Port of Miami is the debut studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. Originally titled Career Criminal,[1] 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 Poe Boy Entertainment, Slip-n-Slide Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album was engineered by Miami-based songwriting and production team The Monsters & The Strangerz. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, with 187,000 copies sold in its first week.[2]

Port of Miami
Studio album by
ReleasedAugust 8, 2006
Recorded2005–2006
GenreHip hop
Length77:49
Label
Producer
Rick Ross chronology
Port of Miami
(2006)
Trilla
(2008)
Singles from Port of Miami
  1. "Hustlin'"
    Released: March 11, 2006
  2. "Push It"
    Released: May 17, 2006

The album's first single, "Hustlin' ", received an exorbitant amount of airplay. The remix version features Jay-Z and Young Jeezy. The album's second single, "Push It", produced by J. R. Rotem. 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 on November 8, 2006, with over 500,000 copies.[3] According to Soundscan, the album has sold 857,000 copies to date.[4] It was later certified Platinum by the RIAA In July 2016.

A sequel, Port of Miami 2, was released on July 26, 2019.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [5]
DJBooth.net     [6]
Entertainment Weekly(B)[7]
HipHopDX     [8]
RapReviews          [9]
Pitchfork Media(5.4/10)[10]
Stylus MagazineC−[11]
Rolling Stone     [12]
USA Today    [13]
XXL      (XL)[14]

Port of Miami was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. Michael Endelman of Entertainment Weekly 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."[7] Sam Ubl of Pitchfork Media 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."[10] Jonathan Ringen of Rolling Stone 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."[12] 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."[14]

Commercial performance

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Port of Miami debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 187,000 copies sold in its first week.[2] In its second week, the album fell to number seven on the chart, selling 79,000 copies.[15] As of July 2013, the album has sold 857,000 copies in the US.[16][17] On July 28, 2016, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over a million copies in the United States.[18]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro"  0:24
2."Push It"J.R. Rotem3:28
3."Blow" (featuring Dre)Cool & Dre4:10
4."Hustlin'"4:14
5."Cross That Line" (featuring Akon)
  • Akon
  • Tuinfort
  • Fournier
4:33
6."I'm Bad"
  • Roberts II
  • Kenny Luckett
K. Luck3:53
7."Boss" (featuring Dre)
  • Roberts II
  • Lyons
  • Valenzano
Cool & Dre4:40
8."For da Low"Jazze Pha4:21
9."Where My Money (I Need That)"
  • Roberts II
  • Harr
  • Jackson
  • Mollings
  • Mollings
  • The Runners
  • DJ Nasty & LVM
4:31
10."Get Away" (featuring Mario Winans)
  • Winans
  • Snoddy
4:06
11."Hit U From the Back" (featuring Rodney)
  • Roberts II
  • Harr
  • Jackson
  • Mollings
  • Mollings
  • The Runners
  • DJ Nasty & LVM
5:05
12."White House"
DJ Toomp4:01
13."Pots and Pans" (featuring JRock)
JRock4:35
14."It's My Time" (featuring Lyfe Jennings)
  • The Runners
  • DJ Nasty & LVM
4:15
15."Street Life" (featuring Lloyd)
4:07
16."Hustlin' (Remix)" (featuring Jay-Z and Young Jeezy)
  • The Runners
  • DJ Nasty & LVM
4:44
17."It Ain't a Problem" (featuring Triple C's)J. Venom3:47
18."I'm a G" (featuring Lil Wayne and Brisco)DJ Khaled4:15
19."Prayer"
  • Roberts II
  • Roberts
JRock4:08
Total length:77:49
Leftover tracks
  • "The Realist"

Sample credits

  • "Push It" contains a sample of "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)" performed by Paul Engemann.
  • "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.
  • "Hit U From the Back" contains a sample of "Savoir Faire" performed by Chic.
  • "Street Life" contains a sample of "Afterimage" performed by Rush.

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[25] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "Jay-Z Signs Miami Rapper Rick Ross to Def Jam". Slumz.boxden.com. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  2. ^ a b Harris, Chris (August 16, 2006). "Rick Ross Sails Past Breaking Benjamin, Takes Port Of Miami To #1 - Music, Celebrity, Artist News". MTV. Archived from the original on February 25, 2007. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  3. ^ "Gold & Platinum - February 22, 2011". RIAA. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  4. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20150603110617/http://oi33.tinypic.com/2q8oilv.jpg [bare URL image file]
  5. ^ Kellman, Andy (August 8, 2006). "Port of Miami - Rick Ross | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  6. ^ "Rick Ross - Port of Miami | Album Review, Stream". DJBooth. Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  7. ^ a b Endelman, Michael (August 7, 2006). "Port of Miami". EW.com. Archived from the original on April 16, 2014. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  8. ^ bsims (August 1, 2006). "Rick Ross - Port Of Miami". HipHopDX. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  9. ^ "Feature for August 8, 2006 - Rick Ross' "Port of Miami"". Rapreviews.com. August 8, 2006. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  10. ^ a b "Rick Ross: Port of Miami". Pitchfork. August 11, 2006. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  11. ^ "Rick Ross - Port of Miami - Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on December 15, 2006. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  12. ^ a b (Posted: Aug 11, 2006) (August 11, 2006). "Port Of Miami : Rick Ross : Review : Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 24, 2009. Retrieved June 9, 2015.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ "Ross' 'Port' sails familiar waters". Pqasb.pqarchiver.com. August 8, 2006. Archived from the original on February 1, 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Rick Ross Port of Miami - XXL". Xxlmag.com. August 18, 2006. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  15. ^ Harris, Chris (August 23, 2006). "BACK TO BASICS TAKES CHRISTINA AGUILERA BACK TO BILLBOARD'S #1". MTV. Archived from the original on September 5, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2011.
  16. ^ "A Brief Synopsis of Def Jam the Music Label". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2012.
  17. ^ https://web.archive.org/web/20150603110617/http://oi33.tinypic.com/2q8oilv.jpg [bare URL image file]
  18. ^ "Gold & Platinum". Recording Industry Association of America.
  19. ^ "Rick Ross Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  20. ^ "Rick Ross Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
  21. ^ "2006 Year-End Charts: Billboard 200". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  22. ^ "2006 Year-End Charts: R&B/Hip-Hop Albums". Billboard. Archived from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  23. ^ "2006 Year-End Charts: Top Rap Albums". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  24. ^ "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2007". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
  25. ^ "American album certifications – Rick Ross – Port of Miami". Recording Industry Association of America.