My Take (Rick Ross Incident)

The Biggest Perpetrator That You've Seen Thus Far

In light of the recent expose' of William Leonard Roberts II, AKA Rick Ross as not living up to the claims he has made in his lyrics, I decided to write a lil piece and put my take on the matter out there.

First off let me say that this is a very personal topic for me. Growing up in L.A. during Freeway's heyday allowed me to get a glimpse at who the real Ricky Ross was. I had a problem with Rick Ross the rapper from day one regarding his name. Before I had ever heard him spit a rhyme, I had a problem with him naming himself after Freeway. Wikipedia summed up the initial problem that I have with Rick Ross best as follows " William Leonard Roberts II, better known by his stage name Rick Ross, is an American rapper. His stage name is derived from the name of drug trafficker Freeway Rick Ross, to whom he has no connection." No connection. So the first question that popped into my mind was who was this guy to name himself after Freeway Rick when he more than likely had no idea who he was? And I know that rapping is a form of entertainment and that glamourizing crime figures is a staple to most rappers success. But this was something more. Rick Ross wasn't the first rapper to name himself after a notorious black gangster (50 Cent and the Real 50 Cent), or the first rapper to name himself after Freeway Rick (IPhilly Rapper Freeway borrowed his name from Freeway Rick as well), but it was the way that he was going about doing it. Now lets take the time to put this little situation into perspective. When I look-up Rick Ross in wikipedia, the Rapper Rick Ross appears before Freeway Ricky Ross from whom he borrowed his stage name. This creates the possibility for today's average Hip-Hop fan to mistake the Rapper Rick Ross for the real Rick Ross. I am familiar with the situation and it is confusing to me. Now I don't know how real Rick Ross the Rapper is or isn't but I do know this:

From a personal appearance standpoint, Rick Ross the Rapper could not be more far off from Freeway Rick. Freeway Rick was probably the most unassuming drug dealer ever. Very modest in appearance, no jewelry, no luxury cars, no none of that. He would never walk around with a medallion of himself around his neck. No boasting no bragging Freeway Rick would never bring unnecessary attention to himself.

I find it ironic that a guy who used to be a prison guard would name himself after someone doing a life sentence. There is nothing like the spirit of capitalism.

Anyways, these rappers need to do there homework before they pick a name out of hat. Rick Ross the Rapper has made alot of money off of Freeway Rick and has probably never given him a dime. That's a shame.