EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Rick Ross Opens Up About New Album and 20 Years of Success

**SPEAKER_1** (0:04)
This summer, serve up the Cookout Classics, Oscar Mayer hot dogs and Heinz mustard. Grill up a dog, add classic yellow mustard, or load it Chicago style.
We all know it's not a cookout without Oscar Mayer and Heinz.

**Towanda Robinson** (0:26)
Welcome to The TMZ Podcast. I am Towanda Robinson. My guest today does not need much of an introduction. This is someone who has been in the game for decades at this point, has been killing the game for decades at this point. As soon as I introduce him, y'all are gonna be like, what the hell, T, yeah, you got a big fish. We got a big fish today, guys. We got the biggest, the biggest of them all. We got Rick Ross in the building. Huh.
Thank you so much for bringing yourself into this lovely studio that we have. We're super excited to have you. Thank you for joining us.

**Rick Ross** (1:00)
You already know I had to pull up. They say you on fire out here. I had to pull up.

**Towanda Robinson** (1:04)
You know, I'm trying to be, and you got a lot of projects coming out, going on. You got stuff, you know, just in the book world, in the music world. Music world, new album. You got a lot of stuff going on.

**Rick Ross** (1:17)
I won't stop. I won't stop.

**Towanda Robinson** (1:19)
So, how do you find the time to do all of this stuff?

**Rick Ross** (1:21)
Because I love it.
I love it from the time I wake up in the morning. I'm making calls. I got an amazing team.

**Towanda Robinson** (1:30)
You do? I met some of them today. They're fire.

**Rick Ross** (1:32)
Oh, most definitely. Yeah, shout out to Evie. You already know what it is.

**Towanda Robinson** (1:36)
Evie, I like her.

**Rick Ross** (1:38)
My whole squad, you know? So, I really do the minimum, you know what I'm saying? I do what I got to do. They handle the rest, the details, and you know, let's go get it.

**Towanda Robinson** (1:48)
You got to, actually, you know what? We have a lot of people come in studio.
I think you and your team came the deepest. I ain't never seen somebody come with three cars. You came three cars deep.

**Rick Ross** (1:59)
We rich.

**Towanda Robinson** (2:02)
The budget is nice.

**Rick Ross** (2:05)
The moon yarn, Evie.

**Towanda Robinson** (2:07)
The moon yarn is definitely, I said, oh, he's here, he's here. Oh, okay. Oh, shit. Okay, boom. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So, let's talk about your current tour. You are celebrating 20 years at the Port of Miami.

**Rick Ross** (2:18)
20 years of my debut album. Who would have ever imagined? I feel like a lot of people, if you listen to the album, man, man, I know I could not have, you know, when you, let's say me being in the game over a decade, waiting for that first hit record. When you deliver that first hit record, you really begin to focus on just putting the album together. The streets could accept and embrace like that one hit record. You're not thinking 10 years down the line. You're not thinking three years down the line. So you most definitely couldn't fathom 20 summers?
20 summers?

**Towanda Robinson** (2:53)
20, 20 of them.

**Rick Ross** (2:54)
Here we are.

**Towanda Robinson** (2:54)
Probably gonna be 20 more.

**Rick Ross** (2:57)
You smart.

**Towanda Robinson** (2:58)
You know, that's what my mom and my daddy tell me.

**Rick Ross** (3:00)
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You gifted.

**Towanda Robinson** (3:04)
Obviously, you're getting older and we've been seeing a lot of rappers getting older season, still putting out fire projects.
Your tour that you're on is a Black Tie event. You got a trap orchestra, a trap choir. What made you want to switch it up and get into this elevated, grown and sexy type of show, if you will?

**Rick Ross** (3:23)
Like I said, it's 20 something or so was only right. We celebrated it a different way.
You know, everybody know Rosetta throwing $5 million worth of jewelry with some joggers. And I run out and perform and have an amazing time. And that's what I've been doing for the last 20 something. So I say, yo, let's, let's just make sure this is a moment we really appreciate. Let's pull out the black tie. Let's pull out the gowns. You know, I'm a boss. I don't like to do that much. I'm true to the essence.

**Towanda Robinson** (3:53)
I feel you. Okay.

**Rick Ross** (3:54)
Just start getting my feet done. You know what I'm saying?

**Towanda Robinson** (3:57)