RICK ROSS SETS MARCH 4th RELEASE DATE FOR MASTERMIND ALBUM ON DEF JAM RECORDINGS/MAYBACH MUSIC GROUP !

 MASTERMIND CONTAINS NEW SINGLE, “THE DEVIL IS A LIE” FEATURING JAY-Z, PLUS “NO GAMES” FEATURING FUTURE

 “MASTERMIND TOUR” WITH ‘1500 OR NOTHIN’ BAND EXTENDS INTO 2014

 Grammy®-nominated Def Jam Recordings/Maybach Music Group hip-hop magnate Rick Ross has set March 4^thas the new release date for his eagerly anticipated sixth album MASTERMIND, containing the brand new single “The Devil Is A Lie” featuring Jay-Z, which impacts at radio on January 21^st.  “The Devil Is A Lie” follows up the first advance track, “No Games” featuring Future, which Rick performed live at the 8^th annual BET Hip-Hop Awards spectacular back in October.

In advance of the MASTERMIND album release, Rick kicked off his current solo headlining tour of the U.S., the ‘Mastermind Tour’ presented by AEG, with shows spanning 2013 and 2014.  Tickets are on sale for all shows and can be purchased at www.axs.com.  Exclusive VIP experiences are available.  These amazing offers include a meet & greet with Rick Ross, individual photo opportunity, autographed limited edition memorabilia, and more!

Rick has teamed up with the famed ‘1500 Or Nothin’ Band for the tour, with a brand new show whose look and sound are unlike anything anybody has seen from him before.  “The Fifteen Hundreds,” as they are often referred to, are a five-piece band who have toured the world with many multi-platinum artists including Snoop Dogg, Lupe Fiasco, T.I., The Game, and Faith Evans.  The show was first previewed at an sro concert event at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, broadcast live nationwide on AXS TV.

“It’s never been done like this,” Rick said as the tour opened.  “We’ll be performing everything from ‘Tears of Joy’ to ‘Aston Martin Music,’ all with a live band.  It’s time to remind everyone what Maybach Music is all about.”  With a library of chart hits and critically acclaimed studio albums, and the luxury of having the Maybach Music Group roster to call on, Rick Ross and “The Fifteen Hundreds” will have no shortage of material.  The hottest MC in the game continues to solidify his dominance in the music industry even further.

MASTERMIND is the follow-up to Rick’s controversial God Forgives, I Don’t (released July 2012), his fourth album to debut at #1 Soundscan, following in the tradition of Port Of Miami (2006), Trilla (2008), and Deeper Than Rap (2009).  Teflon Don arrived in 2010.  Rick can also be heard on the multi-artist Self Made 3, (September 2013, Warner Bros.), the latest entry in his Maybach Music Group’s annual Self Made series.

About Rick Ross:

Six-foot-two, 300-pound Rick Ross – a “hip-hop heavyweight,” as described by the New York Times, began the climb to world-wide super stardom with 2006’sPort Of Miami, his #1 Pop/#1 R&B/#1 Rap major label debut album. The street anthem “Hustlin’” became the first master tone ever certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of 1 million copies before the associated album had even been released.  Port Of Miami’s second single, “Push It,” whose movie soundtrack excerpts (circa 1990) from Giorgio Moroder’s “Scarface (Push It To The Limit),” evoked the gritty soul of Miami, a city that Ross embodies.  His dominance in the game was further solidified with 2008’s Trilla, whose second single release, “The Boss,” featuring T-Pain, rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot Rap chart, #5 R&B, and Top 20 on the Hot 100.  The next single release, “Here I Am” featuring Nelly and Avery Storm, also hit inside the Top 10 on the Rap and R&B charts.

A year later, the Bawse delivered again with 2009’s Deeper Than Rap, which was named the #4 top-selling hardcore hip-hop album of 2009 by Interference.com, in the company of releases by Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Lil’ Wayne.  Deeper Than Rap got a big jump out the gate with its first single, “Magnificent” featuring John Legend, produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Top 5 on Billboard’s Hot Rap Tracks chart and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.  Continuing to reign supreme, Ross’ 4th album, 2010’s Teflon Don debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts.  It spawned a slew of hits including the #1 single “Aston Martin Music” featuring Drake and Chrisette Michele, as well as Top 10 singles “Super High” featuring Ne-Yo; and “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)” featuring Styles P.  “B.M.F.” went on to win the Track Of The Year Award and the Best Club Banger Award at the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards.

After launching Maybach Music Group and signing artists like Meek Mill and Wale, the hottest MC in the game released the most anticipated album of 2012, God Forgives I Don’t which was released in July and sold 220,000 copies in its first week, becoming his 4th #1 Soundscan debut and his biggest first week sales to date.  The project included top hits such as “Touch’N You” featuring Usher, “So Sophisticated” featuring Meek Mill, and the fan favorite “Diced Pineapples ” featuring Drake & Wale. At the 2012 BET Hip-Hop Awards, Rick Ross was named MVP Of The Year.  In 2013 he continued to supply the streets with heat, featured on some of the year’s hottest hip-hop albums including Jay-Z’s Magna Carta Holy Grail, Wale’s The Gifted, and dozens of other projects.  In late 2013, antici­pa­tion began to build for Ross’ sixth studio album Mastermind, released March 4, 2014.