rick ross
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Donald J. Trump, the former reality star and real estate “mogul” has once again been inaugurated as the president of the United States. While millions of Americans celebrated, others were wary and braced for another four years of chaos that accompanied the last Trump presidency.
But, for the Hip-Hop community, one of the biggest surprises of the inauguration festivities was how many rap stars lined up to perform for Trump.
Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Nelly, and Soulja Boy performed at Trump’s Crypto Ball in Washington, D.C., on Friday earning backlash on social media. Many commenters compared the rappers’ performances to that of singer Chrisette Michele who performed for Trump in 2017 and was quickly shunned by the Black community, leading to the unravelling of her career.
Nelly justified his performance with an appearance on the Willie D Podcast on Saturday, per HuffPost. The 50-year-old St. Lunatic told the Geto Boys rapper, “it’s an honor” to “perform for the president of the United States, regardless of who is in office.”
He added, “If President Biden would have asked me to perform, I would have performed. If Vice President Kamala Harris would have won and asked me to perform, I would have performed.”
Nelly did mention that Trump, who is known for racist remarks and actions dating back to the 1970s, has “some f*cked up ways,” adding, that “performing for somebody and voting for somebody is two different things.”
Clips online have emerged of Nelly starting his set with “Hail to the Chief” and performing his hit single, “Country Grammar.”
The rapper says that he comes from a military family and compared his performance to the experience of American soldiers saying, “I’m not doing this for money, I’m doing this because it’s an honor. I respect the office. It doesn’t matter who is in office,” he said. “The same way that our men and women, our brothers and sisters who protect this country, have to go to war and have to put their life on the line for whoever is in office.”
However, the backlash to the rapper performing for Trump has been swift.
Polls show that 92% of Black women voted for Kamala Harris for president in 2024 while Trump saw an increase in his support from Black men according to the Associated Press with about 3 in 10 Black men under the age of 45 went for Trump, roughly double the number he got in 2020.
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Source: Jeff Kravitz / Getty / Rick Ross / Snoop Dogg
Welp, it looks like everyone is kissing Trump’s ring. Snoop Dogg, a one-time staunch critic of Donald Trump, along with Rick Ross, Soulja Boy, and Nelly, is feeling the wrath of social media after performing at Trump inauguration events.
All money isn’t good money, especially if it’s coming from Donald Trump, but that didn’t stop some of Hip-Hop’s biggest acts from performing at Orange Mussolini’s inauguration events.
According to CBS News, things got interesting when it was revealed that Nelly, 50, would perform at one of Trump’s three official inaugural balls.
The “Hot In Herre” crafter will take the stage at the Inaugural Liberty Ball on Monday. Ashanti’s baby daddy isn’t the only big-name artist selling their soul to perform for Trump and his MAGA minions. Country music superstar Carrie Underwood will perform “America the Beautiful” to kick off the convicted felon’s swearing-in ceremony, while opera singer Christopher Macchio will perform the national anthem.
The Village People will also be performing their hit record, “Y.M.C.A,” the song that Trump does his stupid a** dance to at his rallies.
As expected, the announcement of Nelly partaking in the celebrating of America’s downfall didn’t hit well with fans, particularly Black folks, who Trump is no fan of.
Nelly will receive the Chrisette Michelle treatment (when she performed at the Bum’s first inauguration back in 2017).
That’s the truth. https://t.co/wun5wMSbEV pic.twitter.com/7e1l8YRzDm
— The Chanteezy Is Real ♉️💛🪷 (@iamchanteezy) January 18, 2025
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But things really took a turn when social media found out that Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, and Soulja Boy performed at Crytpo Ball celebrating Trump’s victory.
It’s time to throw @SnoopDogg in the dumpster with the rest of Trump’s white supremacist, insurrectionist allies. pic.twitter.com/tuWbhIxCWV
— 𝕂𝔼𝕄𝔼𝕀𝕌ℕ 🪷 ℝ𝔼𝕏 (@yourlittldogtwo) January 18, 2025
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Rick Ross, we see you too. pic.twitter.com/Bo8rdu3gUG
— mistergeezy.bksy.social (@mistergeezy) January 18, 2025
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🚨HOLY COW: Rap icon Soulja Boy is currently performing on stage at a Trump Inaugural Ball in DC! pic.twitter.com/Ppvg3zQHqq
— Bo Loudon (@BoLoudon) January 18, 2025
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Social Media Is Telling Them to Keep The Same Energy They Had For Chrisette Michele For Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy & Nelly
Immediately, users on X, formerly Twitter, didn’t waste time mentioning Chrisette Michele’s name. The R&B singer caught hell for singing Trump’s first inaugural ball.
