Rapper and mogul Rick Ross has had a prolific career which has seen him reach dizzying heights. The Miami musician has collaborated with a range of artists, including Drake and Lil Wayne. However, he has also worked alongside singers and R’n’B artists.
Currently, Ross has released 11 studio albums, and five collaborative albums and has even undertaken ventures outside of music and signed several artists. With such an illustrious career and such a hefty catalogue, fans are always intrigued to know who the emcee (real name William Roberts II) is inspired by.
Throughout 2020, Terror Squad artist Fat Joe (real name Jose Cartagena) sat down with celebrities and hip-hop icons on his Instagram Joprah Show, to delve deeper into their lives and careers. After speaking to figures such as Angie Martinez, T-Pain and Jim Jones, Cartagena decided to sit down with Rick Ross for an interview.
During his conversation with Ross, Cartagena highlighted, “There’s so much R’n’B in your music” so he proceeded to ask Williams his top five R’n’B artists, to which he responded, “If I only could choose one! That ain’t like reggae when I can just pick Bob Marley, but when I say R’n’B, I got keep it balanced. I’m a say, Teddy Pendergrass!”
Cartagena also asked Ross which artists from Miami inspired him growing up, Roberts responded, “When I talk about 305 and Miyayo [Miami], I’m talking about Kenneth ‘Bouoie’ Williams. I wanna say welcome home to Willy Falcon. I always got love for Trick [Daddy]”
Miami is the most populous city in the Sunshine State, Miami is a culturally rich melting pot of people, with Hispanic and Caribbean communities living alongside African-Americans. As such, the unique music that has emerged from the city is second to none.
Aside from Rick Ross, Miami has produced an array of incredible artists, including Denzel Curry, Trina, SpaceGhostPurrp, XXXTentacion, DJ Khaled and many more. You can watch Rick Ross’ interview with Fat Joe below.
