Early Life
Born William Leonard Roberts II in 1976, Rick Ross was a huge hip-hop fan ever since he was a young boy. Growing up in a poorer neighborhood of Carol City, Florida, he was soon introduced to street rap and controversial artists like Tupac Shakur, Ice Cube, and Notorious BIG.
Ross was a good student and a recipient of a football scholarship at Albany State University, but he still decided to follow his one and only passion – rap music and the lavish lifestyle.
Career
Infatuated with the drug dealing culture and mafia bosses, the ambitious William changed his name to Rick Ross, a notorious character from urban legends about local drug dealers. The first single he published as Rick Ross, called Hustlin’, was a huge and immediate success.
Ross continued to climb the Billboard charts after Hustlin’ was certified gold, debuting at No 1. with his first solo album Port of Miami. Two equally successful LPs Trilla and Deeper Than Rap followed suit, crowning Ross as one of the most competent and assured rappers of his time.
When he’s not busy making smash hits of his own, Ross is helping accomplished and aspiring artists create great music. His high-end label Maybach Music Group (MMG) is known for having worked with giants such as Dr. Dre, Drake, Andre 3000, Ceelo Green, and even Kanye West.
In the News
Surprisingly for a man of Ross’ caliber, he was once a corrections officer. This is especially intriguing given the fact that he’s spent a bigger part of his career feuding with rapper 50 Cent. Before that, Ross was briefly under house arrest for weapons, drugs, kidnapping, and assault.
In 2010, the original drug trafficker “Freeway” Ricky Ross from the urban legends sued Ross for stealing his name, but the case was discarded. From that point on, which was the pinnacle of Ross’ controversies, the industry boss has been living quietly with his family and three children, interrupted only by two health scares.
Interested to find out more about Rick Ross? Stick around The Shade Room!
