Rick Ross Talks About His Southern Roots and Slavery
Miami rapper Rick Ross has been quite ubiquitous while working on his new album, and now his image will be gracing the June/July cover of The Source magazine.
In an excerpt from the cover story posted on MTV.com, Ross revealed that his mother is from Clarksdale, Miss., and that his Southern roots made a great impression on him.
I always felt in touch with my black side riding by cotton fields at 5, 6 years old, seeing big mills of cotton balls," Ross said.
"I was always in touch with slavery, when I could recognize a palm tree at the same age," he continued, although he was raised in Florida. "I always respected my culture, my people. Growing up in the streets of Miami, I saw different ways to escape a lot of conditions that I knew was around the corner in Mississippi. It always made me see the world from so many different aspects. I saw the fast life of Miami, but I also saw the slow countryside of a small, country town with a small population. I heard the struggles."
Ross' highly-anticipated fourth album, 'Teflon Don' is scheduled for a July 6 release. It features Ne-Yo and Jay-Z and production by Kanye West.