Florida rapper Rick Ross undeniably had an exciting journey into the spotlight. Before pursuing his solo career, in the early noughties, Ross (real name William Roberts II) was part of the Miami rap group Triple C’s, alongside rappers Gunplay and Torch. Prior to pursuing music, the rapper was a correctional officer in South Florida but quit his job to pursue music full-time.
Ross grew up in the Carol City neighbourhood of Miami. Raised in a single-parent household with his mother and sisters, Ross did relatively well in school and even attended Albany State University on a football scholarship. However, after graduating and becoming a correctional officer, in 1997 he turned his attention to hip hop.
Under the pseudonym Teflon Da Don, he recorded several demos, one of which landed him a guest verse on the third Erick Sermon album Def Squad Presents: Erick Onasis on the song ‘Ain’t Shhh to Discuss’. Following this mainstream feature, Teflon Da Don, under the stage name Rick Ross signed to Suave House Records and, after a short stint on the record label, signed to the Miami-based Def Jam subsidiary Slip-n-Slide Records. While on the label, Ross toured alongside Miami rap legend, Trick Daddy Dollars.
Making a name for himself throughout the early noughties by touring alongside more prominent artists performing his underground Suave House material, in 2006, Ross released his debut album Port Of Miami, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. In 2008, Ross released Trilla. His second studio album, which, like his first, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.
2009 saw Ross found his own label Maybach Music Group, which became the main competition to Lil Wayne’s Young Money. Acting as what could be dubbed “label crews”, Young Money, Maybach Music Group and G.O.O.D Music were all in competition during the early 2010s. Meek Mill, Wale and French Montana are among some of the artists that signed to Maybach Music Group in the early 2010s.
Ross has released 11 studio albums, one collaborative album and has even undertaken ventures outside of music, with Ross owning several different Wingstop franchises. With such an illustrious career and such a hefty catalogue, we have sieved through all of Ross’ material to provide you with the top ten Rick Ross songs of all time. You can see the list below.
The ten best Rick Ross songs ever:
10. ‘The Boss’ ft T-Pain – Trilla, (2008)
From the rapper’s second album, this track was one of Ross’ biggest mainstream songs. It had crossover appeal, and with T-Pain on the hook, it was less brash than some of the material on his first album.
It is still Ross’s highest charting single to date. It peaked at number 17 on the Billboard Hot 100 and is certified platinum. As well as the original, there were also several unofficial remixes recorded. Even the likes of Nicki Minaj recorded remixes. Minaj’s featured on her mixtape Sucka Free.
9. ‘Maybach Music’ ft Jay-Z – Trilla, (2008)
Serving as the inspiration for the name of the Miami rapper’s Maybach Music Group label, ‘Maybach Music’ is based around a sample of ‘And I Love Him’ by The Friends Of Distinction, which is a cover of The Beatles‘ ‘And I Love Her’, and was produced by Florida production team J.U.S.T.I.C.E League.
The song wasn’t an official single of the album but is loved by fan’s not just because of Jay-Z’s verse but because it signifies the origins of the MMG Label. A smooth mafioso rap song ‘Maybach Music’ is definitely worth a listen.
8. ‘Push It’ – Port Of Miami, (2006)
‘Push It’ was the second single from the rapper’s debut album, and although it didn’t perform as well as the lead single is still a popular track. The track peaked at number 57 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was only certified gold. However, the song marks the beginning of Ross’ rise to the top of the charts.
Produced by J.R. Rotem, the track samples ‘Scarface (Push It to the Limit)’ from the soundtrack of the movie Scarface. An official remix was released for the single, featuring Bun B, Jadakiss, Styles P and The Game. The remix also did not perform well. However, the track definitely deserves a place in the top ten.
7. ‘Mafia Music’ – Deeper Than Rap, (2009)
Produced by The Inkredibles, ‘Mafia Music’ is the intro track of Ross’ third album, Deeper Than Rap and really sets the tone for the project, with themes of grandeur and lavish lifestyles.
