R&B/Hip-Hop

Rick Ross has long prided himself on living an life of luxury. Now, he’s looking to give back some of those opulent material items laying around his estate to benefit those less fortunate than him.

Rozay will be hosting the two-day auction that boasts 800 items, and is presented by Julien’s Auctions; it will be held June 25-26 live and online, and benefits the Boss Up Grant program with The Creative Collective NYC.

“I looked around one day and marveled at how blessed I am. I wanted to figure out how to be a blessing to others and share some of the dopest, rarest luxuries with the world that I’ve collected over the course of my career,” Ross said in a statement, before explaining how Pharrell Williams’ auction inspired him to launch one of his own. “Inspired by my brother Pharrell, I thought of an auction with the proceeds to help the next generation of bosses. It was the most player and sustainable way to not only touch my fans but also pour into a community that has poured into me.”

The Boss Up Grant aims to help “entrepreneurs with grants to accelerate their continued impact, business initiatives and scale their operations,” according to the release.

“Even the most motivated people have to feel empowered to chase and pursue those big ideas, and through this charitable effort with The Creative Collective, the aim is to provide entrepreneurs and young hustlers with the push they need to become legendary,” added Ross.

The MMG mogul will be putting up some prized possessions for auction, such as 300 rare pairs from his sprawling sneaker collection, including the Air Jordan Retro 5 “University of Michigan Fab 5” PEs (est. $2,000-$3,000), Air Maxes (est. $1,000-$2,000), DJ Khaled “Father of Asahd” Air Jordans (est. $3,000-$5,000) and Virgil Abloh Off-White collaborations (est. $500-$700).

There are also plenty of designer garments and eccentric outfits Ross rocked to various award shows on the red carpet and music video shoots up for grabs. From Versace silk shirts (est. $500-$700) to designer sunglasses and varsity jackets (est. $200-$500), there’s a little bit of everything from the Biggest Boss’ expensive wardrobe.

For the art enthusiasts, Rozay will also have some street, contemporary and high artwork pieces taken from the walls of his jaw-dropping mansions to the auction table. There are also miscellaneous personal items such as a custom-painted piano featuring Michael Jackson Thriller cover (est. $2,000-$3,000), a Franky Cardona’s signed painting of Ross holding up Luc Belaire bottles (est. $2,000-$3,000), RIAA plaques, MMG memorabilia and more accolades and trophies from his illustrious career.

The Push It to the Limit-Luxury & Lifestyle: A Rick Ross Auction will be run by Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles on June 25 and June 26 starting at 10 a.m. PT. Those who can’t attend will still have the opportunity to virtually participate and bid on items online via the auction house’s website, or by calling 310-836-1818.

Watch a trailer for what’s to come with the Rick Ross auction above.

Quavo has long been sipping on and rapping about “Good Drank” before the thought of making a splash in the spirits industry entered his mind.

That all changed Thursday night (June 6) with the official launch of Huncho’s White X Cognac. Produced in tandem with Sazerac Spirits, Quavo rented out NYC hot-spot restaurant Carbone for about 40 friends and family for an intimate cognac tasting and four-courses of premier Italian dining.

“I just thought I’d stand in front of something and be the face of some good drank,” Quavo tells Billboard. “White X is unapologetic and they ready to bend the rules a little bit, so it’s only right they choose the frontman of the culture to represent that.”

The Migos rapper continued of the endeavor: “They was looking for someone who matched the same aesthetic as me and I just think it made perfect sense. We’re looking forward to coming into the industry and f—ing s— up.”

White X wants to inject a vibrant youthful energy and usher in a new era for the crowded cognac lane. With a straw coloring and notes of peach and vanilla mixed with the light grapes, the 80-proof French liquor makes for a much smoother pour than its VSOP competitors. In an homage to the late Takeoff, Rocket Power (White X, Gran Gala and lemon juice) served as the cocktail of the night.

However, this isn’t Quavo’s first foray into the alcohol business. He was tied to another cognac earlier in his career, which ended up falling flat. Now, Huncho’s trying to take those lessons he learned and make sure White X doesn’t suffer a similar fate.

“I learned from my mistakes there,” he adds. “I wanted to do something different. Just the basics of me not knowing how big the brand could be if you actually let these people know what you’re part of.” The 33-year-old points to making more content and being involved in the day-to-day of turning it into a “lifestyle” brand, rather than just posing with the product for fun.

White X is currently on sale throughout the United States at clubs, bars and liquor distributors with a suggested retail price of $59.99 per 750ml bottle.

While there wasn’t a TV in sight within the confines of the famed Italian restaurant, basketball fans still found a way to check-in on game one of the NBA Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics with their phones.

Being a hoops fanatic himself, Quavo’s heart is with the Mavericks because of a connection between superstar Luka Doncic and his late nephew, Takeoff.

“I got Dallas,” the “Hotel Lobby” rhymer says when asked to pick a winner. “Only reason why I like Dallas is because Luka and Takeoff had a crazy relationship. I think he was a fan of the gang so they was rocking.”

There’s no doubt Quavo and Migos were among the most influential artists of the 21st century in helping shape rap’s sound for the 2010s, and keeping the spotlight on Atlanta Culture. “You know, I’m a real trendsetter,” he boasts. “We taking it to the moon. You know we’re gonna have some sparklers on this in somebody’s section all around the world.”

Time will tell if he can bring his trendsetting ways that made him a diamond-certified rapper to cross over into his entrepreneurial ventures like hip-hop has seen with dignitaries such as 50 Cent, Kanye West, Travis Scott and more.

“We gonna have some great years to come — it’s a new beginning,” Huncho promises before raising his glass for a toast. “We represent culture and we’re unapologetic, of course. We gon’ stand on business at all times.”