May 8, 2025 • 46 mins
Interview with Rick Ross & Nino Breeze on The Bootleg Kev Podcast.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
He before we start the episode, we're gonna remind everybody, man,
we got one of the biggest radio shows in the country,
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I also want to give a shout out Hot ninety
(00:21):
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Also want to give a shout out to Wild ninety
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We also just got the good folks in Bakersfield at
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in and you can listen anywhere on that iHeart Radio app.
(00:44):
That's right, let's get into the interview. Yo, it's the
Bootleg keV Show. Man. We got a special guest in here,
a living legend, one of the greatest rappers that ever lived,
one of the greatest moguls and hip hop history. Ricky
Rose is in the motherfucking building name Ross.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
What up?
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Man?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
You already know what it is. Man.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
We here like this way a little bit, just so
we get you for the Michael little bit and we're
gonna be type me and you're gonna be typing. We
gotta get you. Brought a special guest with you. Man,
I'm gonna let you introduce.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Most definitely, I brought the motherfucking living legend, the street legend,
the one and only Nino Breeze. I'm talking about before TikTok,
my nigga was trending in the Federal Penitentiary stand Solid
making his music, you know, and I began to hear
about his dream in the place he was making his ship.
We all was patient, and when he came to the crib,
(01:37):
wilat here he is.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
You know you're from Saint Pete. I lived in Saint
Pete for three.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Years, Okay, then I remember when he was out there.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah, I used to live in in the Emerald Point
apartments on Fourth Street, fourth and seventy third, which was
like very sketch.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
I ain't gonna lie like a lot of home of
ages happened though, for sure, Like dudes move out there
thinking the.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Time I lived in Tampa, that's right, I lift yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
you know obviously shout out to the Salems off of Eighteenth.
Uh you used to go get my gyros cracking over there. Yeah,
Saint Pete's shit though.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
They shut that one down. It's like they opened a
new one. It's a little it's down there still on
eighteenth though.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Because it was like one by a Walmart.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I remember.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, they push it to the side a little bit.
It's still there.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So how did how did you because obviously you've been
getting money in Tampa forever, You've been fucking with with
the Tampa Bay Saint Pete area forever. How did y'all
initially just end up kind of connecting?
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
When I was in, like Doc Dog said, when I
was doing my fair bed, you know what I'm saying.
I was still doing my thing with the music, even
behind the wall. I still you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
How long were you sitting down?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
I was going for five year this last time.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
When did you get out?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I got out of March twenty eight two, than then twenty.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Two, Oh shit, Okay.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Yeah, yeah, so we just over three years. But while
I was in there, I cut into a nigga named Kano.
Kano was a good friend of Ross. But even when
he was locked up, Kano still was involved with the
music that like I was involved with the music. So
you know, we stayed locked in and when I hit Turf,
I was always sing my music and he was playing
for a fat boy, you know what I'm saying. So
(03:06):
like once he heard the music and he seinging the grind,
he was already familiar with a nigga.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Makeup, you know what I'm saying. So we just locked
in front off Ross.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
How tapped in? Were you with the area? Because musically,
like that area has a sound it's called joke, Like
the jerk movement is so big out of Tampa. Like
you know, you think of guys like Christal and Tom
G and obviously you know fast yeah, a little key.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
The list goes on, you know, I'm gonna tell you,
like even before that, I was tapped in when Tampa,
when niggas was screwing music.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
A lot of niggas on't know Tampa was on that early.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Listen to me, I remember them niggas was screwing music
long time ago, years ago, you know what I'm saying.
And I remember when one of my homies from town
Nigga used to pull up on me, real nigga, solid nigga,
get money, and he used to be shit, I'm like,
what the fuck is this nigga? And he was like,
(04:09):
what it's that I'm talking about? We was JITs, you
know what I'm saying. So Tampa always been unique with
they sound. Yeah, you know, we always fuck with him,
so shit, here we are. It only makes sense. My
nigga got a unique sound. Ain't nobody else gonna sound
like Nino Breezed in the way he actually rhyming and
rapping and putting words together, you know what I mean.
He got something to say.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So uh with Nino, what would you say? Because obviously
it's got to be a big deal to have something
like Rod Wave, one of the biggest rappers on the
planet representing Saint Pete, because Saint Pete's always kind of
been like, you know, like the afterthought of the area
when you because people nationally they don't think of Sat Pete.
They Thigga Tampa Bay. You know what I'm saying. But
Saint Pete is its own place. That's where that's where
(04:52):
the baseball team is at. It's on downtown, it's on politics,
it's like vibe everything like but they have road wave
kind of it on like for real, like yo.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yo yo, yeah, Rod definitely doing this thing.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
And it's like with me, me having an opportunity that
I got, You feel me like if I can get
my foot in the door and bring a couple of
niggas with me.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
I just think, you know, that's always been a dream
of mine.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Just just just taking what I'm familiar with, the that
I growed up seeing and putting it on that main
stage and bringing it to the forefront. I feel like
we got a lot that we could bring to the
game if that happens, you know what I'm saying. It
just wasn't always realistic for us. We didn't always have
them opportunities or though them outlets, you know what I'm saying.
But that shit opened it up right now?
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, Ross talk to me what obviously, Man, the legacy
that MMG is a label has in hip hop is
so insane. I was just listening to Self Made too,
Like I was just listening in the power circle whichever
self made that was man. But like you know, obviously,
(05:59):
you know, I feel like you've been doing this entrepreneur ship,
open up wing stops, doing car shows. I mean, you've
been doing so much over the last few years. You
and Mek dropped a really underrated project a couple of
years ago. How important is it to like, because you're
not the type of person to just sign somebody just
to sign somebody like you, You're You're very self aware
(06:20):
of the legacy the MMG holds, so like, how important
is it to keep that legacy going? And what was
it about him that kind of like, you know, makes
sense with the lineage of the label.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
I just felt like what music was at Nino will
be needed more now than ever. Right, It's time for
that real nigga vibe to step back to the forefront,
you know, and speak for the street niggas. You know
what I'm saying, and you know, shout out to all
the niggas who shining right now doing their thing. I
love it, But most definitely we need niggas with that
(06:52):
certain cloth that's gonna represent for where I'm from, real niggas,
floorda niggas, street niggas and regardless wherever you're from. You
know what I mean, dog gonna talk that ship and
put it away that real niggas can appreciate it. So no,
I'm not signing niggas just to be signing them. I'm
not even excited by ninety five percent of the ship
out here. You gotta show me that you're really gonna
(07:13):
go get it. You know what I'm saying, What niggas
really hustling, What niggas really want more than a norm
You can't be some part. You can't be average if
you are. That's what it is. You know what I
Meany niggas done came and left in the game in
the last five years. Facts, niggas load up. I'm just saying.
Sound I'm just saying, you know, a lot of took
(07:36):
off and that ship. It is like, and we're not
laughing at no niggas situation. We're just saying, it's niggas
that take all the way off. But you gotta maintain
that shit.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Man.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Just accept the challenge. Do it for the challenge, even
if you don't give a fuck about it, do it
for the challenge. A lot of shit I do just
for the challenge. That's what it inspired me. That might
be that bottle.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Thank you, thank you the best bubbles we got some y'all.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Got any cups? Yeah, we celebrate. I like that you're
getting that money. Care what this is?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
How much from Houston?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Houston? Slap woods?
Speaker 1 (08:14):
H town guys. I'll tell you off camera, good guys. Though,
I also like actually smokes slop woods.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
So you already know I smoked hot tolerance. But we
do benness with everybody, ship with us.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Talk to me Ross about obviously you know there's so
many errors to your career. Do you feel like, you
know a lot of people would get to your position
and then we've seen a lot of people kind of
kick back you know what I'm saying. We don't hear
from a lot of people. Every once in a while,
go get that Dubai show bag, they'll pop in, pop out.
(08:53):
But like you're you know, when it comes to the
kind of success and wealth that you've been able to
build and hip hop, Ross, what and outside hip hop?
What is it that still keeps you motivated to continue
to just put up shots and continue to just try
new shit and shit.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I just told you it's the challenge.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, you love the sport to me.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Of course, that's what it is. It ain't just about
the paper. But you gotta realize it, you know when
it is about the paper. Let's say you a young
nigga and you want to your dream was to be
a millionaire. When you become a millionaire, it should be
the challenge of hitting ten that puts you to the ten.
Once you hit ten, it should be the challenge of
(09:34):
the hundred that puts you to the hundred. Then once
you get a hundred million, shit, I could pull off
five hundred million. You hit five hundred million. Oh man,
I could taste it. I could smell it. It's like
a bitch laying on her back and that pussy shaved pretty. Yeah,
I could taste it. I normally hit a bill, but
that should be the challenge. It's no particular number, you
(09:56):
know what I'm saying. So when you're making music and
you a nigga that really loved make music and you
still got shipped to say, you might have a nigga
to the disc. You might have some shit you just
want to rep some shit. You want to rep for
some shit you want to speak on. Behalf of your city,
behalf on the real niggas that can't say nothing. I'm
gonna say this for them, that's the ship that should
make you want to keep making music. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Do you feel like for you the sport of the
rap shit has finally kind of been because you you
obviously jumped into the arena with the with the Kendrick
Drake shit that happened. Do you feel like the sport
has been like reignited with with what has been going
on the last year or so.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I'm not just gonna say, you know, reignited, but I
felt like, you know, that was something that was necessary.
It was something that you know, the streets needed, the
culture needed. Let's clarify this shit. Who gonna really step
up to the forefront, right, you know what I'm saying.
But anything other than that, it's not too dramatic to me.
(10:55):
You know, do some niggas make it more than what
it is? They could?
Speaker 1 (11:00):
You know, I just felt like it was very It
was very like like you said, it was kind of
like a palette cleanse where it was like, oh, we
gotta really kind of dissect what people are saying it.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's let's do that. Fuck all the
metaphors now, let's just get down the business. You see
what's really happening now here? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Could you I'd heard now you can stop me if
I'm wrong. What's the What was the root cause of
the falling out with Drake?
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Was it?
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Some of it told me it was because of the
way he had treated French on a record?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Is that I mean I spoke on that on the
record I released. You know what I'm saying, Like I said,
fuck that ship. You know what I'm saying. Classics together,
If it's real niggas, If real nigga's gonna stay real,
that's it. You know what I'm saying. Was it something
really deep? Now? Fuck that though? But if if you puss,
(11:51):
you puss. If it's real, it's real, and that's what
it is.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Could that ever be something you could ever see? Like
you guys talking it out, and you guys have so
many classics together, such a long history together.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You never know. If a nigga send me a bottle
of Luke Bellair, especially the white one, you know, bottle
for any of these young.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Niggas out here, especially if it's a magaz.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah, send me a white bell Air bottle and I'll
take a picture with you. Because that white bell a
bottle is you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Yo, Can you break down because you know it's so crazy.
