God Forgives, I Don't is the fifth studio album by American rapper Rick Ross. It was released on July 30, 2012, by Maybach Music Group, Slip-n-Slide Records and Def Jam Recordings. The album was produced by several record producers, including Cool & Dre, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, Pharrell, Jake One, and Rico Love, among others.
God Forgives, I Don't received generally positive reviews from critics, who complimented its opulent production style and Ross' performance. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 218,000 copies in its first week, and charted in several other countries. By October 2012, the album had been certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America and had sold 588,000 copies in the United States. It was nominated for Best Rap Album at the 2013 Grammy Awards.
Background and development Rick Ross revealed the title of the album on January 4, 2011, during an interview with the Breakfast Club, along with the first promotional single "Made Men" featuring Drake. A music video for "Made Men" was later released on April 11, 2011. In July 2011, DJ Khaled spoke about the album, saying: "God Forgives, I Don't is a classic-in-the-making. Let me tell you something right now: This album is so crazy from the beginning of what I've been in the studio hearing already," he said. "I can't give you too much because I'm going to let him do that, because that's his project, but I could tell you right now it's classic and he is talking that talk." In September 2011, Drake spoke on the album during an interview with MTV saying: "That God Forgives I Don't; the only way I can describe it, it's like Snoop Dogg's Doggystyle, The Notorious B.I.G.'s Ready to Die, or Clipse's Lord Willin' or any of the albums that I collected and held on to as a kid – whether it was cassette or CD." Rick Ross revealed that he wanted to collaborate with Lionel Richie on the album. Rick Ross spoke about the album during an interview with MTV on October 11, 2011, at the BET Hip Hop Awards saying: "Me making my album is just a real tedious process that I go through and the response from the people that I did play a few records for, the feedback is incredible" and he also spoke on his collaboration with Mary J. Blige. "That's the Queen. I can just tell you about the experience," he said. "We actually worked in Michael Jackson's L.A. studio and we made some magic." Mary J. Blige also spoke of the experience with XXL in September 2011, clarifying that the two actually recorded in the last studio that Michael Jackson ever recorded in. "It's a private studio that one of our friends, he was really close to Michael Jackson, he let us use it," Mary said. "It's actually Marvin Gaye's studio. It has murals of Michael Jackson all over the walls and Marvin Gaye. That was the last place Michael actually worked at before he passed. It's such a good vibe." In an October 2011, interview with hip-hop magazine XXL, Bun B confirmed that he would appear on God Forgives, I Don't, but did not make the final cut of the album. In October 2011, the first video log of the making of God Forgives, I Don't was released, and featured The Alchemist, in a studio session released by Rick Ross.
On October 4, 2011, Ross appeared on the radio station Hot 97; during an interview with Funkmaster Flex, he premiered two promotional singles for God Forgives, I Don't, titled "You the Boss" and "I Love My Bitches". Ross would later announce neither song would make the album. Funkmaster Flex interviewed Ross on topics such as his beef with Kreayshawn and Young Jeezy, along with details of the album, however Ross declined to divulge information on the album, preferring to keep details of the project under wraps. Two days later on October 6, 2011, Ross appeared on the Breakfast Club to promote the album. Ross maintained his tight-lipped approach of not divulging details of God Forgives, I Don't. Later on October 6, 2011, Rick Ross along with Def Jam Recordings held the official GFID Conference Call, to discuss the album and have Ross answer questions. When callers of the music industry asked questions on producers and features of the album, Ross declined to answer, stating that recording God Forgives, I Don't was still in process and did not wish to disclose too many details of the album, preferring to open up about the album as the release date nears. Ross emphasized that less features would be on the album, as opposed to previous releases, as well as creating the album with a "90s Vintage hip-hop sound". In January 2012, Ross spoke about working with Dr. Dre, saying that Dre "highly influenced" his work. Ross confirmed that he and Dre collaborated on records for God Forgives, I Don't as well as Dr. Dre's long-delayed album Detox.
In April 2012, while on his European Tour, Ross explained the reasoning for the album title, saying: "I wanted to approach [this album] like Scorsese would have approached a film. I wanted it to be a bold statement, a dark statement and have music to tell the story behind it. It felt like a film." During his July promo tour, Ross elaborated, "I knew approaching this album, I wanted to approach titling it a lot different from previous albums. I wanted it to be strong and impactful. The first half is God Forgives: It's a lot of us need forgiveness. That's the beautiful side that alotta people need to focus on, even myself. I Don't represented the street aspect of life. I feel we have both sides that we deal with in life. I gave 'em one of those feelings that it was a motion picture, a masterpiece, five-star. That's the way I broke it down. They gon' hear the energy and see exactly what I'm talkin 'bout 'cause we gotta face both sides in life." Ross also confirmed Jay-Z as a featured artist.
