Rick Ross Explains Why He Never Signed Nipsey Hussle

Amid one of the most extensive promo runs of the year, Rick Ross sat down with hip hop's favorite Jewish brothers, Eric and Jeff Rosenthal of ItsTheReal. On their podcast, "A Waste of Time", Eric and Jeff took the Port of Miami 2 rapper down memory lane to discuss his upbringing, the start of his career and the many phases that led to him becoming The Boss he is today. Ross has been in a pretty talkative mood, so much was revealed in the hour and a half episode. 

Before the interview came to a close, the brothers made sure to ask Ross why his rumored signing of the late Nipsey Hussle to Maybach Music Group never came together. "Really I was young at the time," Ross said. "I had just started going to Cali. I ran into him and I just felt this vision, felt this drive. I knew he was going to be somebody who was gonna live his dreams out. I put the offer on the table for him and another young dude, Dom Kennedy. I wanted to establish MMG on the west coast. I wasn't coming out there as much, I wasn't travelling as much and I didnt have as many connections as I do now. We didn't close that deal but we stayed in touch... the love was always genuine and it was there." 

As Rozay has mentioned in other interviews he has conducted recently, he told ItsTheReal that "Gold Roses" came about through a conversation he had with Drake about Nipsey. After Nipsey's passing, Drake expressed his wish to Ross of being able to smell his roses while he's here - to be able to witness his impact on the culture and the world.