We talked about that Power Circle record. You've always had
such a great ear I one of the greatest ears
ever when.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
It comes to me when I put Kendrick on that record.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Yes, you put Kendrick on Power Circle alongside the whole
label the valley. I donay.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
I'm down in Miami all the way on the other
side of the map. But it's just certain things I
could watch. It's certain things that I understand, and when
it comes to music, I believe I got a vision
for it. That's it. I've been watching and studying that
shit since I was in the first grade, you know
what I mean. So it's certain things that I can see,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
So you just kind of knew what the Kendrick thing
because that time he was bubbling. But I felt like
it was at that time you were like mmgs, the hottest,
hottest fish.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Grease, and I was like, I understand who this young
nigga is right here, Come get on this record. Let's
all wrap on this record. And it's not about now.
It wasn't that he was huge. It was for the sport.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Yeah, and it was for the sport. I'd like to
give a shout out to gun Play for having one
of the greatest verses of all time to play Oh
my god, no cartoons and Cereal is different. Oh my god,
cartoons and as.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
He don't play got.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
It's all I can see that. Yeah, yeah, I want yeah, yeah, yeah.
Shout out to how's gun Play doing dog one of
the most underrated rappers of all time?
Speaker 2 (13:42):
No, not niggas know what time?
Speaker 1 (13:44):
No, I know, but I'm talking about when it when
when it comes to the big talks, he's.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Underratedigga, niggas know what time it is? Playah yeah, my
niggas still getting this shipped together. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Triple C's album was hard to very very slept on
when it comes to your ear though, ross like, there
was a few artists that almost came to MMG, A
couple of West Coast guys. Dom. I know you were
talking with Nip potentially, and I know the Whiz thing
was kicked around because I remember when he got on
the Super High remix. I remember I was stoked because
(14:18):
I was like, it's we'z about to be on MMG.
What is going on? Like how close, specifically was the
nip thing from happen? Like I know you know, he
obviously gave you a lot of love. He said he
fucks with Rick Ross because he's teaching wealth And I
know you guys have such a long history. But how
close was that actually to becoming a thing?
Speaker 2 (14:39):
And you know what? This something I just want to
say because I be seeing niggas on podcasts speaking on
such oh shit, trying to recin and I don't be
knowing how to feel about it. What I want to
say is all the names you said, these niggas to
me were already icons the same way I say Nino
breezing because I already know I have a feeling, you understand,
(15:01):
So they already niggas was already gonna shine. I was
just able and in the position to, you know, make
music with him at such an early stage, right, you
know what I mean. So Nipsey was another nigga that
I already felt was an icon in my mind. He
was already huge, and it's not like you're to a
(15:22):
lot of other niggas. He was younger, you know what
I'm saying. So that's what it was. And I remember
us just talking about you know, both our ideas. Right,
I'm a nigga that's inspired by you sharing your ideas.
So anytime I sat down with any of these niggas,
it was really they had their ideas already. I had ideas.
(15:42):
We just sharing ideas. We just going back and forth.
Let's exchange numbers, nigga, Let's stay in touch. You know
what I'm saying. So that's what it was. Shout out
to Dom Kennedy, Rip the nip the marathon still continue.
You know what I'm saying. Wiz, I flew him. I
flew that. I told them niggas really just currency was
another one. Yeah, yeah, I flew them down and both
(16:05):
of them niggas was already shining.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Oh and they were. Yeah, they were obviously killing the
mixtape game.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
I just said, come down here, let's smoke some good weed.
I got a good weed plug. Yeah. You know what
I'm saying. They flew down, nigga, We jumped into bands
and we just went. We went smoked weed, got tattooed,
ship like that. Niggas just ate good real nigga shit. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
No, it's crazy because I feel like you're one of
the only artists who has a label, who had a
label who did it the right way, where your approach
was always like I want people to be bigger than me.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
I would love it, you know.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
What I'm saying. It's like I feel like a lot
of artists, they will have their homies or the assigned artists,
but they don't ever want if they're if they're super active,
they don't ever want like their artists who over over
shine what they're doing, if that makes sense. But I
feel like yourself, and then I feel like you kind
of laid the groundwork for like Gody CMG because God
is kind of taking that same model and just ran
with it.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Facts.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
So yeah, it's been dope to see. Man, are you
working on new music?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Ross?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Like for yourself?
Speaker 2 (17:04):
I am, I am, I am. All you niggas get ready,
Ricky Rose.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Because we haven't had a Ross album and man, obviously
you and Meat dropped, but.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Right right, And for me, it's all about the motivation
and once again it's the challenge Nino Breeze being here
spitting that ship, me hearing hard ship. It gave a
nigga that real inspiration. Other than that, I'm gonna just
get fly every day and watch you niggas do y'all thing.
But when I'm inspired, nigga, Yeah, so get ready? Are
(17:34):
you what I do?
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Are you still with that Jam?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Of course not you.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
You had left def Jam a while ago. You ended
up messing with Gamma, right.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shout out to the team over at.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Gamma, Larry, shout to Larry.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Yeah. But the Empire double MG. We're doing it all
the way to the from the bottom to the top.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
That's what's up. Nino. Can you tell me, like the
first time you are in the studio with this guy,
what is that experience like? Because I can only like,
I I just hear, like the way this guy he's
a savant, you know what I'm saying, He's a goat.
So I can only imagine, like being in a lab
with him had to be where you nervous? Was it
a vibe?
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Say? Were you nervous? Now?
Speaker 4 (18:13):
It's just a natural vibe. Like me and Dogg was
already you know, hanging a back and your feelin I
this ship is genu wine, right, So like we had
already hit the club together. I got on the yard
to get a you know, big vies. You so like
this is my nigga for real everything natural?
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Do you do you get a swing stop gift cards?
When you sign the MG, do you get like the.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Is there to cash them?
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Man? Because how many? How many locations?
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Isn't that gonna go off? Face though? I would just
walk in that bitch telling what I need.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Because I know you got to have some of that
in the Saint Pete area. You gotta at least have
one over there.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Yeah, we got we got the one.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
We got one on through the fourth and like seventeenth
North and then there's one by crawl the street from
Logo Mall.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
I know about them too.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
How crazy is it for you, man, just to see
like the growth because you go in, you're going for
five years, right, so you get out and it's like
a damn near different place. Bro Like, like.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I don't like it.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
You don't like it?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
What you mean you don't like it?
Speaker 4 (19:04):
They gentrifying that the hood ain't the hood no more.
You feel like a lot of that gut shit. I'm
speaking on just my frame of reference, what I'm familiar with.
It's like, you you go to my hood right now,
it's white people walking their dogs and shit. The only
time I used to see white people in my neighborhood.
They was bond ope for taking niggas of jail, you
know what I'm saying. So it's just like it ain't
(19:24):
that part that I missed, But it's like you just
got like aunties and grandmas who grew up and they
was used to working for the city, driving buses, whatever
it is they and that was enough for them to stay.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
There wasn't enough for them to sustain themselves.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
That was enough for them to like have a family,
to get together, just look out for the gits and
shit like that, and all of a sudden it ain't
good enough no more. And then they don't have the
skills or like the opportunities that like really get it together,
so they just pushing niggas out.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Of the way. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
I went to Rumbo in Saint Pete like a year
and a half ago, and I was down in that
area and I didn't recognize nothing.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
I was like different, I'll be watching my old music
videos to try to remember what it was.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
And then I got I stayed downtown Tampa. Like my
channel what was the name of Big Chris's club channels Asia?
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, my ball too.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
I would go up in that bit.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
I was out there with odd so was doing some ship.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
These drink more in the bar than they would in
the club.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
That's a good I don't lie the ball motion, that's different.
You're getting straight to it.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
I like the bar. I'm a bar.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Do we have a bar in Miami? Definitely?
Speaker 1 (20:41):
The bars everywhere?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Tampa's blowing up though, Like Channel Side, I don't even
I didn't even know where I got. I came out
of my hotel and I was like, weird, what is this?
And then I realized. I walked down and then I
saw the amily and then I started how it used
to be out in my head, and I'm like, oh shit,
they got rid of all this shit.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Yea, all that shit flip on this.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Ship is insane. What are you working on? Obviously you
got the new record out. The type of record has
been going crazy for a minute, but the new record
is going crazy.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Yeah, we got new eight and Rotation right out of
its doing it. You know what I'm saying. That's a
little bit more upbeat. You know what I'm saying. That's
that bounce, that's that swat.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Well, you were just getting a different molde on that,
like you feeish yourself coming through. But other than that,
you know, I've been we've been going city to city
on the Millennium Tour YEP. A lot of times when
I touched down the different cities, I tap in with
these like freestyle platform and like, you know, just being
really showcasing what a nigga can do lyrically.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (21:41):
And the screets tapping in, they fucking with the freestyles.
So now we're taking the free styles and we're doing
the EP.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Some of the free styles I did, I'm adding courses
to them. I'm an second Versus and the other list shit,
And we're gonna put that EP out there form while
I work on the next project.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
How's the Millennium Tour, Ben Ross been good?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
We've been having a good time on that ship Allas.
They having fun, you know, just it's just a fun vibe.
You know. We just wrapped it up, performed the last
show last night.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
I saw Boozy was out there, Chris.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Chris Brown, you know, and for me just to watch
my Nino Breeze run out there, man and get to
shine on the same stage with the moments That's what
really inspired it from the beginning. And you know, going
to all the markets promoting the car show, promoting the brands,
promote my nigga music. It was you couldn't ask for nothing.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Else, Yo. I don't know if I've ever seen a brand.
I remember when Belair launched, and I don't even know
if Bellair existed before you, but they did well. I
don't think anybody knew it just.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Put it on the mouth respect.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
But I say that to say that I just saw
like a recent uh someone that told me what bel
Air is worth recently. Shout out to my guy Will
from Taylor Gang is his manager. We were having a
discussion about alcohol and you know, Wiz has his McQueen
under the same you know umbrella. But then we started
(23:11):
talking about just how big bell Air is and the
amount of money that bell Air is worth is preposterous.
And I understand that you own a good chunk of
that company, at least of that brand.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Right.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Can you just speak to the levels of success that
you've been able to reach with a champagne that is
seemingly just like it's the champagne of like no matter
where you go, they're gonna have bel Air's the.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
One I don't recall. Hey, look, look this is what
I'm gonna tell you. This is the number one Bubbles
And you gotta realize there are markets outside of the country.
The brand, the brand ambassadors, the team, shout out, the Brett,
(24:02):
the whole squad with you speaking on the value. I
don't even have those conversations, you know what I'm saying, right,
I'm one of those like, when it comes to anything
that I'm doing, let's do it out of love. When
it's time to discuss that, you know, we discussed that.
But other than that, of course, Bellair was before I ever
(24:23):
became a brand ambassador, was already on this vibe.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
But it changed.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Man, It's most definitely in a good space, but it's
the best. It's the best shout out everywhere around the world,
you know what I mean, France, Africa.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Outside of your career, you've invested in a lot of companies.
Which one has been the most rewarding financially? Is it
the wing stops is at the Champagne? Is it? Is it?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
That? Is it?
Speaker 1 (24:56):
The massive mansion in Atlanta that gets rented out for movies?
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
The car Show go on and on?
Speaker 2 (25:01):
And on. I don't recall.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
All of the above.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
It's just what you got to realize is okay, wing
stops once again, you start with one?
