Rick Ross Biography Once only an artist frequently featured in songs, Rick Ross stepped up into the spotlight as the lead man. The Haitian rapper was born William Roberts on January 28, 1977. Sep 03, 2019 The title of the book is a metaphor for Ross's life: the trauma and the triumph. Everyone who has been down and out at times (aka all of us) should be able to relate to Ross's story. His perseverance, discipline and focus in the face of adversities is to be admired.
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EXPANDRick Ross is set to discuss his new book, Hurricanes: A Memoir, at MDC's Wolfson Campus Monday.
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Rick Ross has learned a lot over his past decade-plus in the spotlight. Fans know him as Ricky Rozay, the swaggering Miami artist who once rapped, “I know Pablo Noriega, the real Noriega/He owe me 100 favors,” but the man behind the persona — William Leonard Roberts II — has a story to tell too.
That’s what he hopes to accomplish through his newest memoir, Hurricanes: the opportunity to share a side of himself he hasn't revealed through his lengthy music catalog.
Hurricanes, like Ross’ own story, begins with the music. It is dedicated to his “big brother,” Carol City, where Ross grew up and began to cultivate his interests and talents.
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His first hit, “Hustlin',” and the ensuing album, Port of Miami, catapulted him to fame in 2006, and the long-awaited sequel, Port of Miami 2, was released last month.
“So much has changed from the first album, so the approach would have to be somewhat different,” Ross says of the 13 years that have passed since the release of his debut album. “But the passion is what remained the same. And I think that’s the reason I’m so relevant at this point — is because of the passion.”
With his tenth studio album, Ross returned to his roots in a way, and he hoped it might help him find closure surrounding the highs and lows he’s experienced over the years. He lost one of his best friends, manager Black Bo, to heart disease; lost a promising collaborator, Nipsey Hussle, to a senseless murder; and nearly lost his own life after suffering a number of seizures now revealed to be caused by drug use.
Instead, as he explains in Hurricanes, while creating Port of Miami 2, he found himself transported back to the emotions and drive that propelled him in 2006.
“I hope I get to see Miami dudes collaborating with Broward County dudes and Jacksonville, Tampa.' ![Hurricane book Hurricane book](/uploads/1/1/0/3/110347577/157006239.jpg)
He was careful in the production of the album — apprehensive about giving the impression he might be trying too hard to sound current or different — as opposed to delivering the classic rhymes, beats, and bars his fans know and love.
The result was a balanced project that allowed Ross to tackle some tough topics while also amplifying and expanding on the elements for which he’s best known.
“What I didn’t want to do was to alter my sound to make it feel like the younger artists or what’s currently popping or going on,” he says. “I just wanted to do what I do the best. And I wanted to stay in my lane, which I feel we really did.”
He did, however, bring on a few members of Florida’s newest crop to assist in some spectacular ways on Port of Miami 2. A shining example is a feature from Denzel Curry, who also hails from Carol City.
“At this level of the game, where you’re trying to make something really great that will stand the test of time, it's not really a lot of room for favors,” Ross says. “I gotta be a fan of your music, and Denzel Curry is a great example of somebody being incredible — and from Carol City, right here in my neighborhood, 305, M-I-Yeyo.”
There are also features from other Florida natives, including Greezy and Gunplay, as well as verses from big-name artists such as Drake, Lil Wayne, and Nipsey Hussle.
Ross is happy to see the evolution of Florida hip-hop over the past few years — a number of talented artists have begun to permeate the mainstream. As with any prominent hip-hop environment, pockets tend to form naturally, with artists separated by zip codes and city lines, but Ross hopes to see rappers from all over the state collaborate for the sake of the music.
“I hope I get to see Miami dudes collaborating with Broward County dudes and Jacksonville, Tampa. It don’t really matter where you at. Let’s just remove those lines, and if the shit dope, let’s just fuck with it,” he says.
Ross knows a thing or two about beef. One of the biggest conversations coming out of Port of Miami 2’s release was the absence of a Pusha T verse on the Lil Wayne and John Legend-assisted “Maybach Music VI.” Many listeners anticipated the opportunity to hear Pusha T and Wayne on a song together after their long-documented, contentious history. That didn't happen.
“Ultimately, it’s just, is this gonna help them put the differences behind each other?” Ross says of his own concerns about the song. “Obviously, I didn’t feel it was. But, trust me, nobody wanted to see that happen more than Rozay.”
