Rick Ross is fresh off of the release of his latest album, Richer Than I Ever Been, and the deluxe edition, which arrived earlier this month. Shortly before the deluxe dropped, HNHH caught up with Ross for an exclusive interview discussing everything from the finely curated artists he collaborated on the tracklist, the significance that the Promised Land, and more.
Just weeks before the album's release, horrible news struck out of Memphis -- the death of Young Dolph. The Memphis-based artist was gunned down right before his annual Thanksgiving drive in his community. Fans mourned while his peers shared tributes across the timeline, including Rick Ross. The two had known each other for years with Ross linking up with Dolph on the "Preach (Remix)" in 2015. Ross took him under his wing, as he does with most artists that he sees potential in. His relationship with Nipsey Hussle, who passed away in 2019, was similar. Ross had early discussions about signing Nip set MMG. While those particular conversations didn't manifest into a deal, they remained tight until Nipsey's passing.
The rapper explained the significance of their passing to the culture, at large, comparing the similarities in impact and attention of Dolph and Nipsey's death as Tupac and Biggie during his time coming up. "Losing Nipsey and Dolph for this generation, I'm sure, was just as equivalent or greater to what BIG or Pac was for my generation," he explained.
His relationship with Dolph and Nipsey allowed him a first-hand glimpse into the empires they were building from the ground up. "And me personally knowing those two brothas, I saw their vision," he explained, recalling walking into the Marathon Clothing when it was just a warehouse.
"I got to sit with Nipsey when it was just a shallow warehouse," he explained. "He had a vision, I'm back six months later, and the merchandise is in the storeman, the conversations we had they went on for years. Whether it was just us being business partners, on the same label, MCs, entrepreneurs, and [discussing] what's our next moves in buying s***."
As for Dolph, Ross has strong familial ties in Memphis so he'd be frequently in and out of the city, running into the "Get Paid" rapper during his come-up. "And then, seeing Dolph and meeting him running around as a young n***a in Memphis," he said. "I got so much family in Memphis, and I show love to the little homies, but it's f***ed up when you see this great loss. But this generation got to make sure that they take from that and learn from that."