Speaker 1 (25:13):
How many you guys, I don't recall more than fifty.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
I don't recall nice I started with one. That's what's
most important. The one is the most important. Worked our
way up to ten, twenty thirty, and that's at that point.
It's not even about the numbers. You understand. The challenge
(25:39):
is still there. That's what I just said twenty minutes ago.
It's about the challenge. Because I didn't come in the
game and said, man, I want to own X amount
of wing stops. We just worked our way to it.
Shout out to my team, my beautiful mother, my sister.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Yeah, I know your sisters, man, she's a champions.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, and so you know, we're just hustling. That's that's
what it is.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
I love it, man, and it's the challenge.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
It's the challenge.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I love it for you. Ross is there you know
when we think about MMG, the Wiles, the Meeks of
the world, was there ever? Can you kind of give
me like there was like this big misconception that you
and Meek weren't necessarily see and I to ie you
(26:25):
guys end up putting this album out kind of shutting
all that up. Like how much of this rap shit
do that fans hear about? Is simple like miscommunication, whether
it's some entourage shit or it's just you know, people
just because we don't talk for six months, people assume
shit ain't good. You know what I'm saying. I'm assume
there's a lot of that.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Oh, I got it. You gotta realize when I used
to see things Meek mill wile, you know, a lot
of that ship was straight, right, cap, you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Besides them two together because they were there, they had
a thing together.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Yeah, these niggas are be in the studio and then
two nights, two days later, you see some shit. But
that's what Just fuck that shit, right, That's why you
never seen me really speak on that ship, because it
wasn't even nothing to a dress, right, you know what
I'm saying. We get in the studio, we come here,
bay blah blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Blah, whatever would you ever?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I may come in here one day and you don't
have the white bella, the pink bell la Man, fuck
this shit, keV. I ain't coming back to pose, may say.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Rose went, I only have the Black Bottle Ross. So
they had you feel me.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
You feel me and them holds to make that into
something and it ain't even like that. You my nigga.
You know what I'm saying. The homies, the homies, them
niggas really homies. If them niggas called each other right now,
them niggas are come through for each other.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Facts.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
If I call me right now, if I called Wallet
right now, it ain't nothing them niggas wouldn't do for
me vice versas.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
One of the greatest mixtapes of all time is the
Rich Forever tape Rich. How do we get this on
DSP's Spotify, Apple Music. I'm tired of finding because that
PIF's gone. I'm tired of going on YouTube and find
all the links.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
I really don't want to do it.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Really, yeah, like I want Holy Ghost on Spotify for
Fox's sake.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
And the reason and the reason being is that was
just that was at a certain point and I just
wanted to do that for the streets. I had just
released the album with Depth Jam six months earlier, and
I put that body of work together and I was
ready to release it, and I said, won't nothing come
in between it, even if it's the record label death Jam,
(28:43):
fuck depth Jam. I'm finna get this to the streets.
That's what the streets need.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
And you had John Legend the intro of a mixtape.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Right, that's Rose, That's insane, that's Rose. Me and John
Legend always been cool speed you know, speed out type ship.
If I hit my nigga right now, Hey, my nigga
blessed this for me. He gonna have that shit back
to me. And you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Like that, you had this era where it kind of
heated up prior to Teflon Don releasing. But like the
albert Anastasia era. I remember you had a record on
there with cool Gi Rap. Was it nice? I'm trying
to remember the name of the song knife Fights. Yes,
But you had like use the mixtape game in a
(29:28):
way that I don't remember artists up until that point
having like a certified hit record that nobody could buy,
like BMF started on a mixtape and then ended up
on Teflon Down later. But it was kind of like
the first time that had ever really really happened where like,
(29:48):
you know, there were buzzing mixtapes, mixtapes people love that.
You know, obviously people were downloaded, but like, I feel
like that was the first time where like a cultural anthem,
the hottest song in the street was something that wasn't
even out yet, but you had you had to go
find a z share link or a media fire link
online or go hit the DAP pit for what was that? Like, Man,
(30:10):
can you just walk me through that era prior to
teflon Dawn You're putting out Albert down the States EP
and just that whole game. Such a.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
In the game.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
It's such a crazy time.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
That's when niggas was paying two hundred for the Verse.
I was like, boy, this ship crack. Man, hold on,
hold on, hit them niggas, man, hold on, hold on.
You know what I'm saying, How does Nick for real?
Speaker 1 (30:34):
No, I feel like that era of Ross like you
were the like like the like once it was like
that two or three year run.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
No, it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
It was longer than I mean, I'm talking about where
you're like because at that time you're about Drake. I'm
being serious. No, no, no, no, no, I'm talking about two
or three year run. Is like the undisputed hottest dude
in the streets.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
In the game. Yeah, we had fun like that, and
that's what it was for me, you know what I'm saying,
Because at some point as a boss, when you really
got a boss mindset, once you achieve certain things, once
you get your paper right, at that point, it's for
the sport. It's just like coming to a concert or something.
(31:19):
It ain't no stress, nigga. It's just about what joggers
you had on and what sneakers. Because this shit is
for love, you know what I'm saying. You forget what
you even charge these niggas to come do certain things.
That's when you just text your system how much was
this ship for? Yeah, that's cool. You know what I'm
(31:41):
saying that at some point, as a young hustler and
as an artist, that's how I want you niggas to
approach it. At a certain point, you get you put
yourself in a position where when you're doing this shit, nigga,
you just you doing it. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Yeah, I mean I feel like you also got to
have a team that you trust.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
You got to have a team that you could trust.
That's without a doubt that's the only way. That's where
the longevity comes in at because if you the type
of motherfuckers who think you could fire someone every six
months and continue to start over, you setting yourself up
for huge failures for sure, not only that you're not
inspiring the rest of the niggas on the team. You
(32:27):
gotta show niggas the rewards of staying down, staying loyal,
being committed. You gotta let them know the possibilities, not
the fake promises, but let them know the possibilities of
continue to grow in and possibly getting put in other
positions as a reward for that loyalty.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
You know, has there been anything you've been able because
obviously you're you're you're I'm sure an entrepreneur in your
own right, but what is just being around ross the
short amount of time? Is there any any anythings that
you've picked up that you're like, I can apply this
to my shit, whether it's music, whether it's personal life, whatever.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
The main thing it'd be like, like I was just
looking just then you feeling like they're always taking off
I'm picking up what he's putting down. They don't even
always be necessarily by learning something new, So much is
reinforcing with a nigga already, know, Yeah, you know what
I'm saying, Like the people that you be around, the
thing on their shit that could take you off your squad,
you know what I'm saying. So if you run, nigga
(33:24):
that's on it twenty four seventh, three sixty five, really
twenty four eight, twenty five eight, you.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Know what I'm saying, sacrifice too with that.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Yeah, it just it's.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Gonna stay on your mind. It's just gonna be. It's
gonna be a little bit more like.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
It's one thing to be that too when you're coming
up and you're hungry. It's another thing to be that
way when you already.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
Yeah, the niggas just be like some people like I
feel like me, I'm just permanently inspired.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
I've been for a long time ago Like I'm always
just just I always got.
Speaker 4 (33:49):
This thing and well, like once you put me in
the quation, like it leads the motion and lead the
shit going on, you know what I'm saying, Like I
did all that fair time you feel me By the
time I can't, my dogs wasn't making music no more. Niggas,
wasn't making beach no mold niggas wasn't pushing. We had
to close the line going. We had the party promo
shit going for I left. I revent all that ship
because it's just emmy, right, you know what I'm saying.
(34:11):
So it's like being around niggas who own it, it
is like for me, that's that's That's more what I
feel like.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
We never crossed pass in Tampa. I lived there for
I was at Club Scott every Friday and Saturday. I
was we was getting to crack it out there.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Yeah, I was really fuck with Scott or like you said,
I was at Asia.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah you feel me.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
I was fucked up by Kennedy.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Scott, Oh yeah, Kennedy on Monday Nights.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Monday Nights to Kennedy Martini. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
I all playing those cut I remember.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I brought Troy after Blue Martini for my birthday one year.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
I remember when it came. I don't think I went,
but I seen him them all that day.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Yeah, yeah, I was there with him. Man shout out
to the Blue Martini. But Kennedy on Monday was crazy.
It was that and that what happened, I don't know,
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
I don't know what happened to all that ship going.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Happened to all clubs for sure, No club that you
ever know gonna last a lifetime except live, get rich,
stack that paper, and when it's time, you know.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Get about of there, they move one hundred. That's a
fair point. Ross. What do you attribute? They say you
have the best ear for production, and I agree. I
feel like your ear for beats is second to none.
I think you have the best ear for beats in
hip hop history. I mean, there's a few folks up
there with you, but I feel like you you are
(35:26):
the king when it comes to picking beats, when it
comes to, you know, just making these cinematic records that
sound like, you know, like movies when you close your eyes, Like,
what do you think the secret is to the way
you're able to pick beats?
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Man? I think one of the the huge roles in
the way I listen to music is I don't close
my door to no type of music. I could wake
up in the morning, take a shot at tequila listening
to Gloria Estefan understand. Then we could go to too Short,
(36:00):
then we could go to JT. Money. It don't matter.
I jump all across the board when it comes to sounds,
you know, listening in the backseat whatever my mama and
then was playing. It was probably Johnny Taylor, you know
what I mean. So I just whatever it was down
(36:22):
to the first instrumental I wrote my first verse to,
which was CENTERP. I believe that was Michael jack Reebe Jackson. Yeah, y'all, y'all,
y'all streamed at Rebe Jackson. That was really the first
beat I ever wrote too. So it's just one of
those things. I listen to everything. So once it's time
(36:45):
to tap into a certain vibe, a certain element, we finish,
paint a certain picture. What's best for this background?
Speaker 1 (36:53):
M Yeah, because you would have because you know, Live
Fast and Die Young sounds nothing like mc hammer sounds,
nothing like Mayback music, you know what I mean. But
you did have. You were one of the first like
artists I can remember to pop with type beats on YouTube.
There would be like Rick Ross type beats because you
had that run where it was like BMF and mc
(37:15):
hammer and there was like a lot of these records
that were very the beats had a similar like it
was like, oh that was an MMG beat that was
like a Ross beat. Do you remember when you got
like when you found that little pocket of like the
trap shit and it just it was like your specific
sound like.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
I do. I remember without a doubt and shout out
to the producers that was giving me that pressure. Yeah yeah, yeah,
Lex Lugos, shout out the billionaire, the runners, all the
niggas that was just giving me, giving me that pressure.
Niggas know where I was at. I got something to prove.
I ain't afraid to say it. I got something to prove.
(37:56):
We're finna walk in. Take these niggas bitches, take all
the money. That's when we finish. Come in. I need
something to I need beats for that, and niggas sent
them to.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
Me and then it was like it was a sound
all the other artists starters changed.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
It's crazy because I'm just like front screen. They like
that sound. They that's it's real.
Speaker 4 (38:20):
Prevalent right now, you know what I'm saying, Like like
they want to get over, Like what was dog Man
who made boev is it d Games.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
D Rich.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Rich boy with box Chevy.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
He makes a lot of ship for Jesus Ross and ship.
