Various awards adorn the wall between the foyer and the entertainment room in Ross's home. He has also designed shoes for Converse with Dwyane Wade, and owns a hair salon in Atlanta. His Ringleader brand of clothing will be available soon. Fried Macaroni, and, for dessert, the Trina Mango Pie). He owns a restaurant in North Miami called Hip-Hop Grub Spot (try the Lil Wayne Fish and Chips, T.I. In 2006 he established Rick Ross Charities Inc., which offers educational, social, and mentoring programs for inner-city youth. Believe me, I know."īut beyond music, Ross has his hand in other lucrative pots. "Ringtones are a really good source of income," says Ross, pointing to a cell phone-shape plaque on the wall, given to him by the Recording Industry Association of America.
For a while you could not go anywhere in Miami-Dade County without hearing the mantralike chorus ("Every day I'm huss-a-lin") of breakout single "Hustlin'." The song was produced by the Runners, from Orlando, and set a record in ringtone sales (more than a million). It went on to become certified platinum, selling more than a million copies and reaching number one on the Billboard album chart. His debut album, Port of Miami, released on Slip-N-Slide in 2006, celebrated the 305's legendary reputation as cocaine capital of the Americas. the Bo$$, Chief of Miami, Rick the Ruler - was born William Roberts almost 31 years ago in Carol City. We damn near made Def Jam break the bank. "This nigga right here got his DVD called American Hustler with my song on it.
RICK ROSS HUSTLIN RINGTONE TV
I started with nothing and here I am." He points to the TV set, indicating Williams. Ross takes off his shirt and puts a hand over his rib cage: "I am getting the head of the Statue of Liberty right here." Why? "God loves me. You gotta make it happen, though." He stands up, and I follow him into the kitchen and dining area, where a tattoo artist is setting up ink and needles on a glass table. "As long as you break bread," he continues, "everything we do is like a partnership. To really hustle, you gotta be sure of yourself." We're watching stand-up comedian Katt Williams on a large-screen TV set, but my eyes are still adjusting to the brightness of the large chandelier dangling from the high ceiling. "My next crib, I'm gonna have some pet tigers," he says, laughing, in the same slow-and-low, Barry White-style pitch in which he raps. "My definition of hustlin' is: Handle your business, I'm gonna handle mine. Ross the rapper alludes often to Miami’s position as a hub for international drug smuggling, and his rhymes often reflect the city’s dark underbelly.Īlthough Ross is no doubt glad to have left the mean streets of Miami, he hasn’t forgotten his roots: In December of 2006, he launched Rick Ross Charities, a group that seeks to provide youth with educational and social enhancement opportunities."I wrote that song in about an hour on some good kush," says Miami-born hip-hop superstar Rick Ross as we sit in the entertainment room of his new Davie mansion on a recent Saturday night. Ross takes his name from Los Angeles kingpin Ricky Ross, who ran a large drug distribution network in the 1980s and early 1990s. He began rapping in the mid 1990s and started a group, Carol City Cartel. Before his Port of Miami album was released last August, “Hustlin’” had one million ringtone units, all but certifying that Def Jam’s attempt to make Rick Ross “large” paid off big.īorn William Roberts, Ross grew up in Carol City, Fla., a bleak Miami suburb. Subsequent to Ross’s linking with Def Jam, label president Jay-Z frequently said that he was making Ross his “top priority,” and, clearly, he did. Once Ross’s underground anthem “Hustlin” turned into a street smash, Jay-Z began a hunt for the Miami-bred rapper that sparked a bidding frenzy between Def Jam, Bad Boy and Irv Gotti’s label The Inc. One person who’d surely agree would be Jay-Z. It’s been hard to miss Rick Ross lately, and not only because of the rap star’s hulking 300-pound frame.