Rick Ross

Rick Ross (born William Roberts) was born in Carol City, a very poor town in Florida. As a teenager, he could not but get addicted to the hip-hop culture. The songs by its most prominent figures, such as Notorious B.I.G., and Tupac Shakur, could be heard all over the States and sure did reach the ears of the future rapper. In the early nineties, Roberts assembled the rap outfit Carol City Cartel. As they started, the band intended to cooperate with the small label Suave House Records, yet they were soon noticed by the major recording house Slip N Side Records. After signing up a contract with this company, William was proposed to take up the Rick Ross stage name, which he did. Within a short period of time, the rapper got acquainted with the more mature and respected colleagues, including Trick Daddy and Trina. In the years to follow, he was a regular guest on their records, while his joint concerts with these artists helped him get well-known in the wide hip-hop circles and find big people in his industry.

Until 2006, Ross had been reluctant to start a solo career and preferred to work with established rappers gaining more experience and gradually accumulating his own material. Then, he recorded the song Hustlin’, the one that ignited a war between numerous labels fighting for the right to reach a business agreement with the talented artist. The winner was the celebrated performer and producer Jay-Z, who signed up a contract with Rick Ross to produce his works with his own label Def Jam. The single Hustlin’ was officially released in March 2006 and reached the eleventh position in the joint American Hip-Hop/R’n’B charts. In less than a month, the given composition earned the golden certificate, received massive airplay and became a favorite ringtone of multitudes of music lovers. In august of the same year, inspired by the astonishing success of his debut single, Rick Ross released his first full-length album entitled as Port of Miami. Although it was promoted by only one single, this record topped Billboard Hot 200, selling almost two hundred thousand copies within the first week.

During the concert tour dedicated to the release of the debut long player, Rick Ross managed to prepare the material for his sophomore studio effort. He called it Trilla to pay tribute to his favorite artist Michael Jackson’s classic work, Thriller. Initially, Ross planned to deliver this record late in 2007, but he grew committed to the making of the album so much, that the final result saw light only in March 2008. The release of this effort was preceded by the two powerful singles, Speedin’, and The Boss. Finally, Rick Ross broke free of the reputation of the big stars’ helper and became an independent and deeply respected person within the hip-hop stage. The creation of Trilla involved a long row of celebrities, including Jay-Z, Akon and Nelly. Following the rule to make hay while the sun shines, Rick Ross did not wait long to start working on his third album, Deeper Than Rap, released as soon as in spring 2009. The artist remained loyal to his views. That was a specimen of classic rap with profound lyrics and well-considered arranging. Maintaining the good old tradition, Rick invited some other prominent rappers to help him do this work. Although it was long before the end of 2009, critics already included this long player into the list of the album of the year nominees. The musicians’ fans did not have to wait for the following long play for a long time. The release of Rick’s creation entitled Teflon Don took place in summer 2010. The album was acclaimed by numerous critics, while the music lovers also enjoyed Teflon Don, which is proved by the record’s high position in three American Billboard charts simultaneously: Billboard 200, Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and of course Billboard Rap Albums.