William Leonard Roberts II was born on the 28th of January 1976 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, but his life took a sharp turn when he moved to Carol City, Florida. Before he became the booming voice of hip hop known as Rick Ross, he was a correctional officer at the South Florida Reception Center, a job he held for 18 months between 1995 and 1997. This period of his life would later become the center of a massive controversy that threatened to dismantle his entire career. The Smoking Gun, a website known for exposing public records, released documents linking his social security number to his time as an officer, accompanied by a photograph of him in uniform. Ross initially denied the photo was him, but the evidence was overwhelming. He eventually admitted to working as a guard, yet he continued to build a persona based on the life of a drug kingpin named Freeway Rick Ross, a man to whom he had no actual connection. This duality created a complex narrative where the man who once enforced the law was now rapping about breaking it, a contradiction that would define his public image for decades.
The Bidding War And The Boss
Before releasing his debut single Hustlin in March 2006, Ross was the subject of a fierce bidding war that highlighted his rising star power. Offers came from Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc., but he ultimately signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Jay-Z on Def Jam Recordings. His debut album Port of Miami was released in August 2006 and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 with sales of 187,000 units in its first week. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone magazine predicted it would be the summer's biggest rap record. The album's second single Push It sampled Scarface Push It to the Limit, the theme song from the gangster film Scarface, and the music video was modeled after the film itself. This success was not a fluke. His second album Trilla was released in March 2008 and also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. The lead single Speedin featuring R. Kelly peaked at number 21 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles, while The Boss featuring T-Pain reached number 17 on the Hot 100. Ross had established himself as a dominant force in the industry, using his booming vocal performance and larger than life persona to create a vivid lyrical imagery that described affluence, wealth, and luxury.
The Valley Of Death
The controversy surrounding his past as a correctional officer came to a head with the release of the track Valley of Death on his 2009 album Deeper Than Rap. In the song, Ross spoke briefly on his stint as a prison guard, rapping Keep it trilla, nigga, never had a gun and badge. He stressed that he was indeed an officer of the law, yet he implied that while working as a corrections officer, he was also on the streets. He rapped I'll shovel shit, I'll C.O. So we can bow our heads and pray over the meatloaf, suggesting he worked two jobs to feed his children. The song also mentioned Skippin school, I saw my friend stabbed with an ice pick, grounding his lyrics in the harsh realities of street life. Despite the song's honesty, he still provided no explanation for lying about being a C.O. to begin with, nor did he explain why he failed to pay child support for his children. The cover of the May 2009 issue of XXL magazine featured Ross wearing a pair of Louis Vuitton sunglasses, which a spokesperson for the luxury-goods maker claimed were fake. It was later revealed that the sunglasses were authentic but altered by Jacob Bernstein, known as The Sunglass Pimp, who defended his customizations despite Louis Vuitton's insistence that such modification and resale of trademarked property is not legal.
Ross had a number of accomplishments in 2010, releasing the critically acclaimed Albert Anastasia EP and his fourth album Teflon Don on the 20th of July 2010. The lead single Super High featured Ne-Yo, and a second official single Live Fast, Die Young featured and was produced by Kanye West. The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 selling 176,000 copies in its first week. In November 2010, Diddy announced that he and Ross were working on an EP together, releasing a single called Another One. Ross ended 2010 by releasing another mixtape, Ashes To Ashes on Christmas Eve 2010. In early 2011, Ross signed Wale and Meek Mill to his Maybach Music Group imprint, and the group released their debut compilation album Self Made Vol. 1 in May. He performed at the BET Awards 2011, which aired on the 26th of June 2011, and received a nomination for Best Male Hip Hop Artist. In early 2012, Ross was named the Hottest MC in the Game. Big things were happening for Ross's successful career in 2012 as well. He started the year by premiering his Rich Forever mixtape to universal acclaim. Ross's MMG camp released their second compilation, Self Made Vol. 2 in June 2012. Less than a month later, Ross's fifth album, God Forgives, I Don't, was released on the 31st of July 2012, after a few delays. Upon its release, the album charted at number eight on the UK Albums Chart and number two on the UK R&B Albums Chart, making it Ross's highest-charting album and first top 10 album in the United Kingdom. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 218,000 copies.
