‘The time was right,’ Ross says of Tip lacing ‘Maybach Music III.’ By Shaheem Reid Rick Ross Photo: MTV News Earlier this week, Erykah Badu released a video for the remix of “Window Seat” that features Rick Ross. That collaboration led to the singer appearing on Ross’ song “Maybach Music III,” which appears on his acclaimed new album Teflon Don . “She never really collaborated with a lot of artists outside of Outkast,” Ross explained. “Maybe another artist or two, [like] the Roots. It was always conscious music she was making. You know, a gritty street artist — that’s always a plus when you get to work with somebody with the flowers around them and [they’re] burning incense. And it’s positive.” Ross was a longtime admirer of Badu’s work, which made the idea of working with her intriguing. “Her music always attracted me; it was always attractive to my kind of music,” he said. “Once we collaborated with the ‘Window Seat’ remix … the lanes of communication was open, I was like, ‘Let’s do something different.’ ” The track, which was produced by the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, also features T.I. and Jadakiss. “I felt the time was right for me and T.I. [to work together],” the Bawse explained. “We had never personally collaborated with each other on a record one on one. Early on in my career, I had said [negative] things when I didn’t know him. Just us being bosses and us being leaders and us being examples, we bossed up. We both did. He came from home doing what he did. I did my thing.” But as time passed, the animosity waned, and Ross asked Tip to collaborate. “Just on a mutual respect for each other, I reached out to him. When I got that verse back, I was like, ‘He meant that.’ We had been seeing each other over a period of time, saluting each other, bumping into each other, he knew I was a fan of his. We captured that moment in time which was one of the dopest records. And that meant the most to me. I used to play that T.I. verse in my studio, like, ‘This set the tone, right here. It set the tone.’ It just felt good for the homie to lace me. I salute Tip.” Ross brought Jadakiss, a longtime friend, on “Maybach” as well. “Jada was always that New York underdog,” he said. “That next lyricist. You could be the hottest at the time, but if you slippin’, Jada is one record away. He’s a cool dude, somebody I got a mutual respect and a friendship with.” This week, Ross released a new track online, “Summer’s Mine,” where he takes aim at his competition. “Bitch I run the south/ I’m what you wanna be,” he raps. “This how you wanna live/ This what you wanna drive/ Be honest with yourself/ I’m who you idolize.” What do you think of Ross’ “Maybach Music III”? How does it rank with the previous tracks? Tell us in the comments! Related Artists Rick Ross (Hip-Hop) Erykah Badu Jadakiss T.I.
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Rick Ross Talks T.I., Jadakiss, Erykah Badu Collabos
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