William Leonard Roberts II, known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper and record executive. An influential figure in modern hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "booming" vocal performance, "larger than life" persona, and vivid lyrical imagery. His lyrics form the hardships of street life and black market economic activity into a rags to riches narrative, often describing affluence, wealth, and luxury.
Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'" in March 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war-receiving offers from Diddy's Bad Boy Entertainment and Irv Gotti's Murder Inc.-and ultimately signed a multimillion-dollar deal with Jay-Z on Def Jam Recordings. In August of that year, his debut studio album, Port of Miami peaked atop the Billboard 200 chart upon release, along with his second and third studio albums, Trilla and Deeper Than Rap. His fourth album, Teflon Don spawned the single "Aston Martin Music" -which received triple platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America -while his fifth and sixth albums, God Forgives, I Don't and Mastermind peaked the Billboard 200 twice more.