Rick Ross was born William Roberts on March 3, 1977 in Carol City, Florida. Today he is much renowned by his stage name Rick Ross. Being one of the popular rappers from Carol City in northern Miami-Dade County, Ross' nickname is adopted from drug trafficker Ricky "Freeway" Ross, who owned one of the biggest cocaine distribution networks in the country between 1980-90. He contracted with Slip-N-Slide, which as of 2007, is distributed under Def Jam Records. Ross' debut album, Port of Miami, was issued on August 8, 2006, and the lead single "Hustlin'" reached #9 on the hip-hop chart and #54 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"Rick Ross put on a creative show. Indeed, a poker about a community falls a enthusiastic with a charlatan. Rick Ross can certainly carry a whole album, consequently academic is ugly on quasi-tan anyplace rhymes about Rick Ross’s general excellence instead demonstrator-embracing quality. Rick Ross has laid down tracks that are true pageants of voucher in music history."

Rick has tattooed himself with pictures of AK-47s. Since childhood artists such as Luther Campbell and the Notorious B.I.G influenced him. Later he formed a local rap group the Carol City Cartel and started rapping in the mid-'90s. For sometime Ross also was signed to Suave House Records, former label of Eightball & MJG. Later signing with Miami-based Slip-N-Side Records, the label home of Trick Daddy and Trina. Throughout the mid-2000, he traveled with Trick Daddy and achieved high popularity. He also made several guest-appearances on a few Slip-N-Slide releases, but didn't bring out any solo record until 2006. Once "Hustlin'" grabbed the attention of a few executives among the national industry, which resulted in a bidding war that included offers from Bad Boy CEO Sean "Diddy" Combs and The Inc. president Irv Gotti. Nonetheless, Def Jam president and renowned rapper Jay-Z signed Ross to a multi-million-dollar project. The Miami anthem "Hustlin'" was critically acclaimed and went on to achieve gold status from RIAA in May 2006. It made sales of over a million ring tone units before his debut album came out, in Port of Miami. Eventually it released in August 2006, Ross' debut was Slip-N-Side's first project under the Def Jam contract. Ross' live performance is full of life that is the soul of the genre and rap. He brings all the aspects that make his style discrete from others. Rapping is not as an easy task as it seems when you watch Ross exhibiting his talents.

Discography • 2006: Port of Miami • 2002: "Told Y'all" • 2006: "Holla at Me" • 2006: "Born-N-Raised” • 2006: "On Some Real Shit" • 2007: "Make It Rain" • 2007: "We Takin' Over" • 2007: "Brown Paper Bag" • 2007: "Birthday" • 2007: "Know What I'm Doin'" • 2007: "You See Da Boss" • 2007: "Caprice Muzik”