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William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. His stage name is derived from his childhood nickname Mr.Rossy Rick but he thought that sounded a little young so he changed it to just plain old Rick 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 [hide] 1 Early life 2 Music career 2.1 Port of Miami 2.2 Trilla 3 Discography 4 Filmography 5 References 6 External links

Early life Roberts was born 1976 in Coahoma County, Mississippi[1], and raised in the lower-class Carol City in Florida.[2] 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.[3] Rumors appeared on the internet stating he used to be a correctional officer, which were denied by Ross himself. However, in the summer of 2008, The Smoking Gun produced details linking Ross' social security number to a 2-year stint as a correctional officer in a Florida prison facility.[4] He began rapping around the mid-1990s, at which time he formed the five-man amateur group Carol City Cartel.[5] In interviews since being exposed, Rick Ross has not denied nor acknowledged any truth to the article.[6]

Music career Rick Ross joined Suave House Records, former label for rap duo 8Ball & 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.[2]

Port of Miami Main article: Port of Miami (album) 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. [7] 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. [8] The second single was "Push It", which samples "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)", the theme song off the gangster film Scarface.[9] The music video for "Push It" was also modeled after the film.[10]

Trilla Main article: 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.[11] Its lead single "Speedin'" featuring R. Kelly peaked at #21 on the Billboard Hot 100; the next one, "The Boss" featuring T-Pain peaked at #17 on the Hot 100. The third single "Here I Am" featured Nelly and Avery Storm.[12] MTV News ranked Ross on the fourth spot in its 2008 "Hottest MCs In The Game" List among ten rappers.[13]

Discography Main article: Rick Ross discography 2006: Port of Miami 2008: Trilla TBA: Deeper Than Rap

Filmography M.I. Yayo[14] (March 25, 2008) - M.I. Yayo is described as "A groundbreaking documentary about the real Miami" and "Is told in a manner stylistically similar to televisions Gangland and the film Cocaine Cowboys".

References ^ a b c Birth certificate of William Roberts (Rick Ross) as re-printed on The Smoking Gun ^ a b c Cordor, Cyril (2008-02-19). "Rick Ross > Biography". Allmusic. ^ Handelsman, Jason (2008-01-10). "Rick Ross Spins a New One". Miami New Times. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. ^ Kuperstein, Slava (2008-07-21). "Rick Ross Exposed By TheSmokingGun.com", HipHopDX.com. ^ Hoard, Christian (2006-06-01). "A Primer on Rick Ross, Miami's Latest Hip-Hop Phenom". Rolling Stone. Retrieved on 2008-07-07. ^ "HHWorlds.com" - Rick Ross Speaks On Street Credibility (August 3, 2008) ^ Harris, Chris (2006-08-16). "Rick Ross Sails Past Breaking Benjamin, Takes Port Of Miami To #1", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. ^ "Port of Miami - Charts & Awards". All Music Guide (2006). ^ Moss, Corey (2006-07-18). "Rick Ross Ready to 'Blow' Up When He Docks At Port Of Miami In August", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2006-07-26). "A Newcomer 10 Years In The Making: Rick Ross Gets Help From Jay-Z, Akon On First LP", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2008-03-19). "Rick Ross On #1 Trilla Beating Out Snoop, Fat Joe: 'I Told Them We Bossin' Up'", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. ^ Reid, Shaheem (2008-05-20). "Rick Ross Talks About Tiger Attack -- Seriously! -- On The Set Of His 'Here I Am' Video", MTV News. Retrieved on 2008-05-24. ^ "'Hottest MCs In The Game': Rick Ross Bosses Up To #4". MTV News (2008-05-16). Retrieved on 2008-07-07. ^ http://maybachmusicgroup.com/