But it's like that Vins traps the producer. Yeah, yeah,
that vins traps sound that ship like real, real prevalent
right now. It's like you got some of those dudes
being rediscovered, right and then you got these young niggas
making beats that sound like that.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
You know what I'm saying, That ship.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Coming back yo when you uh you know, I feel
like your feature on My Beautiful Dark Wistid Fantasy is
one of the greatest features ever. It was so good
that you shot your own music video to it to
Devil in a New Dress? You you get that? Do
you get that beat? Are you in the studio with yay?
(39:12):
And like just the idea to have you come in
it kind of reminded me how you came in at
the end of uh you have this fucking thing? Were
you coming at the end of records and just set
it off? Like what was the Mayback music that c
I was on? Were you coming at the end? Uh?
The one with Eric Abad everybody in the three Yes,
(39:34):
the way you came in at the end, Oh my god.
But anyway, Devil in a New Dress one of the
greatest guests versus of all time. You can you kind
of walk us through that and just like, did you
know there was gonna be like a bit of a
pause before you you finished the record off.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
I did? I did. Kanye played me the record. It
was in the recurse studio in Hawaii. Yeah, a lot
of different rooms, a lot of different rooms. They had
a lot of different things going on in different rooms.
You know what I'm saying. You gotta imagine nigga in
(40:13):
the kitchen cooking and cooking up dope. Yeah, all the
pots on. You know what I'm saying. And when he
played it for me, I understood the magic right then.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
You were you like? Because I feel like when you're
in those situations, because everybody's working, like you said, you
gotta be kind of like like he was saying, permanently inspired.
You gotta be like peak inspiration.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
Yeah, you can't.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
Everybody's around cooking.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Yeah, you can't.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
One of the greatest albums ever.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
You can't be a weak nigga. You can't be afraid.
These niggas turned all the way up and they want
it right now right they ain't. No Yo, go back
to the hotel and all that shit. Noah, you can't
face time. The niggas who'll be writing your raps nigga.
These niggas want it right now, right, and I'm one
(41:06):
of them type of niggas. Let's do it. It's too easy.
I'm one of them. So he gave it to me.
I understood the vibe. Shout out of that nigga Bink
the Humble Monster. I understood the vibe right there. Mike
Dean was there, but Bank, you know, he created the record,
the beat. So once I heard it, it was one
(41:28):
of those situations, I just I felt it right there.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
You had said in a verse you had ciphers with
Easy before his mouth was wired. Could you give me
what was your first interaction with Kanye before we knew Kanye.
I guess if it was all the way back then,
you know, it was.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Just a nigga hustling, grinding that nigga beat. Somebody been
two stacks.
Speaker 1 (41:50):
At the time, right, Yeah, at this time, he was
in the studio in Miami, because this is prior to
Port of Miami.
Speaker 2 (41:58):
This is before my album of course. So when I
said that in the verse, that's what I was referring to,
got it. That's something that I knew he would understand,
you know what I'm saying. We was talking about doing
a lot more work, and he got in his accident
after that, crazy like now send my niggas prayers. Boom boom,
boom boom.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
I wonder, uh, you have one of the most iconic
callback records in the club. I mean you've got a
few of them, obviously, I mean BMF is probably, you know,
top ten hip hop club record of all time, but
record insane shot the Styles P. Two We Got to
Give Love to. You know, a lot of times his
first doesn't get played because it's a long song. Your
(42:42):
Kobe line on stage scheming such an iconic line. Did
you ever see Kobe after that? Did Kobe ever acknowledged
like that he had heard that, because I know you've
been courtside, you've been, I mean you're around.
Speaker 2 (42:59):
I don't remember, I don't remember. But Kobe always was
a cool nigga. Yeah, And I'm sure if I did
bump into him, he would have knew what the vibe was.
He would have knew that that was that was a
nigga speaking for all niggas in that situation. You know
what I'm saying. It wasn't an attack on brud All.
It was just one of them things just for all niggas.
(43:22):
You know what I'm saying. That's something all niggas still apply.
And that's why in the venues right now they still
go crazy. You wasn't with me shooting in the gym.
Oh that was just for real niggas everywhere.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Tor just wrapped up. Uh, you got a new song out?
Is there gonna be a mixtape coming? You're just doing
the single thing coming ross new albums on the way.
Speaker 2 (43:47):
Rose are most definitely cooking up Maybag music. We turned
all the way up the car Show June seventh. Get
your tickets.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
This is at your house.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
This at the Promised Land.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
Yeah how I mean you didn't just.
Speaker 2 (44:00):
A regular house because I'm not confused.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
The kids, I know, but this is your estate. This
is where you rest your head right right.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
This is at the Crib fifty five thousand square feet
mansion on three hundred plus acres. I'm opening the gates.
Get your tickets, Rick rosscardshow dot com because it's gonna
be crazy.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
What is is there? What is the drawback though about
having shit at your house? Like, it ain't no drawback nothing,
because you don't got to run a venue, right.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
No, No, it ain't even about that it ain't even
about the venue. It's what makes it to me, what
makes my shit special. It's not in the venue when
I go places in you and some shitting looking at cars.
I want to be outdoors. I want to be free.
I'm outdoors. I love horses and buffalos and shit like that.
I'm a cowboy on the load. That's why I bought
(44:51):
the mansion in Houston, because I'm really a cowboy. It's
ten percent cowboy in me. But I want to be outdoors.
I want to look at the cars, eat the food,
you know, do what I do, vibe, and be outdoors.
It's nothing like that. It's nothing. Shout out to Craig Jackson.
I just had a FaceTime with Craig Jackson Barrett Jackson
(45:12):
through my homie fifty Sega two three days ago. Yeah,
but I want to be outdoors. To me, that's what
makes me ride a horse. Of course, rose a horse.
Speaker 1 (45:24):
I did it once.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
It was it was, man, you gotta take your bitch
on a horse out bad. You know what I'm tying
you gotta take.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
A well listen, we gotta wrap this up. Ross. I
appreciate you pulling up, Nino. We're gonna have you do
a freestyle? Is that cool? We got time for that. No, no,
no freestyle. Oh they asked me about it yesterday. Ross,
you gotta go, you can stay. Is that what we're doing.
I don't know what's happening. Everyone's gotta go, Rose, Nino, you.
Speaker 2 (45:50):
Got a question?
Speaker 1 (45:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (45:53):
How much this shit gross?
Speaker 1 (45:54):
And every year I tell you off off camera, come on, man,
seven figure.
Speaker 2 (46:00):
This the business. This the business. Part of the interview.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Between like the radio show.
Speaker 2 (46:04):
I love it. No, let me tell you I love it.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
Thank you better. Everything's going well.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Man. You're a solid dude, been solid.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (46:11):
Man.
Speaker 2 (46:11):
This ain't just new for anybody that's just starting to watch.
I've been knowing them many, many, many years earlier in
my coming up.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Yeah, you knew me when I was a run in
Las Vegas. No, you always KG back in the day,
and I'm proud of you.
Speaker 2 (46:26):
You know.
Speaker 1 (46:26):
He was supposed to be my first radio interview ever
after Triller came out in the afternoon jock at the
station at the time, and Phoenix hated and took it
from me because I was doing it was at a
Virgin You were running around with Brian Samson at Depth
Jam back in the day and yeah, but look ross Man,
you're you're one of the greatest of all time. Nino,
You're talented as fuck. Saint Pete's in the building. Bulet
(46:50):
cap pot man, you already know we in here. Come on,
boom
He before we start the episode, we're gonna remind everybody, man,
we got one of the biggest radio shows in the country,
syndicated in almost one hundred cities all over. Shout out
to iHeartRadio. All right, some of the latest cities that
we've been able to add. Man. We want to give
a shout out to ninety three point nine to Beat
in Honolulu. That's right, Hawaii, We over there going crazy.
I also want to give a shout out Hot ninety
(00:21):
eight three and Tucson. Shout out to Tucson going crazy.
Also want to give a shout out to Wild ninety
four one in Tampa going crazy. We just got Richmond.
We also just got the good folks in Bakersfield at
Hot one O four to seven. So we're going crazy
on the radio with my partner James Andre Jefferson Junior
for the Bootleg keV Show. So make sure you tune
in and you can listen anywhere on that iHeart Radio app.
(00:44):
That's right, let's get into the interview. Yo, it's the
Bootleg keV Show. Man. We got a special guest in here,
a living legend, one of the greatest rappers that ever lived,
one of the greatest moguls and hip hop history. Ricky
Rose is in the motherfucking building name Ross.
Speaker 2 (01:05):
What up?
Speaker 1 (01:05):
Man?
Speaker 2 (01:06):
You already know what it is. Man.
Speaker 1 (01:08):
We here like this way a little bit, just so
we get you for the Michael little bit and we're
gonna be type me and you're gonna be typing. We
gotta get you. Brought a special guest with you. Man,
I'm gonna let you introduce.
Speaker 2 (01:16):
Most definitely, I brought the motherfucking living legend, the street legend,
the one and only Nino Breeze. I'm talking about before TikTok,
my nigga was trending in the Federal Penitentiary stand Solid
making his music, you know, and I began to hear
about his dream in the place he was making his ship.
We all was patient, and when he came to the crib,
(01:37):
wilat here he is.
Speaker 1 (01:39):
You know you're from Saint Pete. I lived in Saint
Pete for three.
Speaker 3 (01:43):
Years, Okay, then I remember when he was out there.
Speaker 1 (01:45):
Yeah, I used to live in in the Emerald Point
apartments on Fourth Street, fourth and seventy third, which was
like very sketch.
Speaker 3 (01:53):
Yeah yeah, yeah.
Speaker 4 (01:54):
I ain't gonna lie like a lot of home of
ages happened though, for sure, Like dudes move out there
thinking the.
Speaker 1 (01:58):
Time I lived in Tampa, that's right, I lift yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah,
you know obviously shout out to the Salems off of Eighteenth.
Uh you used to go get my gyros cracking over there. Yeah,
Saint Pete's shit though.
Speaker 4 (02:08):
They shut that one down. It's like they opened a
new one. It's a little it's down there still on
eighteenth though.
Speaker 1 (02:12):
Because it was like one by a Walmart.
Speaker 2 (02:14):
I remember.
Speaker 3 (02:14):
Yeah, they push it to the side a little bit.
It's still there.
Speaker 1 (02:17):
So how did how did you because obviously you've been
getting money in Tampa forever, You've been fucking with with
the Tampa Bay Saint Pete area forever. How did y'all
initially just end up kind of connecting?
Speaker 2 (02:27):
Well?
Speaker 4 (02:27):
When I was in, like Doc Dog said, when I
was doing my fair bed, you know what I'm saying.
I was still doing my thing with the music, even
behind the wall. I still you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
How long were you sitting down?
Speaker 3 (02:38):
I was going for five year this last time.
Speaker 1 (02:41):
When did you get out?
Speaker 3 (02:42):
I got out of March twenty eight two, than then twenty.
Speaker 1 (02:45):
Two, Oh shit, Okay.
