By Odeisel
Through the many beefs, controversies, and issues that he has dealt with in recent memory, Rick Ross has persevered. While public opinion on him waxes and wanes like the tides, one thing that can’t be disputed is his music. Rather than honor many of his problems with a direct response, Ross finds respite in the studio. With a number one album already under his belt for 2009, he returns, this time with the Carol City Cartel for another round in the spotlight. We sat down with Ross to talk about his group and to corral the Boss on his feelings about the music and the mania. The results were both engaging and hilarious. See a side of the Boss you perhaps haven’t seen.
Planet Ill: Ross, you’ve been rapping for many years. Have your experiences in other houses formed how you treat these guys [Triple C’s] under you?
Rick Ross: Most definitely. Just coming into the game, man and starting from the ground up, coming from a funny market such as Miami it’s really hard to get people to believe in you. It’s even harder to get somebody to INVEST in you. So I had to pretty much do that myself. I was my only fan, my only supporter besides my team. That’s the reason why it’s deeper than rap with these guys; it’s more than a check, it’s love. These are dreams coming through right here. This October 27th is huge to me man. Emotionally. These guys been down for over a decade, they been loyal for over a decade. Executive producer Rick Ross. One day I hope they can be in the same position.
Planet Ill: What drives you to be so hands on with this project?
Rick Ross: In my eyes, I’m no bigger than they are. These still my brothers that I ate Subways and Checkers[chicken] with day in and day out in those $25 a night hotels, going to all these fake music conferences with all these fake wannabe big n***as and everybody stayed down. There wasn’t one complaint. We all chipped in on a little petro now and then, so at the end of the day, it’s all about putting that same drive and love and energy back in to it.
That’s the reason why a few big dudes that establish themselves, why their groups don’t work; because the budgets might not be as big and n***as don’t want to tour, but see I got it all on the line like they got it so it is what it is.
Planet Ill: How much does image play in the projection of Rick Ross? You Have Jeezy who was Lil J for a bit, and you, who were Teflon for a bit. How did you settle on your MC personality?
Rick Ross: It was just something that fit. Teflon Don, you know I was so far ahead of my time then it was like, “Don? Teflon Don?” Maybe I was watching mob movies too early. But at the end of the day it comes down to the music. Music is what propels the brand; it’s what sells the brand. Everything else is an enhancement. My priority was always on the music first. All that other shit is cool but let’s get the music down and everything else gon’ pop.
Planet Ill: It’s interesting you said put the music, because in all the controversy, whether it was with 50 or whether it was the Officer Ross stuff you laid back and let your music speak for you. How much DO you believe in your music and your brand?
Rick Ross: Aww man I’m an eight figure n***a now, I can’t do nothing but believe in it. To come from where we came from and to have three #1’s, you know, after Deeper Than Rap, we right back six months later. I think it’s a testament to my work ethic. You let your product, that’s what you do you strategize your work. ‘Cause at the end of the day, if your music ain’t hot all that other stuff is irrelevant. I don’t care how much you like buddy down the street, if he don’t sell no records, buddy gotta go; his s**t gone get foreclosed on.
Planet Ill: How did you establish your relationship with Carol City?
Rick Ross: We were the little dudes running around while the big boys would be out of town at Jack The Rapper, we’re young dudes in high school, I didn’t know what Jack The Rapper was. But my homies was the real street n***as that was getting real money. Kenneth Williams, that was a member of this Triple C movement, he actually was featured on “America’s Most Wanted” in ’98 for running an $80 million drug empire. And this is the dude that took me in and said this is what we need to do. SO they would go to Atlanta and take pictures with Tupac. They come back like yeah we gone do music, and I saw where the direction and that’s when I got into the writing. It was just a natural progression going from the streets to the music.
Planet Ill: Do you feel like XXL was out of pocket for talking about the shades?
Rick Ross: Not really, because at the end of the day they know I’m an 8 figure n***a and I wouldn’t give a flying f**k. But at the same time I felt the shades that I designed, which were Louis Vuitton “Billionaires” I just had my man add s**t to them. They generated so much “What the f**k are those?” Louis Vuitton didn’t know what to say. When somebody don’t understand something and don’t know where to go with it, at the end of the day I think it’s a compliment to me. All this fake s**t that’s running around, for them to look at some of the flyest shades, may I mention, that cost a n**a a pretty penny. Hopefully, when I design my own line, they gone REALLY write a letter then.
N***as around me don’t even mention s**t like that. N***as getting shot 80 times, that’s real s**t. Your dog getting 40 years is real s**t. A magazine and some letters and a lame motherf**ker that don’t know what’s going on, I don’t give a flying f**k to be honest. Them people can f**k they momma for all I care.
It’s about us being rebellious. I’ma buy Luis and change that s**t as much as I want. I’ll wear it on more covers. And if they want to acknowledge that they don’t know what it is, that’s fine, just acknowledge it and keep it moving. A n***a gone stay fly; stay tailored up. We grind too hard for that. If I had some extra gold put on these Cartiers would they not still be Cartiers? They lame, man I forgive ‘em. Shout to XXL for helping me get the number one album. They need to be worried about not ending up like Vibe.
Planet Ill: You got a lot of flack for basically having a job. TI got flack for associating with someone that put people in jail. Do you feel that’s fair?
Rick Ross: I don’t really know TI situation so I don’t speak on that. I ain’t read no transcripts. Cause if a n***a in the hood come to me and tell me that a person I’ve affiliated with in the past, if they accuse them of snitching I expect them to have documents. So I’m not gone speak on TI cause I don’t know what happened in the courtroom.
As far as me, I’ma keep getting money. When I buy a Burger King next year, and if I’m not on tour and I want to go in and check on my employees, squeeze on one of my cashier’s asses, pull my little David Letterman off, and I got on my Burger King s**t and I count my Whoppers and my nuggets, don’t think I’m not a boss ‘cause I’m in a Burger King outfit. That’s the same s**t. Get money man. Don’t let me stop you from getting money ‘cause I Damn sure ain’t gone let you stop me from getting money, or paying my cell phone bill or eating them damn New York strips[steaks].
*******BONUS*******
The following vid occurred during the course of the interview. It didn’t fit with the body of the interview but it is funny and controversial, so here you go.
iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/7362548″ width=”640″ height=”480″ frameborder=”0″ webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen>
Rick Ross Goes In On 50 and G-Unit from Bill Starlin on Vimeo.
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