Deeper Than Rap was Ross’ first album to be released through his record label Maybach Music Group and marks the beginning of an era for Ross as a label head as well as an artist. Some fans speculate whether this was the song that truly began the 50 Cent versus Rick Ross beef. But irrespective of their feud, it’s a good song, to say the least.
6. ‘B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)’ ft Styles P – Teflon Don, (2010)
The second single from the rapper’s 2010 album Teflon Don, ‘B.M.F’ was a platinum-selling record and a career-reviving release for Ross, who was slowly fading into the background as his prodigies Meek Mill and Wale began to surpass him with regard to relevancy in hip hop.
‘B.M.F’ was produced by one of hip hop’s super-producers, Lex Luger, with the song spreading like wildfire, there are over 10 unofficial remixes, including versions by Skepta, Young Jeezy and Tyga.
5. ‘Stay Schemin’ ft Drake & French Montana – Rich Forever, (2012)
The lead single from Rick Ross’ second mixtape Rich Forever, released in 2012, this single had two of today’s most sought-after artists if you’re looking for a quality melodic hook. Drake and French montana.
Produced by The Beat Bully, the song had a lot of controversy surrounding it as some believed that Drake was dissing Chicago rapper Common on the track. As a result, Common performed a remix where he called out Drake by name and labelled him (among other things) “Canada Dry.” Common’s remix artwork also refers to Drake as “That Hoe Ass Nigga.”
However, the original is much better but you can listen to both below.
![Common - Stay Schemin Remix [Drake Diss] [NEW/CDQ/Dirty/NODJ]](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/8YzG6_MTc3c/hqdefault.jpg)
4. ‘Gold Roses’ ft Drake – Port Of Miami 2, (2012)
The lead single from Port Of Miami 2, ‘Gold Roses’ is based around a sample from Rupture’s ‘Israël Suite’ jazz track and was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Rap Song at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.
The song is lyrically introspective and emotional. Furthermore, with Drake on the hook and laying down a verse on the track, it was certified platinum and did fairly well commercially, reaching number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.
3. ‘Diced Pineapples’ ft Wale & Drake – God Forgives…I Don’t, (2012)
The fourth single from Ross’ fifth studio album, God Forgives, I Don’t ‘Diced Pineapples’ is a more melodic track and is one of Ross’ most popular contemporary songs. It sees an MMG and YMCM collaboration as Ross and Wale work with Drake for a true anthem.
Filmed on the Caribbean island of Anguilla, the music video has already racked up 99 million views and was premiered on BET’s 106 & Park music video show.
2. ‘Aston Martin Music’ ft Drake & Chrisette Michele – Teflon Don, (2010)
Another collaboration with Drake, this track also features Grammy award-winning R’n’B singer Chrisette Michele. Released as the third single for Teflon Don, ‘Aston Martin Music’ went triple-platinum upon its release shortly after Drake’s debut album.
The track was produced by Florida production team J.U.S.T.I.C.E League and was sonically less aggressive than previous releases by Ross. ‘Aton Martin Music’ peaked at number 30 on the Billboard Hot 100. However, the song’s music video has racked up a staggering 320.7 million views since its upload in 2010 and has been streamed over 165.7 times on Spotify.
1. ‘Hustlin’ – Port Of Miami, (2006)
This song is known worldwide and is undoubtedly Ross’ most well-known song. Recorded in 2005, ‘Hustlin’ was the debut single for Ross’ first album Port Of Miami and was released through Slin-N-Slide Records. The song was so impactful it initiated a bidding war between labels for Ross. The rapper received offers from Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment and Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. before ultimately signing a multi-million dollar deal with Def Jam.
The song was so popular it warranted an official remix featuring Jay-Z and Young Jeezy. Several unofficial remixes were released, including an all-star remix from Lil Wayne featuring Z-Ro, Jay-Z, T.I., Busta Rhymes, Remy Ma, Young Jeezy and Lil Flip.
‘Hustlin’ is undoubtedly Ross’ best song and is completely worthy of the number one spot on this top ten list. You can watch the music video below.