Speaker 4 (02:46):
Yeah, yeah, so we just over three years. But while
I was in there, I cut into a nigga named Kano.
Kano was a good friend of Ross. But even when
he was locked up, Kano still was involved with the
music that like I was involved with the music. So
you know, we stayed locked in and when I hit Turf,
I was always sing my music and he was playing
for a fat boy, you know what I'm saying. So
(03:06):
like once he heard the music and he seinging the grind,
he was already familiar with a nigga.
Speaker 3 (03:10):
Makeup, you know what I'm saying. So we just locked
in front off Ross.
Speaker 1 (03:15):
How tapped in? Were you with the area? Because musically,
like that area has a sound it's called joke, Like
the jerk movement is so big out of Tampa. Like
you know, you think of guys like Christal and Tom
G and obviously you know fast yeah, a little key.
Speaker 2 (03:31):
The list goes on, you know, I'm gonna tell you,
like even before that, I was tapped in when Tampa,
when niggas was screwing music.
Speaker 3 (03:43):
A lot of niggas on't know Tampa was on that early.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
Listen to me, I remember them niggas was screwing music
long time ago, years ago, you know what I'm saying.
And I remember when one of my homies from town
Nigga used to pull up on me, real nigga, solid nigga,
get money, and he used to be shit, I'm like,
what the fuck is this nigga? And he was like,
(04:09):
what it's that I'm talking about? We was JITs, you
know what I'm saying. So Tampa always been unique with
they sound. Yeah, you know, we always fuck with him,
so shit, here we are. It only makes sense. My
nigga got a unique sound. Ain't nobody else gonna sound
like Nino Breezed in the way he actually rhyming and
rapping and putting words together, you know what I mean.
He got something to say.
Speaker 1 (04:29):
So uh with Nino, what would you say? Because obviously
it's got to be a big deal to have something
like Rod Wave, one of the biggest rappers on the
planet representing Saint Pete, because Saint Pete's always kind of
been like, you know, like the afterthought of the area
when you because people nationally they don't think of Sat Pete.
They Thigga Tampa Bay. You know what I'm saying. But
Saint Pete is its own place. That's where that's where
(04:52):
the baseball team is at. It's on downtown, it's on politics,
it's like vibe everything like but they have road wave
kind of it on like for real, like yo.
Speaker 3 (05:02):
Yo yo, yeah, Rod definitely doing this thing.
Speaker 4 (05:04):
And it's like with me, me having an opportunity that
I got, You feel me like if I can get
my foot in the door and bring a couple of
niggas with me.
Speaker 3 (05:12):
I just think, you know, that's always been a dream
of mine.
Speaker 4 (05:15):
Just just just taking what I'm familiar with, the that
I growed up seeing and putting it on that main
stage and bringing it to the forefront. I feel like
we got a lot that we could bring to the
game if that happens, you know what I'm saying. It
just wasn't always realistic for us. We didn't always have
them opportunities or though them outlets, you know what I'm saying.
But that shit opened it up right now?
Speaker 1 (05:34):
Yeah, Ross talk to me what obviously, Man, the legacy
that MMG is a label has in hip hop is
so insane. I was just listening to Self Made too,
Like I was just listening in the power circle whichever
self made that was man. But like you know, obviously,
(05:59):
you know, I feel like you've been doing this entrepreneur ship,
open up wing stops, doing car shows. I mean, you've
been doing so much over the last few years. You
and Mek dropped a really underrated project a couple of
years ago. How important is it to like, because you're
not the type of person to just sign somebody just
to sign somebody like you, You're You're very self aware
(06:20):
of the legacy the MMG holds, so like, how important
is it to keep that legacy going? And what was
it about him that kind of like, you know, makes
sense with the lineage of the label.
Speaker 2 (06:29):
I just felt like what music was at Nino will
be needed more now than ever. Right, It's time for
that real nigga vibe to step back to the forefront,
you know, and speak for the street niggas. You know
what I'm saying, and you know, shout out to all
the niggas who shining right now doing their thing. I
love it, But most definitely we need niggas with that
(06:52):
certain cloth that's gonna represent for where I'm from, real niggas,
floorda niggas, street niggas and regardless wherever you're from. You
know what I mean, dog gonna talk that ship and
put it away that real niggas can appreciate it. So no,
I'm not signing niggas just to be signing them. I'm
not even excited by ninety five percent of the ship
out here. You gotta show me that you're really gonna
(07:13):
go get it. You know what I'm saying, What niggas
really hustling, What niggas really want more than a norm
You can't be some part. You can't be average if
you are. That's what it is. You know what I
Meany niggas done came and left in the game in
the last five years. Facts, niggas load up. I'm just saying.
Sound I'm just saying, you know, a lot of took
(07:36):
off and that ship. It is like, and we're not
laughing at no niggas situation. We're just saying, it's niggas
that take all the way off. But you gotta maintain
that shit.
Speaker 1 (07:46):
Man.
Speaker 2 (07:47):
Just accept the challenge. Do it for the challenge, even
if you don't give a fuck about it, do it
for the challenge. A lot of shit I do just
for the challenge. That's what it inspired me. That might
be that bottle.
Speaker 1 (07:57):
Thank you, thank you the best bubbles we got some y'all.
Speaker 2 (08:02):
Got any cups? Yeah, we celebrate. I like that you're
getting that money. Care what this is?
Speaker 1 (08:10):
How much from Houston?
Speaker 2 (08:12):
Houston? Slap woods?
Speaker 1 (08:14):
H town guys. I'll tell you off camera, good guys. Though,
I also like actually smokes slop woods.
Speaker 2 (08:24):
So you already know I smoked hot tolerance. But we
do benness with everybody, ship with us.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Talk to me Ross about obviously you know there's so
many errors to your career. Do you feel like, you
know a lot of people would get to your position
and then we've seen a lot of people kind of
kick back you know what I'm saying. We don't hear
from a lot of people. Every once in a while,
go get that Dubai show bag, they'll pop in, pop out.
(08:53):
But like you're you know, when it comes to the
kind of success and wealth that you've been able to
build and hip hop, Ross, what and outside hip hop?
What is it that still keeps you motivated to continue
to just put up shots and continue to just try
new shit and shit.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
I just told you it's the challenge.
Speaker 1 (09:12):
Yeah, you love the sport to me.
Speaker 2 (09:14):
Of course, that's what it is. It ain't just about
the paper. But you gotta realize it, you know when
it is about the paper. Let's say you a young
nigga and you want to your dream was to be
a millionaire. When you become a millionaire, it should be
the challenge of hitting ten that puts you to the ten.
Once you hit ten, it should be the challenge of
(09:34):
the hundred that puts you to the hundred. Then once
you get a hundred million, shit, I could pull off
five hundred million. You hit five hundred million. Oh man,
I could taste it. I could smell it. It's like
a bitch laying on her back and that pussy shaved pretty. Yeah,
I could taste it. I normally hit a bill, but
that should be the challenge. It's no particular number, you
(09:56):
know what I'm saying. So when you're making music and
you a nigga that really loved make music and you
still got shipped to say, you might have a nigga
to the disc. You might have some shit you just
want to rep some shit. You want to rep for
some shit you want to speak on. Behalf of your city,
behalf on the real niggas that can't say nothing. I'm
gonna say this for them, that's the ship that should
make you want to keep making music. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:18):
Do you feel like for you the sport of the
rap shit has finally kind of been because you you
obviously jumped into the arena with the with the Kendrick
Drake shit that happened. Do you feel like the sport
has been like reignited with with what has been going
on the last year or so.
Speaker 2 (10:35):
I'm not just gonna say, you know, reignited, but I
felt like, you know, that was something that was necessary.
It was something that you know, the streets needed, the
culture needed. Let's clarify this shit. Who gonna really step
up to the forefront, right, you know what I'm saying.
But anything other than that, it's not too dramatic to me.
(10:55):
You know, do some niggas make it more than what
it is? They could?
Speaker 1 (11:00):
You know, I just felt like it was very It
was very like like you said, it was kind of
like a palette cleanse where it was like, oh, we
gotta really kind of dissect what people are saying it.
Speaker 2 (11:08):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's let's do that. Fuck all the
metaphors now, let's just get down the business. You see
what's really happening now here? Yeah?
Speaker 1 (11:18):
Could you I'd heard now you can stop me if
I'm wrong. What's the What was the root cause of
the falling out with Drake?
Speaker 2 (11:27):
Was it?
Speaker 1 (11:27):
Some of it told me it was because of the
way he had treated French on a record?
Speaker 2 (11:30):
Is that I mean I spoke on that on the
record I released. You know what I'm saying, Like I said,
fuck that ship. You know what I'm saying. Classics together,
If it's real niggas, If real nigga's gonna stay real,
that's it. You know what I'm saying. Was it something
really deep? Now? Fuck that though? But if if you puss,
(11:51):
you puss. If it's real, it's real, and that's what
it is.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Could that ever be something you could ever see? Like
you guys talking it out, and you guys have so
many classics together, such a long history together.
Speaker 2 (12:05):
You never know. If a nigga send me a bottle
of Luke Bellair, especially the white one, you know, bottle
for any of these young.
Speaker 1 (12:12):
Niggas out here, especially if it's a magaz.
Speaker 2 (12:14):
Yeah, send me a white bell Air bottle and I'll
take a picture with you. Because that white bell a
bottle is you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (12:21):
Yo, Can you break down because you know it's so crazy.
We talked about that Power Circle record. You've always had
such a great ear I one of the greatest ears
ever when.
Speaker 2 (12:29):
It comes to me when I put Kendrick on that record.
Speaker 1 (12:31):
Yes, you put Kendrick on Power Circle alongside the whole
label the valley. I donay.
Speaker 2 (12:37):
I'm down in Miami all the way on the other
side of the map. But it's just certain things I
could watch. It's certain things that I understand, and when
it comes to music, I believe I got a vision
for it. That's it. I've been watching and studying that
shit since I was in the first grade, you know
what I mean. So it's certain things that I can see,
you know what I mean.
Speaker 1 (12:57):
So you just kind of knew what the Kendrick thing
because that time he was bubbling. But I felt like
it was at that time you were like mmgs, the hottest,
hottest fish.
Speaker 2 (13:06):
Grease, and I was like, I understand who this young
nigga is right here, Come get on this record. Let's
all wrap on this record. And it's not about now.
It wasn't that he was huge. It was for the sport.
Speaker 1 (13:17):
Yeah, and it was for the sport. I'd like to
give a shout out to gun Play for having one
of the greatest verses of all time to play Oh
my god, no cartoons and Cereal is different. Oh my god,
cartoons and as.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
He don't play got.
Speaker 1 (13:32):
It's all I can see that. Yeah, yeah, I want yeah, yeah, yeah.
Shout out to how's gun Play doing dog one of
the most underrated rappers of all time?
Speaker 2 (13:42):
No, not niggas know what time?
Speaker 1 (13:44):
No, I know, but I'm talking about when it when
when it comes to the big talks, he's.