Y’all gave Chrisette Michelle hell for performing at Trump’s first inauguration; I hope to see the same energy for Snoop Dogg, Nelly, and Rick Ross. pic.twitter.com/fjLZGgwail
— B E A N Z The Gamer Dad(beanzgotgamez.bsky.social) (@BeanzGotGamez) January 18, 2025
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In an interview with Terrell three years ago, Michele said performing at Donald Trump’s inauguration “was the wrong thing to do.”
Well, we shall see if Black folks are really bout it and hold Snoop Dogg, Rick Ross, Soulja Boy, and Nelly’s feet to the fire just like they did to Chrisette Michele.
Based on the reactions, they are letting the Hip-Hop superstars know that Trumpin is cool.
You can see those reactions in the gallery below.
1. Nelly should be ashamed oh himself
2. Clearly they needed the funds
3. 2025 is off to a wild start
4. Suckers
5. Damn not Ashanti
8. MLK is rolling in his grave
9. Probably not
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It seems Trick Trick and Rick Ross have moved past their differences. The two have officially squashed their beef in front of a concert crowd.
As spotted on HipHopDX the two Hip-Hop heavyweights no longer have issues with each other. On Tuesday, September 17 Death Row Records investor Michael “Harry O” Harris hosted the Our Community First Action concert in Pontiac, Michigan. Here the two rappers shared the stage and embraced. From there Rozay performed his sleeper hit “I’m Not A Star” to the crowd’s approval. Rick Ross then addressed everyone on the microphone. “I want to take time out and salute the ones really making a difference in the community,” he said as a nod to Harry O’s work in the city.
The following day Rick Ross took to social media to speak on the moment and confirming Harry O made it all happen. “You flying me out last night, you having Trick Trick bring me out on stage. I’m sure everybody knows me and Trick Trick had our differences for over a decade and here we are just moving forward, doing big things in the community. We got some more big things coming” he explained in the video.
In 2010 it seems that Trick Trick took issue with Ross over some comments he made. Rumor has it Trick Trick and almost 100 of his affiliates blocked him from performing in Detroit. Since then it has been alleged Trick put out a no fly zone out on Ross; a street term that infers that that MMG boss wouldn’t be safe in the town.
You can see them together on stage below.
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Although Vancouver is a long way from Toronto, some fans have connected that Rick Ross running into some static in the Western portion of the northern country is due to the Drake beef. According to a new report Rick Ross and his crew finished rocking a music festival in Vancouver and came across a group who tried to impede his progress through the crowd.
Several accounts posted the breaking news on their respective feeds, including DJ Akademiks, TMZ, and more. According to the reports, Rick Ross was in Vancouver for the Ignite Music Festival on Sunday (June 30) and was heading through the crowd after leaving the stage when the confrontation began around 10:30 local time.
The group, who has not confirmed their affiliation with Drake, at least publicly, were reportedly upset that Ross chose to end his set playing Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” as a closing track. As the reports go, one of the men trying to block Rozay’s progress reportedly swung at the Miami rapper with Akademiks claiming that a member of Ross’ crew was left unconscious.
Adding to this, blogger page @6ixaktv posted two videos of the fight with Drake liking one of the videos. According to the videos, it looked like the group didn’t want to square up when things were even but the owner of the page says that they have a clip of Ross getting punched.
An interesting thread of discussion also cropped up with many noticing that the men who confronted Ross appeared to be white and using the “N-Word” although, again, the group has not stepped forward to present their identity online.
On X, the reactions to Rick Ross being jumped by Vancouver goons have the Maybach Music Group boss’ name trending. We’ve got reactions from all sides below.
WARNING: The images in the clips below may be disturbing to some so proceed with caution.
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Photo: Mireya Acierto / Getty
3. Too late.
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Tia Kemp and Rick Ross won’t be winning any co-parenting awards anytime soon, this after the rapper caught yet another verbal lashing from his son’s mother. Rick Ross celebrated Father’s Day this weekend by announcing he no longer has to pay child support for their son, but Tia Kemp wasn’t about to let him have his day.
On June 15, Rick Ross posted a video asking his fans what they would rather celebrate, Father’s Day or the final day of paying child support.
