The Bawse forever

There’s a moment on “Rich Forever” when Rick Ross explains its title — about how he used to want to live forever, but due to life’s difficulty, would now much rather just be rich forever. It’s a perfect articulation of the Bawse’s lifestyle and his music: all of the good, none of the bad, then more of the good.

Since Lex Luger and BMF powered up Ross on “BMF,” everything about Ross and his music has been a grand exercise in excess: slightly refining his coke narratives to carry an opulence that inspired more aspiration than admiration.

With a 19-track mixtape that features Nas, Drake, Kelly Rowland, Pharrell and John Legend, Ross is the king of having his cake and eating it too.

Whether he’s painting pictures of strung-out customers over elastic strings on “Hi-Definition” or lamenting on ladies on the mellophone’d “Mine Games” with Rowland, Ross proves a chameleon for balancing subject matter and stakes with partners and production.

“Rich Forever” has been promised as an appetizer for Ross’ next LP, “God Forgives, I Don’t.”

At times brilliant, it’s hard to imagine a better effort, but with the cast of characters in the life of the Teflon Don, it’s also not a stretch.