Free Patreon Previews! (Featuring a Bunch of Artists Spread Out Between Two Very Different Projects)

Warren Beatty's 1998 film Bulworth is essentially about a depressed man who takes out a hit on himself before falling in love, then doing everything he can to avoid said hit. It just happens to take place in the world of politics, which allows Beatty (who also co-wrote the screenplay) to dive into subjects such as race, poverty, and their relationship with the classism and white supremacy that still make up the political system as we see it today. While that sounds a little heavy, Bulworth is considered a dark comedy, and Beatty insisted that its accompanying soundtrack consist of nothing but hip hop, the most powerful political voice within the music industry, filling its ranks with veterans such as Public Enemy, KRS-One, The RZA, Method Man, Prodigy, Ice Cube, Dr. Dre, and LL Cool J, while offering some of the remaining slots to relative unknowns (at the time, not today, obviously) such as Eve, the Black Eyed Peas, Canibus, and Sick Jacken. An early plan to to include a DJ Muggs-produced track featuring Beatty performing as his titular character was scrapped early in the process, something we're all much better off without hearing, but as it stands, Bulworth is generally considered to be a successful soundtrack offering, straddling the line between pop and underground deftly.

Click here to read my updated thoughts on the Bulworth soundtrack. (You can also click here to check out my original Drink Coaster review, but that isn't the point of this post.)

In 2011, Rick Ross was at the top of his game, each of his solo projects more popular than what came before it. Like every other rapper in existence, he used this opportunity to create his own imprint, the Maybach Music Group, but unlike a lot of his peers, who would use this as an excuse to put his friends on, Ross had bigger dreams of becoming a fucking mogul, signing artists to his vanity label who he felt could potentially move units and help build his brand at the same time. Enter Wale and Meek Mill, two fledgling rappers who were spinning their respective wheels on their own (Wale through his Interscope label deal that wasn't going anywhere, aside from securing him a Lady Gaga cameo on his debut album that had to be pricey, and Meek via his series of underground mixtapes in his native Philly), who became the ostensible stars of Self Made Vol. 1, the first MMG label sampler meant to showcase Ross and his prospects. It also features some of his other acts, such as Teedra Moses, Pill, Stalley, and his friends in the Triple C's (because even Rick Ross wasn't immune to the siren song of putting your friends on even if they don't have the talent to deserve it), along with name-brand artists from other parts of the hip hop universe. Self Made Vol. 1 serves as proof that Rick Ross was in it for the long haul, especially for fans of the very specific type of yacht rap he provides.

Click here to catch up with MMG's Self Made Vol. 1.

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Thanks for reading!

-Max