Tia Kemp caught wind of the video and unloaded on Rozay with a profanity-laced barrage of insults stating that if she wanted to run it back, she would. Kemp also mentioned that the money she’s making now dwarfs whatever payments Ross sent over for their son, who reportedly just finished high school.
It doesn’t appear that Ross was bothered by Kemp’s jabs as he just posted on his Instagram Story feed this morning (June 18) stating that he’s still celebrating Father’s Day.
Knowing how Rozay’s baby momma gives it up, we can expect a lot more insults in the coming weeks if they continue to poke and jab at each other through social media.
On X, formerly Twitter, Tia Kemp and Rick Ross’ back-and-forth was trending and we’ve got the reactions from all sides below.
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Photo: Instagram/@tia_kemp2
1. If that’s a goal in life, then yeah, sure. Great. Kudos.
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LL COOL J doesn’t need to prove himself as a rapper as he’s cemented in the annals of Hip-Hop history as one of the culture’s living legends. However, a spark still exists within the Queens star, and his new track “Saturday Night Special” featuring Fat Joe and Rick Ross proves that his comeback promises were not a fluke.
LL COOL J has been teasing his upcoming 14th studio album, The FORCE ((Frequencies of Real Creative Energy), with fellow Queens native Q-Tip executive producing the project.
Produced by Q-Tip, who also shows up on the hook, “Saturday Night Special” displays LL COOL J giving a grim warning about a tough street cat that you shouldn’t cross. Sounding invigorated, LL doesn’t appear to have lost any of the fire that he displayed over the 1980s and 1990s and finds an interesting pocket atop the A Tribe Called Quest legend’s airy production.
Rick Ross takes over for the second verse, sounding comfortable over the soulful boom-bap, and Fat Joe, no stranger to this type of bop, added his flair. Even better, all three MCs stick to the same common theme and each verse has its standout moments among them.
LL’s return to music was a long time coming as it has been over a decade since he’s lost put out a project. Fans were curious to know how LL would sound over Q-Tip’s production and the results are seemingly pleasing even to the most hardened online critics. Of course, there are your requisite detractors but that’s to be expected in the “keyboard kourage” era.
For now, check out the video for “Saturday Night Special” below and keep scrolling to see reactions from X, formerly Twitter.
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Photo: Getty
6. Can’t win ’em all.
10. This facts.
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Source: Vevo / Youtube
It looks like Rick Ross really wants all the smoke with the Canadian crooner/rapper known as Drake. The Bawse done went and unnecessarily made a music video for the diss track he released just last week.
After days of going back and forth on social media with accusations of BBL’s and getting mothers involved, Rozay has decided to give his Drizzy diss cut, “Champagne Moments,” the visual treatment just when it seemed like the feud had begun to die down a bit.
Sitting in an airplane hanger with an old-school Chevy Bel Air playing the background (an obvious reference to a bar in the song in which Ross asks Drake if he owns one) and his liquor brands next to his person, an iced out Ross drops his rhymes while puffing on some magic dragon; this is just another day at the office for him. Rick Ross really seems to be enjoying indulging in this drama. The man even showed off his belly when talking about Drake’s alleged six-pack surgery (which led to the “BBL” Drake nickname) before bursting out into laughter.
Will Drake respond with a video of his own for “Push Ups” or nah? Guess we’ll have to wait and see.
Peep the video for Rick Ross’ “Champagne Moments” below, and let us know your thoughts on the joint in the comments section.
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For those still invested in this Rap Royal Rumble involving Drake, Rick Ross, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Future, and Metro Boomin, it’s been a festive time for those fans. While there hasn’t been much music to emerge from this battle, there has been plenty of back-and-forth between Drake and Rick Ross as the pair trade online insults.
For those not following this mock meat mayhem as deeply as we have to in the media, Drake threw a shot at Rick Ross on the diss track “Push Ups” which prompted Rozay to fire back with the “Champagne Moments” track. From there, Ross went on Instagram and dropped videos attacking the Canadian superstar’s biracial upbringing, an alleged nose job, an alleged BBL, and dropped some ab sculpting claims.
Drake fired back via his Instagram Stories feed, sharing a text message exchange allegedly between him and his mother. This caused Ross to double down on the “white boy” refrain and attack Drake’s character. Drizzy fired back by making light of the size of Ross’ home in Miami’s Star Island, referring to it as a content creator house among other quips. Further, the OVO honcho called Ross a “worker” for Sovereign Brands owner Brett Berish, which produces the Luc Belaire brand of wine and champagne.
