Cocaine, Cartels, & the Rap Game: Hustling at the Highest Level | Ep.239: Ricky Robinson

In this episode, I sit down with Ricky Robinson, host of the If You Alive Subscribe Show! Ricky's life reads like a Hollywood script—fast money, high risks, and connections that stretched from the streets to the studio. In this raw and unfiltered episode, he takes us inside the world of hustling at the highest level, from moving weight with the Mexican drug cartel to rubbing shoulders with rap industry heavyweights. He opens up about how he made (and lost) millions in the drug game, the wiretap that changed everything, and the moment he realized the hustle came with an expiration date. Ricky doesn’t just talk about the cash—he reveals the harsh realities of dirty money, the paranoia that follows, and how it ultimately landed him with a 25-year conspiracy charge. Beyond the drug game, Ricky shares how the rap industry and the streets have always been intertwined, explaining why street credibility is currency in music and how the business side of hip-hop isn’t always what it seems. He also gets deeply personal, reflecting on how past trauma shaped his mindset, the pain of witnessing violence at a young age, and how he learned to cope with the scars of his past. From life behind bars to life after prison, he describes how incarceration became both a punishment and a blessing, the unexpected connections he made inside, and the lessons that transformed him.

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