William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), better known by his stage name Rick Ross, sometimes written as Rick Ro$$ is an American rapper. He took his stage name from the drug trafficker "Freeway" Ricky Ross, to whom he has no connection. Rick Ross has also founded his own record label Maybach Music Group, on which he released his third studio album Deeper Than Rap.
Early life

Rick Ross was born William Leonard Roberts II in Coahoma County, Mississippi. and raised in Carol City, Florida, of Miami. After graduating from Carol City Senior High School, he later attended the historically black college Albany State University in Albany, Georgia. He joined 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 umbrella since 2006. While signed to Slip-n-Slide, Ross toured with fellow rapper Trick Daddy and made guest performances on other Slip-n-Slide rap albums.
Music career
Port of Miami (2006)
Main article: Port of Miami (album)

His debut album Port of Miami, was released in August 2006 and debuted at the top spot on the Billboard 200 album chart with sales at 187,000 units its first week out. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone magazine predicted that it would be "the summer's biggest rap record". The second single was "Push It", which samples "Scarface (Push It to the Limit)", the theme song off the gangster film Scarface. The music video for "Push It" was also modeled after the film. During that time, Ross made guest performances on two singles from DJ Khaled's debut Listennn... the Album: "Born-N-Raised" and "Holla at Me". Port of Miami received Gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America on November 8, 2006.
Trilla (2008)
Main article: Trilla

In March 2008, his second album Trilla was released and, as its predecessor Port of Miami had, debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. Its lead single "Speedin'" featuring R. Kelly peaked at #121 on the Billboard Hot 100; the next one, "The Boss" featuring T-Pain peaked at #17 on the Hot 100. The third single "Here I Am" featured Nelly and Avery Storm. MTV News ranked Ross on the fourth spot in its 2008 "Hottest MCs In The Game" list among ten rappers. The fourth Single "This Is The Life" featured Trey Songz and was released in July.
Deeper Than Rap (2009)
Main article: Deeper Than Rap

His third studio album was released on April 21, 2009 under his own label, Maybach Music Group, unlike his previous releases with Slip-N-Slide Records. The first single, "Magnificent" featuring John Legend, peaked at #62 on the Billboard Hot 100. The second single, "Usual Suspects" features Nas and was released on April 7, 2009. Deeper Than Rap was also one of the most highly anticipated hip-hop albums of the year, due to the fallout from Rick Ross's heated battle with rival 50 Cent. Ross talks about how when other rappers are on the throne, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Birdman are rappers who come to mind.

"I look at the game and the business and all different aspects, it's a lot of great lyricists on the corner that will never properly understand the business and know how to market themselves and get in a position where they can gain capital. I look at all the strategies people use and what made them successful. What made Birdman just as relevant today after selling 50 million records? That intrigues me. To see the class of Jay-Z, his accomplishments and see how he sits backs and accurately makes his moves"

A track from the album called "Valley of Death" was what stood out to MTV reporters. In the song, Ross speaks briefly on his controversial stint as a prison guard. "Keep it trilla, nigga, never had a gun and badge," which he stresses, leaving the word that he was indeed an officer of the law. "Kept a nice watch, smoking on a hundred sack/ Back in the day I sold crack for some nice kicks/ Skippin' school, I saw my friend stabbed with an ice pick/ Can't criticize niggas trying to get jobs/ Better get smart, young brother, live yours." "However, many fans are not buying that nonsense. Later, he implies that while he was working as a corrections officer, he was also on the streets. "Only lived once and I got two kids/ And for me to feed them, I'll get two gigs," he raps. "I'll shovel shit, I'll C.O./ So we can bow our heads and pray over the meatloaf." Although, he still provided no explanation for lying about being a C.O. to begin with, nor did he explain why he failed to pay child support for his children.
Current & Future Work

Rick Ross is currently working on the collaboration album with Birdman entitled H. It is set to be released sometime in 2009. The first single is entitled Bitch I'm The Shit. Ross is also planning to release his 4th studio album entitled Teflon Don which has been confirmed on some of his websites. It is set to be released in early 2010. He is also working on a collaboration with the Triple C's entitled Custom Cars and Cycles which is set to be released in 2010