The Luc Belaire global brand ambassador spoke with PEOPLE ahead of the release of his 12th studio album ‘Set in Stone’
Credit: Sovereign Brands
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Key Takeaways
- Rick Ross spoke with PEOPLE about celebrating 20 years of his debut Port of Miami album with a 17-city tour featuring formal attire, a choir and special guests
- The rapper recently released his 12th studio album Set in Stone after a nearly five-year hiatus
- Ross highlights his backstage must-haves, creative process for his new tour and album and advice for aspiring artists to follow their creativity
Rick Ross is booked and busy this summer.
The Luc Belaire Global Brand Ambassador, 50, spoke to PEOPLE about his backstage must-haves on his current Port of Miami 20th Anniversary tour.
“As long as I have the Luc Belaire, the Bumbu Rum, and then I love meatloaf and broccoli. I need that back there in case of my appetite — I gotta be right,” he says.
Ross, who was celebrating the brand’s newest Alcohol-Removed Rare Rosé release, noted that he was recently introduced to the world of alcohol-free spirits and says that it’s “without a doubt” a way to stay healthy and still enjoy yourself.
“If you wanna go jog your eight miles and come home and celebrate, you could do it that way,” he laughs.
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The rapper, whose real name is William Leonard Roberts II, kicked off the Port of Miami tour in May with a special performance in his hometown in Miami. The tour is an homage to and celebration of his first-ever album Port of Miami which was released in 2006, and guests of the tour are encouraged to wear formal attire while Ross is joined onstage by a rotating crew of hip-hop and R&B A-listers performing amid a choir and orchestra.
“We’re 20 summers in; how do we celebrate this in a different way? You know, how do we do this differently? And it basically was one of the ideas of let’s get black suit and tie, let’s get gowned out, let’s get a orchestra, let’s get a choir and let’s just make it an amazing memory, something we’ve never done to celebrate 20 years and if we never do it again, we’ve done it,” he muses about the 17-city tour.
“It’s been incredible, it really has. Just going to different cities and seeing legends like Scarface come out, Meek Mill come out, Beanie Siegel, Freeway, CeeLo Green in Atlanta, [Uncle] Luke, Trina — just all the heavyweights just showing me that love. It’s like, you know, that’s what I wanted to do, kind of reflecting like, we pulled something off special.”
Ross notes that Philadelphia and New York have been his favorite cities to perform in so far other than Miami and jokes that deciding what city has been the most fun has been what “everybody has been arguing” about on his team.
Credit: Sovereign Brands
The tour also coincides with the release of Set in Stone, Ross’s 12th studio album and first in nearly five years.
“You know, I was really chilling for the last few years. I just felt like it was time, and the game wanted that luxury rap, that big boy rap that I made,” he says. “Sometimes you just gotta sit back and let the game breathe, you know what I mean? And I just felt like it was time. We released my first single “Minks in Miami” with Max B, with French Montana — that went number one, so it was just a good reaction from the culture. So that was dope for me. The production, the style.”
The “Hustlin’” singer says he’s most excited for fans to hear “Maybach Music 7” on his new album, the seventh iteration of the song series featuring Dom Toliver and Young Jeezy, the first of which was released on Ross’ second studio album Trilla and featured Jay-Z.
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Two decades later, it’s a legacy Ross is still working to comprehend.
“I never could imagine 20 years later from my debut, you know, that was never a part of the plan. Because when it takes you 10 years to make your first record, you’re not even thinking past [that.] I was just focusing on putting a dope, incredible body of work together, which was Port of Miami [in 2006] and that’s all I was focused on, so it’s different.”
He continues: “I let the music dictate the vibe. I don’t let the business come before the music … Let’s perform the music. Let’s let the art lead the way. That’s how I think I’ve been able to do it for so long.”
Credit: Brianna Bryson/FilmMagic
And for those looking to come up and follow in The Boss’ shoes, he has some sound advice for the next generation of hip-hop hopefuls.
“The game has changed, so now it’s technology everywhere,” Ross says. “Follow your heart. Be creative. Prop that goddamn phone up against that mirror and film yourself. And just let yourself go — let the music lead the way.”
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