Breaking Down Rick Ross, Dr. Dre & Jay-Z’ “3 Kings” (Listen)

Posted by Nathan S. on 07/19/12 | Filed under Top Stories, Downloads, Rick Ross, Jay-Z, Dr. Dre, MMG

On the strength of the names alone, Rick Ross, Dr. Dre and Jay-Z coming together for "3 Kings" has to be considered the biggest track of the year so far. You've got to hand it to the man, much like his man titties, Rick Ross goes big. But enough prologue, let's get right down to it....

Dr. Dre

@RefinedHype

Rick Ross

I was actually just having this conversation with the homie in regards to Ross' verse on "Accident Murderers"....every Ross verse sounds essentially the same, right? He never really switched up the flow, and never really commits to a concept record; unless you consider only rapping about being rich and powerful a "concept".

That kind of consistency is what has him on top of the game, if not as a rapper then as a brand, but it's also what will always hold him back from being considered one of the best rappers alive, no matter how many albums he sells.

(Side note: Rick Ross eats honeybuns with melted cheese for dessert, because of course he does.)

Jay-Z

On a technical level I'd actually consider this a bit of a lazy verse from Hova, but he throws down so many "only Jay could say that shit" references it barely even matters. Who else could negotiate a $300 million deal with Live Nation via a guest verse? Who else could reference Banksy, Basquiat and Hermes without coming across like a liar? No one, actually. At this point Jay's not even really a rapper anymore as much as he's a living rap institution.

On a closing note, who would you say are hip-hop's true 3 Kings? And so we're all working off the same definition, by king a mean a rapper who's rich, widely respected (or feared) and has the power to start or end other rapper's careers on a whim. I've got to go with Jay, Kanye and....it's really a race for that third slot.

Anyway, Ross' "God Forgives, I Don't" drops July 31. Until then, enjoy.

See Also: Peter Rosenberg Overlooks Kanye, Calls This the “Rick Ross Era”