With Port Of Miami 2 on the way, Rick Ross has been making the rounds, including a recent stop at Complex. It doesn't take long for Renzel to open up about his recent health-scare, which had fans fearing the worst. Yet as he explains, sometimes perspective can come in the wake of trauma. "Just waking up in the hospital with all your homeboys, it's like they had they back to me," reflects Ross. "I just rose up, and everybody like WHAT? And I'm like, we at the club? It most definitely made me reevaluate and approach some things more directly than I ever have. I still pray records like "Fascinated" and "Running The Streets," I most know I took it somewhere else with those records."
Drake, Possible Collab Album, & More">Cassidy Sparrow/Getty Images
He also talks about his work with Drake, opening the floor for an eventual collaborative album. "We do some of the dopest records," he states, a sentiment with which many fans would agree. "That bond is genuine. He's recognized, Grammy-wise, and he deserves that. What I do, I feel the streets deserve that." When asked about the formula for success between him and Drizzy, Ross keeps it one hundred. "I just think naturally and honestly we fans of each other," he says. "I remember the first time a chick ever told me about this artist Drake, I said well play him! When I heard him, I heard his tone, I heard his melodies, he went from rapping to singing. I was like, that's different."
I began listening to him. I knew him being around Lil Wayne, and if he kept that same work ethic that Lil Wayne was on...When I met him the first time and first collaborated with him, it just went back and forth and continued to grow. He came to my crib a few times." He proceeds to reminisce on shooting "Stay Schemin'" viral videos with Drizzy, cruising around Miami at 3 in the morning. "We just loved it that much. We did a dope record and we couldn't wait for the label to film it. We filmed it ourselves." He acknowledges that the streets are hungry for a collaboration album, and praises Drizzy's writing acumen on "Gold Roses." "When he switch from those melodies to them rhymes, nobody else can do that," says Ross. "Nobody else can do that."
As for a possible full-length, Renzel keeps the door open with an ambiguous "you never know." By his own admission, there'd have to be a few pre-requisites. For one, they'd have to be on an island, with Evian-clear water in the vicinity. Second, a studio must be on-premises. Third, the chef better be lined up. "That's something we could do in 48 hours," teases Ross. "If the timing right, we'll get to it."
Check out the full interview below, via Complex.