Īfter being signed to Suave House Records, former label for rap duo 8Ball & MJG, he eventually signed a deal with Slip-n-Slide Records, which has been under the Def Jam label since 2006. He derived his stage name from the former drug kingpin 'Freeway' Rick Ross, to whom he has no connection. In the mid-2000s, he changed his name to Rick Ross. He made his recording debut on the song 'Ain't Shhh to Discuss' on Erick Sermon's lone album for DreamWorks, Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis. In his early years at Suave House Records, Roberts initially made his debut under the pseudonym Teflon Da Don. Roberts worked as a correctional officer for 18 months from December 1995, until his resignation in June 1997. After graduating from Miami Carol City Senior High School, he attended the historically black college Albany State University on a football scholarship.

William Leonard Roberts II was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi, and raised in Carol City, Florida. In early 2012, MTV named Ross as the Hottest MC in the Game. Multiple successful acts have also been signed to Rick Ross through the Maybach Music label, including Meek Mill, Wale, and French Montana, among others. Ross founded the record label Maybach Music Group in 2009, on which he released his studio albums Deeper Than Rap (2009), Teflon Don (2010), God Forgives, I Don't (2012), Mastermind and Hood Billionaire (2014), Black Market (2015), Rather You Than Me (2017), Port of Miami 2 (2019), and his eleventh and most recent studio album Richer Than I Ever Been, was released in December 2021. Outside of his solo career, Ross was a lead member of the hip hop group Triple C's, alongside fellow Florida rappers Gunplay and Torch, in 2005. Ross released his second studio album, Trilla, in 2008, once again debuting atop the Billboard 200. Ross released his debut album Port of Miami through the label later that year, debuting at the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart, with sales of 187,000 units during the first week. Prior to releasing his debut single, ' Hustlin'', in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc., ultimately signing a multimillion-dollar deal with Jay-Z on Def Jam Recordings. William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper, record executive, and former athlete.

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