“It was really time for me to make a change if I wanted to stay alive.' The decision is an illustration of Ross’ unique ability to navigate the industry after so many years as a prominent name in hip-hop. But that status has come with sacrifice. Ross’ personal struggles with fame existed largely out of the spotlight until he began having seizures in 2011. Then, in 2018, they recurred and he was hospitalized — though it was reported at the time to have been a possible heart attack.
Rick Ross Memoir Excerpts
Ross reveals in Hurricanes that the seizures were a result of codeine interacting with other drugs and alcohol and that one seizure was so severe it caused him to defecate in his bed. People don’t want to talk about the lows, he says, which is why he waited so long to publicly discuss his health problems.
“People pay you to have concerts or they pay you to come sign autographs. They pay you to come for 30 minutes, 45 minutes,” he says. “You don’t have time to discuss a lot of different things, but I guess that’s what the memoir is for.”
Since suffering the seizures, he’s begun living a healthier lifestyle. He’s given up codeine, prioritized his diet, and lost nearly 85 pounds.
“It was really time for me to make a change if I wanted to stay alive, and all these things had to fall into place,” he says.
Ross has undoubtedly faced some demons, and he carries the memories of the people he’s lost as he continues his journey. The cover art of Port of Miami 2 shows him holding a photo of Black Bo, who passed away at the age of 45. Quoting Nipsey Hussle in Hurricanes, Ross writes, “The Marathon Continues.”
His identity is now a multifaceted one: artist, father, entrepreneur. With a new lease on life, Ross is concentraing on moving forward.
Aside from the release of his new album and book, he’s also taking part in the second iteration of his favorite film, Coming 2 America, with Eddie Murphy. The movie is set to be released next summer, when Ross plans to launch a film production company.
“Regardless of where we started, the sky is the limit,” he says. “We’ll never stop hustling.”
Rick Ross.7:30 p.m. Monday, September 9, at Miami Dade College Wolfson Campus, Chapman Conference Center, 300 NE Second Ave., Bldg. 3, Second Floor, Miami; booksandbooks.com. Tickets cost $27.99 via eventbrite.com.
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Hurricanes: A Memoir by Rick Ross and Neil Martinez-Belkin
Neil Martinez-Belkin is no stranger to the music industry. The hip-hop community has always had an impact on his life.
Martinez-Belkin went from working as the music editor at one of the top hip-hop magazines, XXL, to writing the life stories of two of the hottest rappers in the music industry — Gucci Mane in 2018 and now Rick Ross.
Rolling out caught up with Belkin to discuss his role in Ross’ book, Hurricanes: A Memoir, which was released earlier this fall.
What inspired you to co-author the book, Hurricanes, with Rick Ross?
I was such a fan of Ross as an artist and of his music. And so, the idea of working with him was very exciting in that regard. As I kind of tried to think, OK, well, Ross’s music is great, but what about this story is compelling? I was really drawn to the idea of writing about [the] ’80s and ’90s in Miami and the historical context that Ross’s story takes place in. … I think the big thing that drew me to the project is it was hard for me to imagine Rick Ross as any other [way] than how I think the general public receives him, as a star, [as if] he came out of the womb fully formed in a Versace robe with diamond sunglasses on.
Describe your experience working with Ross.
I’d say that definitely changed over time … He [Ross] says, you know, “For the first six months that Neil was coming around, I thought he was a federal agent …” I would be with him on the road or in the house, and the guy just wouldn’t talk to me. He refused to talk to me. He was very guarded … I think that when he saw that, “OK, this kid is still sticking around. I’m giving him nothing, but he’s still coming. He’s not giving up.” … That showed him my commitment to the book and how much I cared and that I wasn’t going to give up on this thing, and I think that was a turning point.
Name three things the reader should take away with them from the book.
I think the biggest thing that I think, I hope, people get out of it is that bosses are not born and they are made … [and] how funny of a person Ross is. Like, he’s really one of the funniest people that I’ve ever met in my life, [and] I just think … what a man of honor and integrity he is and what a principled person he is.
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What was the hardest part of completing this project?
I think the big one is establishing trust with celebrities and famous people, in general. Windows explorer. I think they’re very used to having people come around that want something from them or want to use them for their own advantage … [and] when you’re working hand-in-hand with creative people, you are working around them. Ross is not going to work around me.