Speaker 2 (13:47):
Underratedigga, niggas know what time it is? Playah yeah, my
niggas still getting this shipped together. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (13:55):
Triple C's album was hard to very very slept on
when it comes to your ear though, ross like, there
was a few artists that almost came to MMG, A
couple of West Coast guys. Dom. I know you were
talking with Nip potentially, and I know the Whiz thing
was kicked around because I remember when he got on
the Super High remix. I remember I was stoked because
(14:18):
I was like, it's we'z about to be on MMG.
What is going on? Like how close, specifically was the
nip thing from happen? Like I know you know, he
obviously gave you a lot of love. He said he
fucks with Rick Ross because he's teaching wealth And I
know you guys have such a long history. But how
close was that actually to becoming a thing?
Speaker 2 (14:39):
And you know what? This something I just want to
say because I be seeing niggas on podcasts speaking on
such oh shit, trying to recin and I don't be
knowing how to feel about it. What I want to
say is all the names you said, these niggas to
me were already icons the same way I say Nino
breezing because I already know I have a feeling, you understand,
(15:01):
So they already niggas was already gonna shine. I was
just able and in the position to, you know, make
music with him at such an early stage, right, you
know what I mean. So Nipsey was another nigga that
I already felt was an icon in my mind. He
was already huge, and it's not like you're to a
(15:22):
lot of other niggas. He was younger, you know what
I'm saying. So that's what it was. And I remember
us just talking about you know, both our ideas. Right,
I'm a nigga that's inspired by you sharing your ideas.
So anytime I sat down with any of these niggas,
it was really they had their ideas already. I had ideas.
(15:42):
We just sharing ideas. We just going back and forth.
Let's exchange numbers, nigga, Let's stay in touch. You know
what I'm saying. So that's what it was. Shout out
to Dom Kennedy, Rip the nip the marathon still continue.
You know what I'm saying. Wiz, I flew him. I
flew that. I told them niggas really just currency was
another one. Yeah, yeah, I flew them down and both
(16:05):
of them niggas was already shining.
Speaker 1 (16:06):
Oh and they were. Yeah, they were obviously killing the
mixtape game.
Speaker 2 (16:10):
I just said, come down here, let's smoke some good weed.
I got a good weed plug. Yeah. You know what
I'm saying. They flew down, nigga, We jumped into bands
and we just went. We went smoked weed, got tattooed,
ship like that. Niggas just ate good real nigga shit. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (16:24):
No, it's crazy because I feel like you're one of
the only artists who has a label, who had a
label who did it the right way, where your approach
was always like I want people to be bigger than me.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
I would love it, you know.
Speaker 1 (16:36):
What I'm saying. It's like I feel like a lot
of artists, they will have their homies or the assigned artists,
but they don't ever want if they're if they're super active,
they don't ever want like their artists who over over
shine what they're doing, if that makes sense. But I
feel like yourself, and then I feel like you kind
of laid the groundwork for like Gody CMG because God
is kind of taking that same model and just ran
with it.
Speaker 2 (16:55):
Facts.
Speaker 1 (16:56):
So yeah, it's been dope to see. Man, are you
working on new music?
Speaker 2 (17:02):
Ross?
Speaker 1 (17:03):
Like for yourself?
Speaker 2 (17:04):
I am, I am, I am. All you niggas get ready,
Ricky Rose.
Speaker 1 (17:10):
Because we haven't had a Ross album and man, obviously
you and Meat dropped, but.
Speaker 2 (17:13):
Right right, And for me, it's all about the motivation
and once again it's the challenge Nino Breeze being here
spitting that ship, me hearing hard ship. It gave a
nigga that real inspiration. Other than that, I'm gonna just
get fly every day and watch you niggas do y'all thing.
But when I'm inspired, nigga, Yeah, so get ready? Are
(17:34):
you what I do?
Speaker 1 (17:35):
Are you still with that Jam?
Speaker 2 (17:37):
Of course not you.
Speaker 1 (17:38):
You had left def Jam a while ago. You ended
up messing with Gamma, right.
Speaker 2 (17:42):
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Shout out to the team over at.
Speaker 1 (17:44):
Gamma, Larry, shout to Larry.
Speaker 2 (17:46):
Yeah. But the Empire double MG. We're doing it all
the way to the from the bottom to the top.
Speaker 1 (17:51):
That's what's up. Nino. Can you tell me, like the
first time you are in the studio with this guy,
what is that experience like? Because I can only like,
I I just hear, like the way this guy he's
a savant, you know what I'm saying, He's a goat.
So I can only imagine, like being in a lab
with him had to be where you nervous? Was it
a vibe?
Speaker 2 (18:09):
Say? Were you nervous? Now?
Speaker 4 (18:13):
It's just a natural vibe. Like me and Dogg was
already you know, hanging a back and your feelin I
this ship is genu wine, right, So like we had
already hit the club together. I got on the yard
to get a you know, big vies. You so like
this is my nigga for real everything natural?
Speaker 1 (18:26):
Do you do you get a swing stop gift cards?
When you sign the MG, do you get like the.
Speaker 3 (18:31):
Is there to cash them?
Speaker 1 (18:32):
Man? Because how many? How many locations?
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Isn't that gonna go off? Face though? I would just
walk in that bitch telling what I need.
Speaker 1 (18:37):
Because I know you got to have some of that
in the Saint Pete area. You gotta at least have
one over there.
Speaker 3 (18:41):
Yeah, we got we got the one.
Speaker 4 (18:42):
We got one on through the fourth and like seventeenth
North and then there's one by crawl the street from
Logo Mall.
Speaker 3 (18:47):
I know about them too.
Speaker 1 (18:48):
How crazy is it for you, man, just to see
like the growth because you go in, you're going for
five years, right, so you get out and it's like
a damn near different place. Bro Like, like.
Speaker 3 (19:00):
I don't like it.
Speaker 1 (19:01):
You don't like it?
Speaker 2 (19:02):
What you mean you don't like it?
Speaker 4 (19:04):
They gentrifying that the hood ain't the hood no more.
You feel like a lot of that gut shit. I'm
speaking on just my frame of reference, what I'm familiar with.
It's like, you you go to my hood right now,
it's white people walking their dogs and shit. The only
time I used to see white people in my neighborhood.
They was bond ope for taking niggas of jail, you
know what I'm saying. So it's just like it ain't
(19:24):
that part that I missed, But it's like you just
got like aunties and grandmas who grew up and they
was used to working for the city, driving buses, whatever
it is they and that was enough for them to stay.
Speaker 3 (19:36):
There wasn't enough for them to sustain themselves.
Speaker 4 (19:39):
That was enough for them to like have a family,
to get together, just look out for the gits and
shit like that, and all of a sudden it ain't
good enough no more. And then they don't have the
skills or like the opportunities that like really get it together,
so they just pushing niggas out.
Speaker 2 (19:53):
Of the way. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (19:54):
I went to Rumbo in Saint Pete like a year
and a half ago, and I was down in that
area and I didn't recognize nothing.
Speaker 4 (20:01):
I was like different, I'll be watching my old music
videos to try to remember what it was.
Speaker 1 (20:06):
And then I got I stayed downtown Tampa. Like my
channel what was the name of Big Chris's club channels Asia?
Speaker 2 (20:13):
Yeah, my ball too.
Speaker 3 (20:14):
I would go up in that bit.
Speaker 1 (20:19):
I was out there with odd so was doing some ship.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
These drink more in the bar than they would in
the club.
Speaker 1 (20:27):
I don't know.
Speaker 4 (20:28):
That's a good I don't lie the ball motion, that's different.
You're getting straight to it.
Speaker 1 (20:33):
I like the bar. I'm a bar.
Speaker 2 (20:35):
Do we have a bar in Miami? Definitely?
Speaker 1 (20:41):
The bars everywhere?
Speaker 3 (20:42):
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1 (20:44):
Tampa's blowing up though, Like Channel Side, I don't even
I didn't even know where I got. I came out
of my hotel and I was like, weird, what is this?
And then I realized. I walked down and then I
saw the amily and then I started how it used
to be out in my head, and I'm like, oh shit,
they got rid of all this shit.
Speaker 3 (21:02):
Yea, all that shit flip on this.
Speaker 1 (21:05):
Ship is insane. What are you working on? Obviously you
got the new record out. The type of record has
been going crazy for a minute, but the new record
is going crazy.
Speaker 3 (21:13):
Yeah, we got new eight and Rotation right out of
its doing it. You know what I'm saying. That's a
little bit more upbeat. You know what I'm saying. That's
that bounce, that's that swat.
Speaker 4 (21:20):
Well, you were just getting a different molde on that,
like you feeish yourself coming through. But other than that,
you know, I've been we've been going city to city
on the Millennium Tour YEP. A lot of times when
I touched down the different cities, I tap in with
these like freestyle platform and like, you know, just being
really showcasing what a nigga can do lyrically.
Speaker 3 (21:40):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (21:41):
And the screets tapping in, they fucking with the freestyles.
So now we're taking the free styles and we're doing
the EP.
Speaker 3 (21:47):
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 4 (21:48):
Some of the free styles I did, I'm adding courses
to them. I'm an second Versus and the other list shit,
And we're gonna put that EP out there form while
I work on the next project.
Speaker 1 (21:57):
How's the Millennium Tour, Ben Ross been good?
Speaker 2 (22:00):
We've been having a good time on that ship Allas.
They having fun, you know, just it's just a fun vibe.
You know. We just wrapped it up, performed the last
show last night.
Speaker 1 (22:09):
I saw Boozy was out there, Chris.
Speaker 2 (22:14):
Chris Brown, you know, and for me just to watch
my Nino Breeze run out there, man and get to
shine on the same stage with the moments That's what
really inspired it from the beginning. And you know, going
to all the markets promoting the car show, promoting the brands,
promote my nigga music. It was you couldn't ask for nothing.
Speaker 1 (22:33):
Else, Yo. I don't know if I've ever seen a brand.
I remember when Belair launched, and I don't even know
if Bellair existed before you, but they did well. I
don't think anybody knew it just.
Speaker 3 (22:47):
Put it on the mouth respect.
Speaker 1 (22:51):
But I say that to say that I just saw
like a recent uh someone that told me what bel
Air is worth recently. Shout out to my guy Will
from Taylor Gang is his manager. We were having a
discussion about alcohol and you know, Wiz has his McQueen
under the same you know umbrella. But then we started
(23:11):
talking about just how big bell Air is and the
amount of money that bell Air is worth is preposterous.
And I understand that you own a good chunk of
that company, at least of that brand.
Speaker 2 (23:24):
Right.
Speaker 1 (23:26):
Can you just speak to the levels of success that
you've been able to reach with a champagne that is
seemingly just like it's the champagne of like no matter
where you go, they're gonna have bel Air's the.
Speaker 2 (23:38):
One I don't recall. Hey, look, look this is what
I'm gonna tell you. This is the number one Bubbles
And you gotta realize there are markets outside of the country.
The brand, the brand ambassadors, the team, shout out, the Brett,
(24:02):
the whole squad with you speaking on the value. I
don't even have those conversations, you know what I'm saying, right,
I'm one of those like, when it comes to anything
that I'm doing, let's do it out of love. When
it's time to discuss that, you know, we discussed that.
