The statistic, “1 in 3 Black Men Can Expect To Go To Prison In Their Lifetime,” flashed across the screen as the music played in the background. Matter of fact, my cameraman was Trump’s caddy at his golf course for five years, and he says Trump is cool as fuck.”īesides the blatant criticism of Donald Trump, Rick Ross also talks about many issues plaguing the country today like the mass incarceration of black men. That’s me being a poet, putting words together in my art form, with no violence in my heart at all,” he said. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Ross says, “I would never advocate violence on Trump or anyone. “Now accept these words as they came from Eminem/ Democratic Party sentenced to the pendulum/ Killing them, I voted for André Benjamin.” “Assassinate Trump like I’m Zimmerman,” he raps in the clip. This video, directed by Ryan Snyder, shows Rick Ross in front of an inverted American flag, symbolizing the harsh, unequal reality that many face in this country. In this video, Rick Ross points a finger at the faults of Donald Trump, and society as a whole. Although the song came out on his 2015 project Black Market, the election of Donald Trump as president has prompted Ross to drop a politically aimed video.
We strive for accuracy and fairness.Rick Ross has recently dropped a visual for his 2015 track “Free Enterprise,” featuring John Legend. The autobiography delved into Ross' upbringing and career on both sides of the law, as well as the headline-grabbing moments like the seizures that nearly killed him in 2011 and the attempt on his life via drive-by shooting in 2013. BookĪfter 10 studio albums, the Grammy-nominated rapper became a published author with the September 2019 release of Hurricanes: A Memoir. However, his family disputed that account of events, suggesting that Ross's condition wasn't as bad as initially believed. In March 2018, TMZ reported that the rapper had been hospitalized and hooked up to life support upon being found unresponsive at his home, before earning his discharge a few days later. The father of four children, Ross endured a health scare in 2011 when he suffered multiple seizures on two separate flights on the same day. Two of his trademarks that are often attributed to the influence of the show are his large, dark sunglasses and his slow, raspy vocal delivery. Having grown up in Miami, Ross is said to be a fan of the 1980s television cop show Miami Vice. The original “Freeway” Ricky Ross attempted to sue Ross for using his name in 2010, but it was thrown out of court. He spent a large part of 2015 under house arrest. He has had other issues to deal with, including facing charges for weapons, drugs, kidnapping and assault. Although this raised doubts about Ross' street credibility, the rapper brushed them aside. It was an intriguing contradiction that first came to light in 2008, when a website known as The Smoking Gun exposed Ross as having previously worked as a corrections officer in South Florida. Corrections Officer Past Exposed, 50 Cent FeudĪs Ross' notoriety grew, thanks to his lyrics about drug dealing and hustling, his past career in law enforcement began to interest the public, too. In August 2019, Ross unveiled his 10th studio album, Port of Miami 2, which debuted at No. His ninth, Rather You Than Me, dropped in 2017. 8, Black Market, came out at the close of 2015.
God Forgives was nominated for a best-album Grammy in 2013, and he followed with Mastermind and Hood Billionaire, both in 2014, but reviews were mixed and sales only modest - perhaps a sign that he was releasing too much music too quickly, diluting the quality. The CEO of Slip-N-Slide, Ted Lucas, would later praise Ross’ solo breakthrough, which happened after he left the label: “I never doubted him musically and lyrically. While he appeared as a guest on several labelmates’ projects, his only solo release would be the promo-only single "Just Chillin'" in 2003. Ross later moved to the Miami-based record label Slip-N-Slide, which released music by hip-hop favorites like Trick Daddy - whom Ross would later tour with - and female rapper Trina. Ironically, Ross worked as a corrections officer in Florida for almost two years (something he initially denied when it was revealed, but later accepted), but the lure of hip-hop music and the lavish lifestyle of the drug dealers he saw throughout his youth led him in another direction.īefore adopting the Rick Ross persona, he’d made his debut on former EPMD member Erick Sermon’s 2000 compilation Def Squad Presents Erick Sermon, appearing as Tephlon on a track called "Ain’t Shhh to Discuss." He was eventually signed to an independent Southern rap label, Suave House Records, whose acts also included the popular underground duo 8Ball & MJG. He took his performing name from stories he heard of a drug trafficker named "Freeway" Rick Ross.