Rick Ross' Financial Success

Since he was mentioned on The Daily Show a few weeks ago, Rick Ross has quickly become my favorite rapper. The king of repetition, Ross hails from Miami and makes much of his activities trafficking drugs despite allegations that he worked for the man during part of his life. Like many rappers, Rick Ross talks a lot about his expensive cars and I noticed a trend in the vehicles of which he spoke.

In his first album, Port of Miami, Ross’ makes a number of references to his white on white BMW 745i such as this line from the hit single Hustlin’:

Who tha fuck you think ya fuckin with? I’m tha fuckin boss
745 white on white, thats fuckin Ross

To be sure, any BMW 7 series is a fine car, but the 745i is the base model of the line. Is Rick Ross a poor rapper? Not too fast, in the song White House, he mentions a Rolls Royce Phantom:

we in the white house
big phantom on the lawn getting wiped down

Is this song a fantasy about occupying the White House proper, or is it simply hyperbole about his mansion, with a nod to cocaine usage and trade? Given the previous mention of a 745i, I can only assume that the Phantom was but a fantasy for Rick Ross in 2006.

Times change. In 2008, Rick Ross released the album Trilla and it sounds like he’s had a significant upgrade. The song Luxury Tax, makes specific mention of a 760, the top of the line BMW 7 Series:

Got my whole arm rocked.
Keep the 760 double parked in the wrong spot.

The cover of the album also features the rapper in the back seat of a Maybach, the sole car from the eponymous ultra-luxury brand owned by Mercedes. The album also includes a song Maybach Music, Ross says that he has 20 whips, one of which is a Maserati.