Rick Ross (rapper)

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Rick Ross

Background information
Birth name William Roberts
Born 1977
Origin Carol City, Florida, USA
Genre(s) Southern Rap, Gangsta Rap, Miami Bass, Mafioso Rap
Occupation(s) Rapper
Years active 2002-present
Label(s) Slip-N-Slide/Def Jam
(2006—Present )
Poe Boy Entertainment
(2006—Present)
Associated acts DJ Khaled, Flo-Rida, Birdman, Brisco, Lil Wayne, Trick Daddy,Plies, Fat Joe, Trina, Young Jeezy, Nelly, T.I., T-Pain, Ace Hood, Rocko
Website rickross.defjam.com

William Roberts (born 1977[1] in Carol City, Florida, USA) is an African-American hip-hop artist better known by his stage name Rick Ross, a moniker derived from the name of drug trafficker Freeway Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection. Roberts is signed with Slip-N-Slide Records, which as of 2008 is distributed under Def Jam Recordings.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Rick Ross was born William Roberts in the lower-class Carol City in Florida.[1] At Carol City Senior High School, he played football, and he later attended the historically black Albany State University in Albany, Georgia on a football scholarship.[2] He began rapping around the mid-1990s, at which time he formed the five-man amateur group Carol City Cartel.

[edit] Music career

Soon after his return from college, Rick Ross joined Suave House Records, former label for rap duo Eightball & MJG. He eventually signed a joint, multi-million-dollar deal with Slip-N-Slide Records, which has been under the Def Jam umbrella since 2007.[1]

[edit] Port of Miami

His debut album Port of Miami, was released in August 2006 and debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart with sales at 187,000 units its first week out.[3] Its lead single "Hustlin'" was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America in May 2006, and nearly a million ringtones of the song were sold prior to the album release. The song also peaked at the seventh spot on the Billboard magazine Hot Rap Tracks chart and #54 on the Hot 100. A remix of the single featuring Jay-Z and Young Jeezy also achieved some popularity in digital downloads. [4] Other singles included "Blow", produced by Cool & Dre, and "Push It", which samples "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)", the theme song off the gangster film Scarface.[5] The music video for "Push It" was also modeled after the film.[6] With these two songs, Rick Ross unwittingly brought back the mafioso rap sub-genre

[edit] Trilla

In March 2008, his second album Trilla was released and, as its predecessor Port of Miami had, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200.[7] Its lead single "Speedin'" featuring R. Kelly peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100; the next one, "The Boss" featuring T-Pain, became Ross' best single up to date at #17 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The third single "Here I Am" featured Nelly and Avery Storm.[8]

[edit] Discography

Main article: Rick Ross discography

[edit] Studio Albums

[edit] Compilations

  • Rise to Power
    • Released: September 18, 2007
    • Label: Suave House
    • Chart Positions:
    • RIAA Certification:
    • U.S. Sales: 50,000
    • Singles: Get That Bread

[edit] Collabortion Albums

[edit] Filmography

Rick Ross released a documentary on March 25 2008 called M.I. Yayo[10] about the true account of street life in Miami. [11]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Cordor, Cyril (2008-02-19). Rick Ross - Biography. All Music Guide. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  2. ^ Handelsman, Jason (2008-01-10). Rick Ross Spins a New One. Miami New Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-24.
  3. ^ Harris, Chris. "Rick Ross Sails Past Breaking Benjamin, Takes Port Of Miami To #1", MTV News, 2006-08-16. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  4. ^ Port of Miami - Charts & Awards. All Music Guide (2006).
  5. ^ Moss, Corey. "Rick Ross Ready to 'Blow' Up When He Docks At Port Of Miami In August", MTV News, 2006-07-18. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  6. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "A Newcomer 10 Years In The Making: Rick Ross Gets Help From Jay-Z, Akon On First LP", MTV News, 2006-07-26. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  7. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "Rick Ross On #1 Trilla Beating Out Snoop, Fat Joe: 'I Told Them We Bossin' Up'", MTV News, 2008-03-19. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  8. ^ Reid, Shaheem. "Rick Ross Talks About Tiger Attack -- Seriously! -- On The Set Of His 'Here I Am' Video", MTV News, 2008-05-20. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. 
  9. ^ http://www.sixshot.com/news/11446/
  10. ^ http://maybachmusicgroup.com/
  11. ^ http://24hourhiphop.com/hip+hop+News/Rick+Ross+To+Release+%22M.I.Yayo%22+Documentary+In+March/2193/

[edit] External links