Latest Release
- DEC 6, 2024
- 1 Song
- The Best In The World Pack - Single · 2019
- Teflon Don · 2010
- We the Best Forever (Bonus Version) · 2011
- WE DON'T TRUST YOU · 2024
- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy · 2010
- Stay Schemin' (feat. Drake & French Montana) - Single · 2012
- X (Expanded Edition) · 2014
- Port of Miami · 2006
- Long Live Nut · 2017
Essential Albums
- By the dawn of the 2010s, Rick Ross had endured one-hit wonder accusations, a beef with 50 Cent, and assaults on his reputation by reports of his stint as a correctional officer—yet he’d still solidified himself as a formidable artist. Ross could make trap records that knocked just as hard as any other acts from below the Mason-Dixon line, and larger-than-life luxury raps that oozed with ornateness. But his fourth release, 2010’s Teflon Don, proved that Ross could make a body of work that shined beyond specific highlights. The album’s 11 tracks are assembled as intentionally and efficiently as any of his works to date. Telfon Don leaves no stone unturned when it comes to Ross’ strengths. “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)” and “I’m Not a Star” are thunderous and triumphant trap bangers, his booming voice swinging through synths like an axe through wood. “Maybach Music III” elevated his signature series to new heights, with an orchestral J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League instrumental, a soulful Erykah Badu chorus, and opulent rhymes by T.I. and Jadakiss—all of it making way for Ross’ own scene-changing finale of a verse. Ross is often known more for the fantastical than for the introspective, but he even gives himself a chance to reflect on Teflon Don. “Tears of Joy” utilizes a Marvin Gaye hook morphed by No I.D.—and stirring vocals by CeeLo Green—to tell Ross’ rags-to-riches story with a perspective of gratitude and incredulousness. And the album’s closer, “All the Money in the World,” contextualizes his family’s happiness as his number-one priority.
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- 2023
Artist Playlists
- The Miami rap kingpin spins tales of jet-setting luxury over expressive soul samples.
Live Albums
- Madame Kapuscinska
- The artists on “Go to Hell.”
- The MCs take over the show to celebrate “SHAQ & KOBE.”
- Like its inspiration Big Meech, this record had a firm grip on rap.
- An early birthday celebration for the iconic Rick Ross.
- Rick Ross on being a lyricist and working with the best rappers.
- DJ Jonezy drops a Rick Ross versus 2 Chainz guest mix.
- Two of the south's most prolific MCs compare their catalogs.
More To See
About Rick Ross
When Rick Ross’ “Hustlin’” came out in early 2006, it almost seemed like a joke: How could you make something so gonzo and still keep a straight face? This wasn’t rap as lyricism or verbal documentary, it was rap as pro wrestling, summer blockbuster. Few artists were as perceptive in capturing the genre’s turn toward new-money excess, the move from the streets—in Ross’ case, Carol City, Florida—to the exurbs, to cars that outprice helicopters and houses the size of airplane terminals. Even as he toned down the supervillainy, Ross remained larger than life, luxury incarnate. “Am I really just a narcissist/’Cause I wake up to a bowl of lobster bisque?” he asked on 2011’s “I Love My Bi***es.” Maybe. But it’s good TV nevertheless. Born William Roberts in 1976, Ross started rapping in his early twenties, with “Hustlin’”—then self-released—sparking a bidding war that landed him on Def Jam. In 2008, his brief past as a corrections officer—18 months, starting at age 19—surfaced, loading new coals on the ever-ongoing conversation about biography and authenticity in rap. By 2009, he’d started the Maybach Music Group, following the rapper-to-boardroom path paved by artists like JAY-Z and Birdman; by 2010’s Teflon Don, his skills as had caught up to his vision. Ross worked steadily throughout the 2010s, easing into a more reflective version of his persona—in 2018, he’d ended up on life support after collapsing in his home—without sacrificing any of his outsized grandeur. Even as he made room to reflect on mortality (2019’s “I Still Pray”), race (2015’s “We Gon Make It”), and politics (2017’s “Santorini Greece”), you always knew where his heart was. As goes one to-the-point line on Port of Miami 2’s “Gold Roses,” “I know it seem odd/But money amazin’.”
- HOMETOWN
- Clarksdale, MS, United States
- BORN
- January 28, 1976
- GENRE
- Hip-Hop/Rap