My article on Rick Ross this week has drawn a lot of comments, some of them echoing my contention that Ross's past fibs -- about serving as a corrections officer, for starters -- make him an altogether unreliable narrator.
One commenter, however, has laid out a lengthy case (nearly as long as the article itself) claiming that Ross is most everything he claims he is. Here are some of "Infamous"'s comments, which I've cleaned up a bit:
Ross ain't no fake cat, he's always been savvy in my experiences crossing paths with him way back in the day...[Ross] ran with the Boobie Boys, who were among the top five gangstas down here in Miami in the mid '90s. When [Boobie Boys leader Kenneth "Boobie" Williams] got snatched by the Feds, they also snatched several Miami-Dade police officers as well, because they were on Boobie's payroll. Naw Ross wasn't no kingpin himself, but close enough, because he ran with some real hustlers that touched major work...
Street-wise, Rick Ross' back is against the wall; he can't really elaborate on everything because "Boobie" is still dealing with a federal case right now on appeal ... The streets know that when Ross was a C.O. he was working for Boobie on a mission.This echoes Ross' recent claim that "the truth is more sinister than the obvious," which, as I say in the article, implies he helped further criminal interests while on the job. Fair enough, but I haven't seen any proof. In fact, the very article Infamous offers up as evidence of these claims seems to cast doubt on them.
Many in the Miami area say that Ross doesn't even know Williams at all...
Infamous also touches on Ross's so-called beef with Trick Daddy, which is one of the most underwhelming squabbles in hip-hop history. When Trick Daddy isn't out and out denying the beef, he's calling Ross his "child."
Take some time to step back and really think why Trick wouldn't like Rick Ross, if y'all think he is lying about why he was a C.O....
There are plenty of reasons to dislike Rick Ross, even if he's not buddies (or pretending to be buddies) with the guy who allegedly killed your brother. Personally, "Money Make Me Cum" put me off the guy for life.
Nonetheless, I thank Infamous for brining up some interesting issues, and, who knows? Maybe there is some truth in his comment. For example, he claims that Ross's "street cred is solid down here." Can anyone speak to that? I'd love to hear if anyone has any first-hand (or even second-hand) anecdotes about Ross doing his (under)bawss thing.
-- Ben Westhoff
