RICK ROSS DEBUTS AT #1 SOUNDSCAN WITH TRILLA

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

(March 19, 2008 – New York, NY) 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.

Lee Fields- “My World”

“Hypocrisy / this new democracy / fabricated by deception and lies / the truth we seek / shall be told in a week / stay tuned or it will pass you by”

The Song:

Bursting in with a nuanced beat and funky bass groove, draped in a texturally layered accompaniment of soft horns, vibes and guitar–a supple bed for the forthcoming moans- “My World” proposes its intention to seduce at once. Lee Field & the Expressions are clearly masters of the classic stylistic traits of seventies soul. As the orchestration thins out for the verse, the individual elements are given space to shine, while Field’s delivers the words, sounding notably reminiscent of James Brown. His lyrics reveal this track to be a cry for compassion in a harsh, unjust world. “Hypocrisy / this new democracy / fabricated by deception and lies / the truth we seek / shall be told in a week / stay tuned or it will pass you by,” he sings at the conclusion of the first verse. This, however, should not be considered at odds with its sexy funk.

Lee Fields has been singing soul since the late sixties, working with such progenitors of funk music as Kool and the Gang, Sammy Gordon and the Hip-Huggers, and Little Royal. His solo start came on the heels of this, releasing a series of raw, punch packing 45 singles. Despite never gaining broad mainstream appeal, Fields has become known as a connoisseur’s funk master. Fittingly, his early singles have become collector’s items. Having taken a breather during the greater part of the 80’s, Fields came back on the circuit during the 90’s, releasing albums and limited edition singles under the Ace, Avanti and Desco labels. Currently, he resides at Truth & Soul, which has just released the compilation Fallin’ Off The Reel Vol. 2 containing two of Field’s recently recorded tracks.

The Background:

Fallin’ Off the Reel Vol. 2 follows the success of Truth and Soul’s first edition of the compilation, Fallin’ Off the Reel, released in the fall of 2006. The forthcoming second-edition Truth & Soul compilation boasts a varied roster of current-day and older funk and soul artists, including Timothy McNealy, El Michels Affair, Bronx River Parkway, Lee Fields & The Expressions, Tyrone Ashley’s Funk Music Machine, Black Velvet, Quincy Bright and The Fabulous Three. The compilation comprises a wide selection of contemporary music that has descended from the rhythm and blues, soul, and funk music traditions. Fallin’ Off The Reel Vol. 2 has every Truth & Soul 45 single presented in chronological order from 2006 until now (available for the first time on CD), including one previously unreleased bonus track. The Gatefold Double-LP includes selected tracks from both volumes of the Fallin’ Off the Reel series, plus rare tracks.

About Truth & Soul: When Soul Fire Records officially retired in 2004, Soul Fire house musicians Leon Michels and Jeff Silverman started their own label, Truth & Soul, which has now become a label and production house based out of Brooklyn, NY that specializes in creating deep funk and soul music. They have released a slew of 7″ and 12″ vinyl releases by bands such as El Michels Affair, Bama & The Family, Lee Fields & the Expressions, Timothy McNealy, Asiko, Bronx River Parkway, and many more. Both Michels and Silverman produce, perform on, engineer, and mix all of the label’s releases and productions.