William Leonard Roberts II, known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper and record executive. An influential figure in modern hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "booming" vocal performance, "larger than life" persona, and vivid lyrical imagery. His lyrics augment the hardships of street life and black market economic activity into a rags to riches narrative, often describing affluence, wealth, and luxury.
Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'" in March 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war—receiving offers from Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc.—ultimately signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Jay-Z on Def Jam Recordings. In August of that year, he released his debut studio album Port of Miami, which debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart, likewise with his second and third studio albums, Trilla (2008) and Deeper Than Rap (2009). His fourth album, Teflon Don (2010) contained the hit single "Aston Martin Music" (featuring Drake and Chrisette Michele), which became certified triple platinum by the RIAA.
Outside of his solo career, Ross was a lead member of the hip hop group Triple C's, alongside fellow Florida rappers Gunplay and Torch, in 2005. Ross founded the record label Maybach Music Group (MMG) in 2009, and has went on to sign artists including Meek Mill, Wale, French Montana, and Omarion, among others. Maybach Music Group would also enter a joint-venture deal with Def Jam and later Epic Records to release his subsequent studio albums: God Forgives, I Don't (2012), Mastermind, Hood Billionaire (2014), Black Market (2015), Rather You Than Me (2017), Port of Miami 2 (2019), and Richer Than I Ever Been (2021). Ross has been nominated for a total of nine Grammy Awards, and has been named "Man of the Year" for two consecutive years by hip hop magazine The Source in 2010 and 2011, as well as "Hottest MC in the Game" by MTV in 2011.