After much anticipation and an initial push back, Ross announced that the album would be released on July 31, 2012, at an MMG Press Conference on May 2, 2012. He also announced that no previously released singles, or material from his Rich Forever mixtape would be on the album, saying the album would be "100% new". Ross stated that the album would be his most complete and best body of work yet. At the press conference, Ross spoke a bit on the album, saying: "God Forgives, I Don't is a very dark story. It's extremely lyrical, the music is next level. I'm expecting nothing but the biggest results. The collaborations will surprise you guys. This album is the missing part of my legacy. This is gonna put me over the top." Ross ended the press conference stating, "I will deliver". On June 12, 2012, Ross released the official album artwork in a video promoting the album. On June 30, the official deluxe cover was released via Rap-Up.
In a July 2012, interview with MTV News, Ross previewed his album. Ross spoke on the title, the cover, the recording process, the cinematic influence, and a few tracks. Ross stated that several photos were shot inside a church. He elaborated saying, "I remember sitting in the church just waiting for the photographer, and I remember sitting in there praying, just being thankful. I knew I wanted to have 10 Jesus pieces on. Of course, one Jesus piece was always fly, but I just wanted 10. I just wanted to go to that next level." Ross stated that he kept an extremely small circle during the entire recording process. "I keep my circle extremely small when it comes to me recording my music. I put the music together before I even put the words to the music, because I feel it's easier for me to write the words and make it fit the music versus me finding music that can fit my words." Ross has stated numerous times how he has compared this album to films, and has taken a cinematic approach during the entire development of the album. Ross expanded by saying "This may be Inglourious Basterds, man. We gonna peel your scalp back on this one. Quentin Tarantino, that's one of the vibes I was in when I titled the album. I wanted to approach it like a film." Ross also spoke on the concepts of a few tracks from the album. Ross said the track "Amsterdam" was based on the red light district, "I kinda flipped it where being a boss you gotta get approval for a green light. I'm one of those people you can't green light. As long I've been in this game, there's been a lot of talk, but ain't nobody stepped on these 11 and a half's. The reason being: This is the red light district, you can't move on this side." Rozay had spoken about the track "Diced Pineapples" as well, saying that "When I got out of the hospital — you know, I had a seizure last year — when I was leaving, the doctor told me, 'You gotta eat some more fruit, drink you some water, eat fruit and just relax for a little while.' My fruit of choice was pineapples. For the next three weeks, I woke up every morning and ate diced pineapples, and I put the concept together. Drizzy came in, as well as Wale, and it's kinda like, 'She could be my diced pineapple. This special lady, she could be what I wake up to every morning and help me get by every day." Rick Ross described the album in five words with: classic, untouchable, boss, success, and revenge. He stated, "If you doubted us being here three years ago, five years ago, you don't understand hip-hop, you don't understand the power of rap music."
In a July 2012, interview with the Breakfast Club, Ross was asked about his collaboration with André 3000 for the song "Sixteen". He stated that he had spoken with André 3000 through Skype numerous times, while Andre had been filming overseas for the Jimi Hendrix biopic, All Is by My Side, and the record was completed over Skype. Ross elaborated that he wanted to make a special track that had an "Outkast-ish vibe", and hinted at an upcoming video for the song. Ross also spoke to Vibe about working with Dr. Dre saying, "I got to be in the studio with him and watch him turn those knobs which has been a dream of mine since Straight Out of Compton and I just wanted to ask him. When I'm listening to those Chronic skits, that was the end of skits like The Chronic or a Snoop album."
Songs The first track, "Pray for Us", is an excerpt from the movie Baby Boy, in which the actors Omar Gooding and Tyrese Gibson pray for forgiveness for the sins they will commit in the future: the excerpt ends with the sound of gunfire. "Pirates" features a backing track consisting of pianos and "bombastic drum hits", with Ross reflecting on the success he has achieved, the hardships he suffered in his early life and the artists who have inspired him, including the late The Notorious B.I.G. "3 Kings", a collaboration with fellow rappers Dr. Dre and Jay-Z, was felt to be the album's intended centerpiece by many critics, due to the high-profile nature of the artists involved. Backed by a "dusty-and-soulful" provided by producer Jake One, whose production typically contains "analog warmth", the song is a "rags-to-riches" story in which Dre and Ross discuss their life before fame: Dre observes how he "started out mopping floors, but now he's front row at the awards". Jay-Z, meanwhile, discusses major events in his life since he became a celebrity, including a $150 million deal with concert-promotion company Live Nation, and the birth of his daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. "Ashamed" is a "plush luxury rap", as described by Jayson Greene of Pitchfork, in which Ross observes and attempts to justify the lives of drug dealers, and he also recalls difficulties his mother encountered due to her low-paying career. The track's instrumentation is built around a sample of the Wilson Pickett song "Shameless".