H-TOWN’S MILLION DOLLAR MEGA PARTY
CALL it a mega party if you want - the celebration of the Silver Jubilee of the year he quit his job as a prison officer and plunged into the music industry which has transformed him into a global superstar.
And, a multi-millionaire rapper, producer and businessman who has earned around US$90 million from entertaining millions of fans around the world.
He owns exclusive property in Atlanta, spread over 322 acres, which includes the US$6 million home which he purchased from former world heavyweight boxing champion, Evander Holyfield.
His mansion has 190 rooms and, as the world watched last week, is stashed with hundreds of pairs of shoes and clothes, which he never wears.
Sitting on an area of 232 acres, it’s the biggest mansion in Atlanta.
It wasn’t always like this for Rick Ross, the man who was born as William Leonard Roberts II in 1976 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, United States.
“Ross was born in Mississippi and was brought up in the poverty stricken areas of north of Miami,” noted the website www.famouspeople.com.
“Ross was attracted to street music since he was young and used to listen to artists like Notorious B.I.G., Luther Campbell, etc.
“He got admission in Georgia’s Albany State University through a football scholarship but within a year he lost interest in academics and started concentrating on writing rap lyrics while earning money from selling drugs.
“He worked as a correctional officer in Florida during the early 1990s.”
Today he has a net worth of over US$45 million, thanks to conquering the music industry, and is expected to arrive in Harare midday for his first show in Zimbabwe at the Harare International Conference Centre.
It’s been dubbed the ‘MILLION DOLLAR SHOW’, and is being backed by Scott Sakupwanya’s Better Brands Petroleum.
Music transformed Rick Ross into the giant, both physically and musically, which he has become today.
“Ross was into street music from a very young age, courtesy growing up in an impoverished area of north of Miami,” notes the same website.
“He dropped out of college to pursue his dream of becoming a famous rap artist but he also got himself involved with the drug dealing business — the kind of culture he grew up in.
“His very first single that was released commercially was ‘Hustlin,’ which made him into a star as it was certified gold and it was because of this success that he got an opportunity to sign a record deal with Jay-Z’s Def Records.
“He has worked with various other rap and R&B artists in his career like, Ne-Yo, R Kelly, Flo-Rida, Diddy, etc.”
His stage act is scheduled to start at 11pm tonight but it’s likely he might step onto the stage around midnight.
It’s not every day that global superstar artists like Rick Ross come to town and, for H-Town, in particular, this is a huge show.
For some time today, and tomorrow, it’s clear the big frame of this superstar will cast its shadow over Harare.
“Being a big guy, you face certain challenges,” said Rick Ross.
“Over time, though, women found excuses to find me attractive.
“Money doesn’t make me, I make the money. I realised that my success comes from doing the things I love most.”
Fifteen years ago, in 2007, he had earned just US$2 million.
Now, he has earned more than US$90 million and counting.