slide records by CEO Ted Lucas in 2001 - has now come into his own. A “hip-hop heavyweight,” is how the New York Times described him. “The number one ghostwriter in the South,” is how he described himself and his work behind the scenes for all those years. “I’m bridging the gap between the South and the East Coast,” he told Rolling Stone. “The sound is real Dirty South. But I’m spittin’ hard, to where the East Coast appreciates it.” TRILLA underscores the promise of one of today’s premiere hip-hop voices.
