Rick Ross, born William Roberts in 1977 , is an American rapper from Carol City, in northern Miami-Dade County, Florida.
He took his rap name from Los Angeles drug kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross, who ran one of the largest crack-cocaine distribution networks in the country during the ’80s and early ’90s.
He is signed with Slip-N-Slide, which as of 2006, is distributed under Def Jam Records. Port of Miami, Ross’ debut album, was released on August 8, 2006, with the lead single “Hustlin'” peaking at #7 on the hip-hop charts and #54 on the Billboard Hot 100. A remix of the single featuring Young Jeezy and Jay-Z also achieved some popularity in digital downloads