This is a tale of two Rick Rosses. It begins in the 1980s, when the crack epidemic hits urban America. Two Rick Rosses decided to do something about it. One was “Freeway” Ricky Ross, an L.A.-area boy who was gifted at tennis but could not read, despite attending college. Through cocaine, he managed to build a $2-3 million a day empire and played the world as his tuba.
In 1996, Ricky Ross purchased 100 kilograms of cocaine, but the problem was that it was sold to him by a guy in the C.I.A. He went to jail for a long time. But he was released last week. Meanwhile…
The other Rick Ross, who was actually named William Roberts by his mom, released a series of very successful albums of rap music. He chose the name “Rick Ross” because he, like the drug trafficker, also had a mysterious cocaine past. Like the powerful kingpin, he too was feared and hated in the streets. The only real distinction between the two was the fact that one was a high-profile cocaine slinger and the other was a guy who arrested people for owning cocaine.
Ricky Ross had been busy in prison. He learned to read. He started a social networking site. He started a record label. He got wind that a large bearded man wearing a necklace with gold pendant of his own face was also going by the name “Rick Ross.” He heard that this man was a police officer, and he did not like that one bit. This man was making all Rick Rosses look bad. Yet this man also brought Ricky Ross a great deal of name recognition, so you know, there’s that as well.
Inevitably the Rick Rosses will meet. They will stroll down a garden path together and they will talk quietly about serious matters. Each has many questions for the other.