The Seizures And The Scandal
On the 14th of October 2011, Ross suffered two seizures in the same day, once in the morning and again in the early evening. Following the morning seizure, he was unconscious and CPR was performed. After suffering the second seizure, Ross was admitted to a hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, where doctors ran a battery of tests. They declared him healthy. Ross attributes the episodes to a lack of sleep in the previous week. He later noted the incident in the remix of Meek Mill's song Ima Boss, with the line Had a couple seizures, call it minor setbacks. On the 2nd of March 2018, Ross was hospitalized after being found unresponsive in his Miami, Florida, home from a possible heart attack. Ross was on life support. He was released from the hospital a few days later. In 2015, Ross was arrested for kidnapping and assault charges and was sentenced to house arrest in his Georgia home. He joined the Snapchat platform and began referring to himself as Renzel, a play on the name of famous actor Denzel Washington. In September, Ross released a mixtape, Black Dollar, his third full-length release since March 2014. He soon announced his eighth album, Black Market, for a December 2015 release. To promote his upcoming release, Ross released a remix tape, Renzel Remixes on Thanksgiving 2015. Black Market was released on the 4th of December 2015, and it served as Ross's final album for his original contract with Def Jam. The album's song Free Enterprise stirred up controversy because the lyrics included the line Assassinate Trump like I'm Zimmerman referring to Donald Trump.
The Feud With 50 Cent
In January 2009, Ross started a feud with rapper 50 Cent because he supposedly looked at him the wrong way at the BET Hip Hop Awards in 2008. 50 Cent told news sources that he did not remember seeing Ross there. In late January, Mafia Music by Ross leaked onto the Internet. There were several lines that seemed to diss 50 Cent. Days later, 50 Cent released Officer Ricky Go Head, Try Me in response to Ross's disparaging remarks on his Mafia Music song. Before going to Venezuela, 50 Cent uploaded a video entitled Warning Shot, wherein he stated Rick Ross, I'mma fuck your life up for fun. In addition, 50 Cent released the first of a series of Officer Ricky cartoons. Early in February, 50 Cent once again made a video which he uploaded to YouTube in which he interviewed Tia, the mother of one of Ross's children. She verifies that he was a correctional officer and claims his whole persona is fake and fraudulent. On his album Deeper Than Rap, Ross references 50 Cent in the song In Cold Blood. A video for the song was released that portrayed 50 Cent's mock funeral. Upon release, Ross stated that he has ended 50 Cent's career. That same day Ross released a new diss track called Push Em Over The Edge. The next day 50 Cent released the controversial video A Psychic Told Me, dissing DJ Khaled. On the 12th of February 50 Cent responded with Tia Told Me, along with Lloyd Banks response Officer Down and Tony Yayo's Somebody Snitched. On the 30th of January 2013, 50 Cent claimed via Twitter that the drive-by shooting that Ross experienced on his birthday two days ago was staged, reigniting the feud. A year later, on the 28th of March 2014, Rick Ross was asked about the feud with 50 Cent. He stated that he does not wish to speak on him anymore, and that he is done with the feud.