But other than that, of course, Bellair was before I ever
(24:23):
became a brand ambassador, was already on this vibe.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
But it changed.
Speaker 2 (24:28):
Man, It's most definitely in a good space, but it's
the best. It's the best shout out everywhere around the world,
you know what I mean, France, Africa.
Speaker 1 (24:41):
Outside of your career, you've invested in a lot of companies.
Which one has been the most rewarding financially? Is it
the wing stops is at the Champagne? Is it? Is it?
Speaker 2 (24:54):
That? Is it?
Speaker 1 (24:56):
The massive mansion in Atlanta that gets rented out for movies?
Speaker 2 (24:59):
Is it?
Speaker 1 (24:59):
The car Show go on and on?
Speaker 2 (25:01):
And on. I don't recall.
Speaker 1 (25:05):
All of the above.
Speaker 2 (25:07):
It's just what you got to realize is okay, wing
stops once again, you start with one?
Speaker 1 (25:13):
How many you guys, I don't recall more than fifty.
Speaker 2 (25:17):
I don't recall nice I started with one. That's what's
most important. The one is the most important. Worked our
way up to ten, twenty thirty, and that's at that point.
It's not even about the numbers. You understand. The challenge
(25:39):
is still there. That's what I just said twenty minutes ago.
It's about the challenge. Because I didn't come in the
game and said, man, I want to own X amount
of wing stops. We just worked our way to it.
Shout out to my team, my beautiful mother, my sister.
Speaker 1 (25:52):
Yeah, I know your sisters, man, she's a champions.
Speaker 2 (25:56):
Yeah, and so you know, we're just hustling. That's that's
what it is.
Speaker 1 (26:01):
I love it, man, and it's the challenge.
Speaker 2 (26:03):
It's the challenge.
Speaker 1 (26:04):
I love it for you. Ross is there you know
when we think about MMG, the Wiles, the Meeks of
the world, was there ever? Can you kind of give
me like there was like this big misconception that you
and Meek weren't necessarily see and I to ie you
(26:25):
guys end up putting this album out kind of shutting
all that up. Like how much of this rap shit
do that fans hear about? Is simple like miscommunication, whether
it's some entourage shit or it's just you know, people
just because we don't talk for six months, people assume
shit ain't good. You know what I'm saying. I'm assume
there's a lot of that.
Speaker 2 (26:46):
Oh, I got it. You gotta realize when I used
to see things Meek mill wile, you know, a lot
of that ship was straight, right, cap, you know what
I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (27:02):
Besides them two together because they were there, they had
a thing together.
Speaker 2 (27:05):
Yeah, these niggas are be in the studio and then
two nights, two days later, you see some shit. But
that's what Just fuck that shit, right, That's why you
never seen me really speak on that ship, because it
wasn't even nothing to a dress, right, you know what
I'm saying. We get in the studio, we come here,
bay blah blah blah blah blah.
Speaker 1 (27:24):
Blah, whatever would you ever?
Speaker 2 (27:27):
I may come in here one day and you don't
have the white bella, the pink bell la Man, fuck
this shit, keV. I ain't coming back to pose, may say.
Speaker 1 (27:36):
Rose went, I only have the Black Bottle Ross. So
they had you feel me.
Speaker 2 (27:42):
You feel me and them holds to make that into
something and it ain't even like that. You my nigga.
You know what I'm saying. The homies, the homies, them
niggas really homies. If them niggas called each other right now,
them niggas are come through for each other.
Speaker 1 (27:53):
Facts.
Speaker 2 (27:54):
If I call me right now, if I called Wallet
right now, it ain't nothing them niggas wouldn't do for
me vice versas.
Speaker 1 (28:02):
One of the greatest mixtapes of all time is the
Rich Forever tape Rich. How do we get this on
DSP's Spotify, Apple Music. I'm tired of finding because that
PIF's gone. I'm tired of going on YouTube and find
all the links.
Speaker 2 (28:17):
I really don't want to do it.
Speaker 1 (28:19):
Really, yeah, like I want Holy Ghost on Spotify for
Fox's sake.
Speaker 2 (28:23):
And the reason and the reason being is that was
just that was at a certain point and I just
wanted to do that for the streets. I had just
released the album with Depth Jam six months earlier, and
I put that body of work together and I was
ready to release it, and I said, won't nothing come
in between it, even if it's the record label death Jam,
(28:43):
fuck depth Jam. I'm finna get this to the streets.
That's what the streets need.
Speaker 1 (28:47):
And you had John Legend the intro of a mixtape.
Speaker 2 (28:50):
Right, that's Rose, That's insane, that's Rose. Me and John
Legend always been cool speed you know, speed out type ship.
If I hit my nigga right now, Hey, my nigga
blessed this for me. He gonna have that shit back
to me. And you know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (29:06):
Like that, you had this era where it kind of
heated up prior to Teflon Don releasing. But like the
albert Anastasia era. I remember you had a record on
there with cool Gi Rap. Was it nice? I'm trying
to remember the name of the song knife Fights. Yes,
But you had like use the mixtape game in a
(29:28):
way that I don't remember artists up until that point
having like a certified hit record that nobody could buy,
like BMF started on a mixtape and then ended up
on Teflon Down later. But it was kind of like
the first time that had ever really really happened where like,
(29:48):
you know, there were buzzing mixtapes, mixtapes people love that.
You know, obviously people were downloaded, but like, I feel
like that was the first time where like a cultural anthem,
the hottest song in the street was something that wasn't
even out yet, but you had you had to go
find a z share link or a media fire link
online or go hit the DAP pit for what was that? Like, Man,
(30:10):
can you just walk me through that era prior to
teflon Dawn You're putting out Albert down the States EP
and just that whole game. Such a.
Speaker 2 (30:21):
In the game.
Speaker 1 (30:21):
It's such a crazy time.
Speaker 2 (30:23):
That's when niggas was paying two hundred for the Verse.
I was like, boy, this ship crack. Man, hold on,
hold on, hit them niggas, man, hold on, hold on.
You know what I'm saying, How does Nick for real?
Speaker 1 (30:34):
No, I feel like that era of Ross like you
were the like like the like once it was like
that two or three year run.
Speaker 2 (30:42):
No, it wasn't.
Speaker 1 (30:43):
It was longer than I mean, I'm talking about where
you're like because at that time you're about Drake. I'm
being serious. No, no, no, no, no, I'm talking about two
or three year run. Is like the undisputed hottest dude
in the streets.
Speaker 2 (30:58):
In the game. Yeah, we had fun like that, and
that's what it was for me, you know what I'm saying,
Because at some point as a boss, when you really
got a boss mindset, once you achieve certain things, once
you get your paper right, at that point, it's for
the sport. It's just like coming to a concert or something.
(31:19):
It ain't no stress, nigga. It's just about what joggers
you had on and what sneakers. Because this shit is
for love, you know what I'm saying. You forget what
you even charge these niggas to come do certain things.
That's when you just text your system how much was
this ship for? Yeah, that's cool. You know what I'm
(31:41):
saying that at some point, as a young hustler and
as an artist, that's how I want you niggas to
approach it. At a certain point, you get you put
yourself in a position where when you're doing this shit, nigga,
you just you doing it. You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
Yeah, I mean I feel like you also got to
have a team that you trust.
Speaker 2 (32:06):
You got to have a team that you could trust.
That's without a doubt that's the only way. That's where
the longevity comes in at because if you the type
of motherfuckers who think you could fire someone every six
months and continue to start over, you setting yourself up
for huge failures for sure, not only that you're not
inspiring the rest of the niggas on the team. You
(32:27):
gotta show niggas the rewards of staying down, staying loyal,
being committed. You gotta let them know the possibilities, not
the fake promises, but let them know the possibilities of
continue to grow in and possibly getting put in other
positions as a reward for that loyalty.
Speaker 1 (32:47):
You know, has there been anything you've been able because
obviously you're you're you're I'm sure an entrepreneur in your
own right, but what is just being around ross the
short amount of time? Is there any any anythings that
you've picked up that you're like, I can apply this
to my shit, whether it's music, whether it's personal life, whatever.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
The main thing it'd be like, like I was just
looking just then you feeling like they're always taking off
I'm picking up what he's putting down. They don't even
always be necessarily by learning something new, So much is
reinforcing with a nigga already, know, Yeah, you know what
I'm saying, Like the people that you be around, the
thing on their shit that could take you off your squad,
you know what I'm saying. So if you run, nigga
(33:24):
that's on it twenty four seventh, three sixty five, really
twenty four eight, twenty five eight, you.
Speaker 1 (33:29):
Know what I'm saying, sacrifice too with that.
Speaker 2 (33:30):
Yeah, it just it's.
Speaker 4 (33:31):
Gonna stay on your mind. It's just gonna be. It's
gonna be a little bit more like.
Speaker 1 (33:36):
It's one thing to be that too when you're coming
up and you're hungry. It's another thing to be that
way when you already.
Speaker 4 (33:40):
Yeah, the niggas just be like some people like I
feel like me, I'm just permanently inspired.
Speaker 3 (33:44):
I've been for a long time ago Like I'm always
just just I always got.
Speaker 4 (33:49):
This thing and well, like once you put me in
the quation, like it leads the motion and lead the
shit going on, you know what I'm saying, Like I
did all that fair time you feel me By the
time I can't, my dogs wasn't making music no more. Niggas,
wasn't making beach no mold niggas wasn't pushing. We had
to close the line going. We had the party promo
shit going for I left. I revent all that ship
because it's just emmy, right, you know what I'm saying.
(34:11):
So it's like being around niggas who own it, it
is like for me, that's that's That's more what I
feel like.
Speaker 1 (34:16):
We never crossed pass in Tampa. I lived there for
I was at Club Scott every Friday and Saturday. I
was we was getting to crack it out there.
Speaker 2 (34:23):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (34:24):
Yeah, I was really fuck with Scott or like you said,
I was at Asia.
Speaker 2 (34:27):
Yeah you feel me.
Speaker 3 (34:28):
I was fucked up by Kennedy.
Speaker 1 (34:29):
Scott, Oh yeah, Kennedy on Monday Nights.
Speaker 3 (34:32):
Monday Nights to Kennedy Martini. Yeah, you know what I'm saying.
I all playing those cut I remember.
Speaker 1 (34:37):
I brought Troy after Blue Martini for my birthday one year.
Speaker 3 (34:40):
I remember when it came. I don't think I went,
but I seen him them all that day.
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Yeah, yeah, I was there with him. Man shout out
to the Blue Martini. But Kennedy on Monday was crazy.
It was that and that what happened, I don't know,
I don't know.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
I don't know what happened to all that ship going.
Speaker 2 (34:54):
Happened to all clubs for sure, No club that you
ever know gonna last a lifetime except live, get rich,
stack that paper, and when it's time, you know.
Speaker 1 (35:05):
Get about of there, they move one hundred. That's a
fair point. Ross. What do you attribute? They say you
have the best ear for production, and I agree. I
feel like your ear for beats is second to none.
