Port of Miami (album)
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''Port of Miami'' is the debut
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...
by American rapper
Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...
. Originally titled ''Career Criminal'', the album was renamed, in reference to Miami being a major arrival destination for cocaine shipments to America. The album was released August 8, 2006, on
Slip-n-Slide Records Slip-N-Slide Records is an American record label, founded in 1994 by Ted Lucas. History Ted Lucas founded the label in 1994. Slip-n-Slide signed local rapper Trick Daddy Dollars in its early years; he debuted in 1997 with the locally popular albu ...
,
Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The ...
and
Poe Boy Entertainment Poe Boy Music Group (formerly Poe Boy Entertainment) is an American record label, founded in 1999 by Elric "E-Class" Prince, the label's founder and CEO. President of Poe Boy Music Group Elvin "Big Chuck" Prince, CEO of Hiram Music Group & CEO of ...
. The album was engineered by Miami-based songwriting and production team
The Monsters & The Strangerz The Monsters & Strangerz are an American production and songwriting team from Miami, Florida. The team features The Monsters: Alexander " Eskeerdo" Izquierdo, Stefan Johnson, Jordan K. Johnson and Oliver "German" Peterhof and The Strangerz: Marcu ...
. The album debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200, with 187,000 copies sold in its first week. The album's first single, "
Hustlin' "Hustlin' is the debut single by American rapper Rick Ross, and the first single from his debut album ''Port of Miami'', produced by The Runners. The song was a breakthrough for Ross, and skyrocketed him to worldwide fame almost overnight. It ...
", received an exorbitant amount of airplay. The remix version features
Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and founder of Manhattan-based conglomerate talent and entertainment agency Roc Nation. He is regarded as one of ...
and
Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...
. The album's second single, " Push It", produced by
J. R. Rotem Jonathan Reuven Rotem is a South African-born record producer, songwriter and music publisher. Biography Early life Rotem was born in South Africa to Jewish Israeli people, Israeli immigrant parents. He moved to Canada at the age of two an ...
. This track samples the song "Push It to the Limit" from the movie '' Scarface''. ''Port of Miami'' was certified gold by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
on November 8, 2006, with over 500,000 copies. According to Soundscan, the album has sold 857,000 copies to date.http://oi33.tinypic.com/2q8oilv.jpg It was later
certified Platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
In July 2016.


Critical reception

''Port of Miami'' was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. Michael Endelman of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' said, "On ''Port of Miami'', Ross turns the minute details of drug distribution and dealing into ominous, slow-rolling songs, like the hypnotic, organ-driven hit single "Hustlin'" and the Scarface-goes-South Beach stomp of ”Cross That Line.” In general, the whole "crack-rap" trend (see: Young Jeezy, Clipse) is a disheartening one, but Ross’ pulpy debut manages to enthrall despite the drug-centric lyrics." Sam Ubl of
Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...
said, "''Port of Miami'' is a case of invention begetting necessity. Sure Ross needs these beats—he has all the charisma of a cold meatloaf. But they need him all the same. He's a supporting actor, second fiddle to the real, Pro-Tooled stars, desirable not for his authority or presence but for his utter blankness. Def Jam could heli-drop any bozo into such glorious ambiance and score some hits; the album facilitates sedentariness." Jonathan Ringen of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' said, "Ross' minimal, menacing rhymes about being a drug-game kingpin feel a little undercooked, but with synth-soaked ring-tone-ready beats that are hotter than the "MI-Yayo" in the summertime (mostly by local beatmakers Cool and Dre, DJ Khaled and the Runners), it doesn't really matter." Brendan Frederick of '' XXL'' said, "While the runaway success of "Hustlin'" could have positioned Ross for one-hit-wonder status, he confidently sidesteps this fate by delivering the goods on ''Port of Miami''. With a cohesive sound the city can call its own, the bearded rapper gets the release he needs by exposing the dark side of the Sunshine State."


Commercial performance

''Port of Miami'' debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 187,000 copies sold in its first week. In its second week, the album fell to number seven on the chart, selling 79,000 copies. As of July 2013, the album has sold 857,000 copies in the US. On July 28, 2016, the album was certified
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...
by the
Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
(RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.


Track listing

Sample credits * "Push It" contains a sample of "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" performed by
Paul Engemann Paul Engemann is an American former pop musician best known for his 1983 song " Scarface (Push It to the Limit)". The song featured prominently in the film '' Scarface'', which was released in the same year. Biography With his sister Shawn (n ...
. * "I'm Bad" contains a sample of "Theme From S.W.A.T." performed by Rhythm Heritage. * "Get Away" contains a sample of "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" performed by
Nice & Smooth Nice & Smooth is an East Coast hip hop duo from New York City that consists of Gregory O. "Greg Nice" Mays (born May 30, 1967) and Darryl O. "Smooth B" Barnes (born August 3, 1967) plus their deejay Tedd "DJ Teddy Tedd" Whiting. The duo released f ...
. * "Hit U From the Back" contains a sample of "Savoir Faire" performed by
Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology '' Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English diction ...
. * "Street Life" contains a sample of "Afterimage" performed by Rush.


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications


References

{{Authority control Rick Ross albums 2006 debut albums Def Jam Recordings albums Albums produced by Akon Albums produced by the Runners Albums produced by J. R. Rotem Albums produced by Jazze Pha Albums produced by Cool & Dre Albums produced by DJ Toomp Albums produced by Big Reese Albums produced by DJ Khaled