Rick Ross is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, record executive, producer, and CEO who has a net worth of $150 million. During his career to date, Rick Ross has sold millions of albums and tens of millions of singles worldwide. At various times in his career, he has been one of the ten highest-paid rappers in the world. His total career earnings as of this writing top $90 million. That does not include the value of real estate investments, his record label, and other income-generating ventures.
Rick Ross came to prominence in 2006 with his debut album “Port of Miami,” which debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Known for his distinctive husky voice and vivid narratives in his lyrics, Ross followed his debut success with several more acclaimed albums, including “Trilla” (2008), “Deeper Than Rap” (2009), “Teflon Don” (2010), and “God Forgives, I Don’t” (2012), all of which reached the top of the Billboard charts. His music often touches on themes of wealth, criminal activity, and the Miami lifestyle.
Beyond his music career, Ross is also the founder of the record label Maybach Music Group (MMG), which has released albums by successful artists like Meek Mill and Wale. In addition to his work in music, Ross is an entrepreneur with a variety of business interests, including ownership of several franchises of the Wingstop restaurant chain.
William Leonard Roberts II was born on January 28, 1976, in Clarksdale, Mississippi. He was raised in Carol City, Florida. He graduated from Miami Carol City Senior High School and attended the historically black college Albany State University on a football scholarship.
Ross worked as a correctional officer for 18 months, from December 1995 until his resignation in June 1997. Ross made his debut under the pseudonym Teflon Da Don. He changed his name to Rick Ross in the mid-2000s. His stage name was inspired by the former drug kingpin “Freeway” Rick Ross.
He released his debut single “Hustlin” in 2006 and became the subject of a bidding war. He got offers from Diddy’s Bad Boy Entertainment and Irv Gotti’s Murder Inc. Ross ended up signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Jay-Z’s Def Jam Records. Later that year, he released his debut album, Port of Miami, which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart. Ross released his second album, Trilla, in 2008. It also debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 album chart.
Ross founded the record label Maybach Music Group in 2009, through which he released his studio albums Deeper Than Rap (2009), Teflon Don (2010), God Forgives, I Don’t (2012), Mastermind, Hood Billionaire (both in 2014), Black Market (2015), Rather You Than Me (2017), Port of Miami 2 (2019), and Richer Than I Ever Been (2021). Ross was also the first artist signed to Diddy’s management company Ciroc Entertainment.
In early 2012, MTV named Ross as the Hottest MC in the Game.
Ross appeared on VH1’s popular show Snoop and Martha’s Potluck Dinner Party. In the episode, he was paired up to cook with Martha Stewart.
(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images)
Ross has had trouble with the law in a traditional sense – he’s been arrested for guns and drugs and has also faced lawsuits from various other people in the music industry. In January 2008, Ross was arrested on gun and marijuana charges. During a deposition of Officer Rey Hernandez, the Miami Beach cop who arrested Ross, Ross’s lawyer asked Hernandez why Ross’s case was assigned to the gang task force. The officer stated that it was because Ross claimed affiliation with Triple C’s (aka Carol City Cartel) and other known gang members. The officer did not provide proof of Ross’s affiliation with the gang.
In August 2008, YouTube entertainer DJ Vlad filed a lawsuit against Ross for assault and battery. Vlad claimed Ross organized an ambush on him at the 2008 Ozone Awards in Houston, Texas, for asking questions about his past as a correctional officer.
In June 2010, “Freeway” Ricky Ross sued Ross for using his name, filing a copyright infringement lawsuit in a California federal court. On December 30, 2013, the court ruled in favor of the rapper Rick Ross, allowing him to keep the name based on a First Amendment ruling.
In 2021, Rick Ross agreed to pay his ex-girlfriend Briana Singleton $11,000 per month in child support for their three children together.
Ross has four children: Toie Roberts, William Roberts III, Berkeley Hermes Roberts, and Billion Leonard Roberts.
Rick Ross is a Christian, and in an interview with Corey “Coco Brother” Condrey on Lift Every Voice, he indicated that “I had told myself at one point no matter what I go through, I never question God.” In addition, Ross indicated that he prays every time he goes on stage to perform.
On January 27, 2013, while celebrating his 37th birthday, Ross and his girlfriend were the targets of a drive-by shooting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Neither Ross nor his girlfriend were hurt, but they ended up crashing their car into an apartment in an attempt to escape the shooting.
In 2015, Ross was briefly engaged to Lira “Galore” Mercer.
In 2017, Ross was criticized for stating in an interview that he never signed a female rapper because “I would end up f*cking [her] and f*cking the business up.” Ross quickly apologized through a Facebook post where he called his comments “insensitive” and a “mistake [he regrets].”
As of 2017, Rick Ross owned several Wingstop restaurant locations.
In May 2023, Ross announced his intentions to run for mayor of Fayetteville, Georgia, in 2024.
We’ve been tracking the salary and net worth of Rick Ross since 2007. He’s been a busy man. Here’s a breakdown of his salary year to year:
Total: $90 million
In February 2009, rival rapper 50 Cent appeared on the Ed Lover morning show with a copy of Rick’s financial breakdown obtained during a child support case. These documents revealed that, at the time, Ross’ true financial status was far from the image he liked to portray. Ross claimed to own three cars:
Ross further stated that he owned $45,000 worth of jewelry which would have to mean that all the jewelry he wore in his videos and on TV were either fake or borrowed. His monthly mortgage payments totaled $9,700 and he claimed every month he actually spent $7,000 more than he earned.
According to the legal documents submitted in the child support case with his ex-girlfriend, it was revealed that Rick Ross’ monthly income was sitting at $585,000 in 2020/2021.
(Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for BET)
In 2012, Ross purchased a 10,000-square-foot waterfront mansion in Fort Lauderdale, Florida for $5.2 million. The three-story, Mediterranean-style home has eight bedrooms, 11 bathrooms, and two half-baths. The house has two master suites, a theater, a game room, a full bar, an elevator, and a pool with a bar and spa. Built on nearly half an acre, the property has 150 feet of private waterfront in the Seven Isles community in Fort Lauderdale. He put the home on the market in 2014 for $9.25 million and sold it in 2016 for a bit over $6 million.
Ross made headlines in 2014 after spending $5.8 million on a 54,000-square-foot, 109-room mansion outside Atlanta on 235 acres, previously owned by boxer Evander Holyfield. It is believed to be the largest home in Georgia. The mansion has 12 bedrooms and 21 bathrooms.
In October 2020, Rick Ross plunked down $1 million to acquire an additional 87 acres of land near his suburban Atlanta mansion. That brings his total acreage to 322. He has dubbed his property “The Promise Land.”
In April 2023, it was reported that Rick Ross dropped $4.2 million in cash to buy Meek Mill’s Atlanta mansion.
In July 2023 Rick was reported to be in contract on a mansion on Star Island in Miami. The reported purchase price was $37 million.
In June 2023, Rick revealed through an Instagram post that he had purchased a private jet. By tracking the plane’s tail number, it was revealed that Rick had purchased a 2012 Gulfstream G550. Depending on a number of factors, 2012 G550s sell for $10 – $40 million. Rick’s jet was likely purchased for $19.5 million in April 2023 by an LLC called Maybach Air.
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