In the midst of all this, there have been fake diss tracks leaked that were later found to be constructed by artificial intelligence, Lupe Fiasco calling out anyone who wants to test, and every podcast in the nation has endlessly debated this dustup.
As it stands, not much music has come from these exchanges, and this appears to be dividing the fan bases of the aforementioned acts greatly. Even with that division hanging over the culture, fans are seemingly excited about this tofu tussle.
We’ve got reactions to all the shenanigans below.
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Photo: Johnny Nunez / Getty
1. It’d be incredibly corny if so.
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Source: Johnny Nunez / Getty
Rick Ross went up against one of the pettiest rappers in history when he was feuding with 50 Cent many years ago. So it should be no surprise that he clearly applied those lessons when quickly retorting to the bars Drake aimed at his head when the 6 God dropped “Drop & Give Me 50.”
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On “Drop & Give Me 50,” which leaked on Saturday (April 13) and many initially suspected was AI-generated, Drake went at Kendrick Lamar, Future, Metro Boomin, Rick Ross and The Weeknd. As for Rozay, Drake said the Miami rapper’s biggest records owed a lot to his lyrical contributions (“I might take your latest girl and cuff her like I’m Ricky/Can’t believe he jumpin’ in, this n*gga turnin’ 50/Every song that made it on the chart, he got from Drizzy,” rapped Drake”)
Rozay returned fire the same day with “Champagne Moments,” and he pulled no punches, and heaped on the slander, repeatedly calling Drake “White Boy” throughout the song. “N*ggas leakin’ their records when we speakin’ directly/If we keeping it gangsta, when you see me, you check me,” spits Rozay over the dramatic instrumental.
But the sh*t talking after the rapping was more dastardly as he accused Drake of sending French Montana a cease-and-desist letter (thus, why he unfollowed him on Instagram) and even accused the Toronto rapper of getting a nose job.
To this, Drake told his momma, adding that Rozay had gone racist, allegedly. Okay.
But to show how extra surly Renzel was moving, he sported a hoodie emblazoned with Drake’s image for a performance the same evening he dropped his diss song. Nefarious.
And the next day (April 14) Ross is still going in, using Drake texting his momma about their beef as more fuel to clown “BBL Drizzy” about allegedly faked abs and to call his crew the “Pastrami Posse.”
Clearly, Renzel was ready for the smoke. Check out “Champagne Moments” below and reactions to Rick Ross’ retort in the gallery.
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4. 6 Pack Slander
11. Mystery Solved?
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Source: Thaddaeus McAdams / Getty / Rick Ross
Rick Ross isn’t shy about showing off his physique, but following his latest video social media is roasting the Hip-Hop star.
The biggest bawse always finds a way to promote anything he does. To get the word out for his annual car and bike show, the “Rich off Cocaine” rapper felt the need to show off some dance moves with an eyebrow-raising performance.
In a video shared on Instagram, Rick Ross can be seen rocking a full-length fur coat, a beret, no shirt, shorts, and a pair of Nike Air Yeezy sneakers while dancing to Beenie Man’s iconic record “Who Am I (Sim Simma),” while hitting an interesting two-step.
The hilarious video drew comments from other rappers and celebrities. 2 Chainz supported Rozay, writing in the comment section, “Hahaha, my dawg shot out.”
Max Kreamo had to mention the MMG’s general’s footwear, writing, “I see yu big dog I jus took them Yeezys off,” while Busta Rhymes and LeBron James hit Ross with a bunch of laughing emojis.
Social Media Thinks Ross Isn’t Doing Enough In The Gym
But that’s where the compliments stop, and things get a bit mean, with commenters clowning Ross’ body.
Ross has been an open book about working out, showing his fans he is, in fact, in the gym. In fact, he’s talking about climbing Africa’s biggest mountain, Kilimanjaro, but if you ask some folks, they do not see any results from his workouts.
One commenter wrote, “This n-gga been on diet for 6 years and maintained the same shape.” Another added, “Built like an orange on toothpicks.”
Damn.
We can’t front, but it does look like Ross is skipping leg day a bit too much. Remember when his legs failed him when he tried to dive into his massive pool?
Others think the video indicates that he and his baby mama, Tia, belong together.
Still, keep dancing Ross.
You can see more reactions to his video in the gallery below.
1. He does have the Spongebob legs.
2. Chiiilllllll
3. Accurate
4. Lol, no comment
7. Yes, and please.