The Legal Battles And The Business
In June 2010 Freeway Ricky Ross sued Ross for using his name, filing a copyright infringement lawsuit in a California federal court. Jay-Z had been called to testify in the lawsuit, as he was CEO of Def Jam when Ross/Roberts was signed. Freeway Ricky Ross, a reformed drug kingpin, sought $10 million in damages in his lawsuit. Also, Freeway Ricky Ross threatened to block the release of Ross's album, Teflon Don. A week after the lawsuit was filed, Rick Ross responded to the charges It's like owning a restaurant, you're gonna have a few slip and falls. You get lawsuits, you deal with them, and get them out your way sometimes you lose. He denied rumors that he would change his name to Ricky Rozay as a consequence of the lawsuit. The lawsuit was thrown out of court on the 3rd of July 2010. The album Teflon Don was released as scheduled on the 20th of July 2010. A federal judge ruled that the case should be refiled in California state court because it fell under California state law. Freeway Ricky Ross refiled the case with the State of California and the federal case is on appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The state case was filed in 2011 in California. Freeway Ricky Ross refiled in Los Angeles Superior Court with publicity rights claims. Trial was set for early May 2012. The case was dismissed by a judge in the Los Angeles Superior Court. The California State case was updated with a motion in Freeway Rick Ross's favor as to Warner Bros. Records and their use of the name and image Rick Ross in July 2012. On the 30th of December 2013, the court ruled in favor of the rapper Rick Ross, allowing him to keep the name based on a First Amendment ruling. In 2011, the rapper Teflon Don filed a trademark infringement lawsuit against Ross for the use of the name as an album title. On the 26th of March 2011, Ross was arrested in Shreveport for possession of marijuana. According to the police records, a strong odor of marijuana was detected from his room at the Hilton in Downtown Shreveport. Ross was arrested on the 27th of June 2014, in Greensboro, N.C., following his performance at the 2014 SuperJam at the Greensboro Coliseum. The arrest stemmed from a year-old warrant for another North Carolina arrest related to marijuana possession; Ross reportedly failed to appear in court for that violation in 2013. On the 24th of June 2015, Rick Ross and his bodyguard were arrested in Fayette County, Georgia on kidnapping and assault charges. Both were accused for forcing a landskeeper into a guesthouse and beating him in the head with a handgun, allegedly over money he owed Ross. On the 4th of April 2017, Ross pled no contest to a felony count of aggravated assault. The other felony charges were dropped. Ross was sentenced to time served in jail, having already been incarcerated for a week and was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine. Ross was sentenced as a first-time felony offender; and, upon payment of the fine, the conviction was erased from his record. Ross pled no contest to 5 misdemeanors: assault, battery, two counts of pointing a pistol at someone, and possession of less than 1 oz of cannabis. For the five misdemeanors, he was given a total of 60 months probation.
The Legacy And The Future
Ross has five children: Toie Roberts, born March 2002; William Roberts III, born September 2005; Berkeley Hermès Roberts, born September 2017; Billion Leonard Roberts, born November 2018; and Bliss Roberts, born August 2020. Ross was briefly engaged to Lira Galore Mercer in 2015. He is a Christian, and in an interview with Corey Coco Brother Condrey on Lift Every Voice, he indicated that I had told myself at one point no matter what I go through, I never question God. In addition, Ross indicated that he prays every time he goes on stage to perform. As of 2017, Ross owned several different Wingstop restaurant locations. When Don Lemon was fired from CNN in April 2023, Ross offered him a job, saying For some reason, I believe you know what you doing with the lemon pepper wings. So man, just send over your résumé. On the 26th of August 2020, during an interview with Hot 97, Rick Ross announced his eleventh album, Richer Than I Ever Been, which was released on the 10th of December 2021. On the 7th of September 2021, Ross book The Perfect Day to Boss Up debuted at number 5 on The New York Times weekly bestsellers list. In January 2025, Ross garnered criticism for, alongside Soulja Boy and Snoop Dogg, performing at a Trump-sponsored cryptocurrency event preceding Trump's second inauguration. Ross is the recipient of nine Grammy Award nominations, and has been named Man of the Year by hip hop magazine The Source in 2010 and 2011, as well as Hottest MC in the Game by MTV in the latter year. He founded the record label Maybach Music Group MMG in 2008, through which he has signed artists including Meek Mill, Wale, French Montana, and Omarion, among others. MMG entered a joint venture with Def Jam and later Epic Records to release his subsequent albums Hood Billionaire 2014, Black Market 2015, Rather You Than Me 2017, Port of Miami 2 2019, and Richer Than I Ever Been 2021. After which, it entered a joint venture with Gamma to release his collaborative album, Too Good to Be True 2023 with Meek Mill.