I think you have the best ear for beats in
hip hop history. I mean, there's a few folks up
there with you, but I feel like you you are
(35:26):
the king when it comes to picking beats, when it
comes to, you know, just making these cinematic records that
sound like, you know, like movies when you close your eyes, Like,
what do you think the secret is to the way
you're able to pick beats?
Speaker 2 (35:38):
Man? I think one of the the huge roles in
the way I listen to music is I don't close
my door to no type of music. I could wake
up in the morning, take a shot at tequila listening
to Gloria Estefan understand. Then we could go to too Short,
(36:00):
then we could go to JT. Money. It don't matter.
I jump all across the board when it comes to sounds,
you know, listening in the backseat whatever my mama and
then was playing. It was probably Johnny Taylor, you know
what I mean. So I just whatever it was down
(36:22):
to the first instrumental I wrote my first verse to,
which was CENTERP. I believe that was Michael jack Reebe Jackson. Yeah, y'all, y'all,
y'all streamed at Rebe Jackson. That was really the first
beat I ever wrote too. So it's just one of
those things. I listen to everything. So once it's time
(36:45):
to tap into a certain vibe, a certain element, we finish,
paint a certain picture. What's best for this background?
Speaker 1 (36:53):
M Yeah, because you would have because you know, Live
Fast and Die Young sounds nothing like mc hammer sounds,
nothing like Mayback music, you know what I mean. But
you did have. You were one of the first like
artists I can remember to pop with type beats on YouTube.
There would be like Rick Ross type beats because you
had that run where it was like BMF and mc
(37:15):
hammer and there was like a lot of these records
that were very the beats had a similar like it
was like, oh that was an MMG beat that was
like a Ross beat. Do you remember when you got
like when you found that little pocket of like the
trap shit and it just it was like your specific
sound like.
Speaker 2 (37:34):
I do. I remember without a doubt and shout out
to the producers that was giving me that pressure. Yeah yeah, yeah,
Lex Lugos, shout out the billionaire, the runners, all the
niggas that was just giving me, giving me that pressure.
Niggas know where I was at. I got something to prove.
I ain't afraid to say it. I got something to prove.
(37:56):
We're finna walk in. Take these niggas bitches, take all
the money. That's when we finish. Come in. I need
something to I need beats for that, and niggas sent
them to.
Speaker 1 (38:06):
Me and then it was like it was a sound
all the other artists starters changed.
Speaker 3 (38:14):
It's crazy because I'm just like front screen. They like
that sound. They that's it's real.
Speaker 4 (38:20):
Prevalent right now, you know what I'm saying, Like like
they want to get over, Like what was dog Man
who made boev is it d Games.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
D Rich.
Speaker 1 (38:30):
Rich boy with box Chevy.
Speaker 4 (38:32):
He makes a lot of ship for Jesus Ross and ship.
But it's like that Vins traps the producer. Yeah, yeah,
that vins traps sound that ship like real, real prevalent
right now. It's like you got some of those dudes
being rediscovered, right and then you got these young niggas
making beats that sound like that.
Speaker 3 (38:50):
You know what I'm saying, That ship.
Speaker 1 (38:51):
Coming back yo when you uh you know, I feel
like your feature on My Beautiful Dark Wistid Fantasy is
one of the greatest features ever. It was so good
that you shot your own music video to it to
Devil in a New Dress? You you get that? Do
you get that beat? Are you in the studio with yay?
(39:12):
And like just the idea to have you come in
it kind of reminded me how you came in at
the end of uh you have this fucking thing? Were
you coming at the end of records and just set
it off? Like what was the Mayback music that c
I was on? Were you coming at the end? Uh?
The one with Eric Abad everybody in the three Yes,
(39:34):
the way you came in at the end, Oh my god.
But anyway, Devil in a New Dress one of the
greatest guests versus of all time. You can you kind
of walk us through that and just like, did you
know there was gonna be like a bit of a
pause before you you finished the record off.
Speaker 2 (39:51):
I did? I did. Kanye played me the record. It
was in the recurse studio in Hawaii. Yeah, a lot
of different rooms, a lot of different rooms. They had
a lot of different things going on in different rooms.
You know what I'm saying. You gotta imagine nigga in
(40:13):
the kitchen cooking and cooking up dope. Yeah, all the
pots on. You know what I'm saying. And when he
played it for me, I understood the magic right then.
You know what I'm saying.
Speaker 1 (40:28):
You were you like? Because I feel like when you're
in those situations, because everybody's working, like you said, you
gotta be kind of like like he was saying, permanently inspired.
You gotta be like peak inspiration.
Speaker 2 (40:39):
Yeah, you can't.
Speaker 1 (40:41):
Everybody's around cooking.
Speaker 2 (40:42):
Yeah, you can't.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
One of the greatest albums ever.
Speaker 2 (40:45):
You can't be a weak nigga. You can't be afraid.
These niggas turned all the way up and they want
it right now right they ain't. No Yo, go back
to the hotel and all that shit. Noah, you can't
face time. The niggas who'll be writing your raps nigga.
These niggas want it right now, right, and I'm one
(41:06):
of them type of niggas. Let's do it. It's too easy.
I'm one of them. So he gave it to me.
I understood the vibe. Shout out of that nigga Bink
the Humble Monster. I understood the vibe right there. Mike
Dean was there, but Bank, you know, he created the record,
the beat. So once I heard it, it was one
(41:28):
of those situations, I just I felt it right there.
Speaker 1 (41:32):
You had said in a verse you had ciphers with
Easy before his mouth was wired. Could you give me
what was your first interaction with Kanye before we knew Kanye.
I guess if it was all the way back then,
you know, it was.
Speaker 2 (41:47):
Just a nigga hustling, grinding that nigga beat. Somebody been
two stacks.
Speaker 1 (41:50):
At the time, right, Yeah, at this time, he was
in the studio in Miami, because this is prior to
Port of Miami.
Speaker 2 (41:58):
This is before my album of course. So when I
said that in the verse, that's what I was referring to,
got it. That's something that I knew he would understand,
you know what I'm saying. We was talking about doing
a lot more work, and he got in his accident
after that, crazy like now send my niggas prayers. Boom boom,
boom boom.
Speaker 1 (42:19):
I wonder, uh, you have one of the most iconic
callback records in the club. I mean you've got a
few of them, obviously, I mean BMF is probably, you know,
top ten hip hop club record of all time, but
record insane shot the Styles P. Two We Got to
Give Love to. You know, a lot of times his
first doesn't get played because it's a long song. Your
(42:42):
Kobe line on stage scheming such an iconic line. Did
you ever see Kobe after that? Did Kobe ever acknowledged
like that he had heard that, because I know you've
been courtside, you've been, I mean you're around.
Speaker 2 (42:59):
I don't remember, I don't remember. But Kobe always was
a cool nigga. Yeah, And I'm sure if I did
bump into him, he would have knew what the vibe was.
He would have knew that that was that was a
nigga speaking for all niggas in that situation. You know
what I'm saying. It wasn't an attack on brud All.
It was just one of them things just for all niggas.
(43:22):
You know what I'm saying. That's something all niggas still apply.
And that's why in the venues right now they still
go crazy. You wasn't with me shooting in the gym.
Oh that was just for real niggas everywhere.
Speaker 1 (43:37):
Tor just wrapped up. Uh, you got a new song out?
Is there gonna be a mixtape coming? You're just doing
the single thing coming ross new albums on the way.
Speaker 2 (43:47):
Rose are most definitely cooking up Maybag music. We turned
all the way up the car Show June seventh. Get
your tickets.
Speaker 1 (43:55):
This is at your house.
Speaker 2 (43:57):
This at the Promised Land.
Speaker 1 (43:58):
Yeah how I mean you didn't just.
Speaker 2 (44:00):
A regular house because I'm not confused.
Speaker 1 (44:03):
The kids, I know, but this is your estate. This
is where you rest your head right right.
Speaker 2 (44:08):
This is at the Crib fifty five thousand square feet
mansion on three hundred plus acres. I'm opening the gates.
Get your tickets, Rick rosscardshow dot com because it's gonna
be crazy.
Speaker 1 (44:22):
What is is there? What is the drawback though about
having shit at your house? Like, it ain't no drawback nothing,
because you don't got to run a venue, right.
Speaker 2 (44:30):
No, No, it ain't even about that it ain't even
about the venue. It's what makes it to me, what
makes my shit special. It's not in the venue when
I go places in you and some shitting looking at cars.
I want to be outdoors. I want to be free.
I'm outdoors. I love horses and buffalos and shit like that.
I'm a cowboy on the load. That's why I bought
(44:51):
the mansion in Houston, because I'm really a cowboy. It's
ten percent cowboy in me. But I want to be outdoors.
I want to look at the cars, eat the food,
you know, do what I do, vibe, and be outdoors.
It's nothing like that. It's nothing. Shout out to Craig Jackson.
I just had a FaceTime with Craig Jackson Barrett Jackson
(45:12):
through my homie fifty Sega two three days ago. Yeah,
but I want to be outdoors. To me, that's what
makes me ride a horse. Of course, rose a horse.
Speaker 1 (45:24):
I did it once.
Speaker 2 (45:25):
It was it was, man, you gotta take your bitch
on a horse out bad. You know what I'm tying
you gotta take.
Speaker 1 (45:30):
A well listen, we gotta wrap this up. Ross. I
appreciate you pulling up, Nino. We're gonna have you do
a freestyle? Is that cool? We got time for that. No, no,
no freestyle. Oh they asked me about it yesterday. Ross,
you gotta go, you can stay. Is that what we're doing.
I don't know what's happening. Everyone's gotta go, Rose, Nino, you.
Speaker 2 (45:50):
Got a question?
Speaker 1 (45:51):
Yeah?
Speaker 2 (45:53):
How much this shit gross?
Speaker 1 (45:54):
And every year I tell you off off camera, come on, man,
seven figure.
Speaker 2 (46:00):
This the business. This the business. Part of the interview.
Speaker 1 (46:03):
Between like the radio show.
Speaker 2 (46:04):
I love it. No, let me tell you I love it.
Speaker 1 (46:07):
Thank you better. Everything's going well.
Speaker 2 (46:08):
Man. You're a solid dude, been solid.
Speaker 1 (46:11):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (46:11):
Man.
Speaker 2 (46:11):
This ain't just new for anybody that's just starting to watch.
I've been knowing them many, many, many years earlier in
my coming up.
Speaker 1 (46:18):
Yeah, you knew me when I was a run in
Las Vegas. No, you always KG back in the day,
and I'm proud of you.
Speaker 2 (46:26):
You know.
Speaker 1 (46:26):
He was supposed to be my first radio interview ever
after Triller came out in the afternoon jock at the
station at the time, and Phoenix hated and took it
from me because I was doing it was at a
Virgin You were running around with Brian Samson at Depth
Jam back in the day and yeah, but look ross Man,
you're you're one of the greatest of all time. Nino,
You're talented as fuck. Saint Pete's in the building. Bulet
(46:50):
cap pot man, you already know we in here. Come on,
boom
Hosts And Creators
James Andre Jefferson Jr.
Bootleg Kev
Brian Baumgartner
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