Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

Rick Ross Opened up About Ghostwriting Early in His Career and How It Helped Him Meet Kanye West

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

An artist’s journey to superstardom is rarely ever glamorous. They don’t just spawn into the mainstream out of thin air or waltz their way into record deals and huge major label albums. Instead, there’s a ton of leg work— tedious networking, doing shows for free, and a lot of social media peddling for artists today. For Rick Ross, his journey involved a ton of ups and downs.

Before anyone knew who he was, he was William Leonard Roberts II working as a correctional officer in Florida. In between, he was trying to finagle his way into the “limited hip-hop circle.” During a 2021 conversation with Billboard, he recalled the days going up from Miami to Tallahassee cutting his teeth by writing 10 songs a day. Since Miami didn’t have a strong scene by that point, he would branch out to any place that would work with him.

“Miami music was always outdoors with the beach and turn-up with chicks twerking with a vibe and uptempo. It’s beautiful, but that wordplay meant a lot to me — so I went to [TJ’s DJ’s]. I was on every mixtape,” Rick Ross said. “Anything that was going on from Tallahassee to Miami. DJ Bigga Rankin in Jacksonville, DJ Smallz in Tampa Bay and wherever it was going down at, I just made sure to insert myself to not miss anything.”

Rick Ross Talks About the Days Before His Breakout Debut ‘Port Of Miami’

Ghostwriting and being in those spaces allowed him to link with artists and industry figures that proved pivotal in his eventual rise to stardom. “The pen introduced me to a lot of different people. At the time, when I was a younger artist, I never would’ve known how these same relationships would re-emerge and come back and forth. Dre from Cool & Dre called me with an artist he was working with so I could come to the studio. I came to the studio, and I sat with them going through beats and a lot of different stuff. This wasn’t anyone I was familiar with at the time, and she had a lot of cool Jordans. Come to find out, it’s Angie Martinez,” Rick Ross explained.

“I said, ‘Damn, she doing her thing — and she a bigwig and she into hip-hop.’ That’s how we met. We didn’t talk radio and I didn’t know she was into that. I just saw her Jordans and we went through beats. That’s just one of many that came back many years later.”

The interviewer noted that it was similar to how Rick Ross met Kanye West, too. Ultimately, working with him wasn’t at the top of his priorities though. All he wanted early on was to make connections that could help him later on— and it did, from Remy Ma to Nipsey Hussle.

“I could’ve bought one of them man’s beats for $5,000. When you young and hungry as I was — and Ye was at that time — it’s not even about the money. It’s really about solidifying the relationships, knowing when he come to Miami, he got artists he could depend on,” Rick Ross added.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

(Photo by Jason Koerner/Getty Images for Reseve Padel) Rick Ross Opened up About Ghostwriting Early in His Career and How It Helped Him Meet Kanye West 6 minutes ago By Caleb Catlin

Rick Ross Opened up About Ghostwriting Early in His Career and How It Helped Him Meet Kanye West

Photo: Milatas / Getty Images 4 Reasons Your Partner Always Puts Their Phone Face-Down (Relax, It’s Not That) 5 hours ago By Sammi Caramela

4 Reasons Your Partner Always Puts Their Phone Face-Down (Relax, It’s Not That)

Photo: jose carlos cerdeno martinez / Getty Images 5 Zodiac Signs Most Likely to Get Back With Their Ex (and Why) 5 hours ago By Sammi Caramela

5 Zodiac Signs Most Likely to Get Back With Their Ex (and Why)

Photo: Maskot / Getty Images 4 Cozy Fantasy Books to Read If You Love Legends & Lattes 6 hours ago By Sammi Caramela

4 Cozy Fantasy Books to Read If You Love Legends & Lattes

Photo: Maria Korneeva / Getty Images How to Get More Matches on Dating Apps, According to Psychologists 6 hours ago By Ashley Fike

How to Get More Matches on Dating Apps, According to Psychologists

Photo: Malte Mueller / Getty Images Over 19 Million Americans Have Had This Violent Thought, Scientists Say 7 hours ago By Luis Prada

Over 19 Million Americans Have Had This Violent Thought, Scientists Say

Photo: DBenitostock / Getty Images Drinking This While Gaming Could Make You a Better Player 7 hours ago By Luis Prada

Drinking This While Gaming Could Make You a Better Player

Photo: Adrienne Bresnahan / Getty Images Glitter Lung Sounds Like a Fake Illness, But It Can Actually Kill 8 hours ago By Ashley Fike

Glitter Lung Sounds Like a Fake Illness, But It Can Actually Kill

Photo: morrowlight / Getty Images 3 Whimsical Fantasy Books With Low Stakes and High Charm 8 hours ago By Sammi Caramela

3 Whimsical Fantasy Books With Low Stakes and High Charm

Photo: Oleg Breslavtsev / Getty Images 3 Books for 30-Somethings Who Feel Behind in Life (You’re Not, by the Way) 9 hours ago By Sammi Caramela

3 Books for 30-Somethings Who Feel Behind in Life (You’re Not, by the Way)

Add your account details

© Vice