Here we go again … Freeway Rick Ross lit a new match, restarting his long-standing feud with rapper Rick Ross during an interview on March 1. The former drug kingpin aimed the rapper’s stage name, which he believes was directly inspired by his own infamous identity. Freeway boldly declared, “I’m the real Ross,” adding a critique of the rapper’s public persona, including his physique, saying, “Rozay sounds feminine to me,” and quickly adding, “And I ain’t fat either. Nah, I ain’t fat.”
As you’ll know, Rick Ross, never one to shy away from controversy, responded swiftly on social media, mixing humor with sharp retorts. “This gangsta informant [laughing emojis] still [lurks]. @freewayricky [mermaid emoji]. Go put on a suit, peon,” he posted, jabbing Freeway’s past.
Naturally, socials erupted with reactions, with many users siding with Freeway, pointing out the rapper’s connection to a name and legacy he never earned. “Y’all let him rock all these years because the music was good. Ross and John Singleton (Snowfall) did him foul,” one Instagram commenter said, referencing the rapper’s use of the name. Another user highlighted the irony, calling out Rick Ross for his past as a correctional officer, saying, “The audacity when he himself was a correctional officer.”
Bet this part, the commentary continued, with some users pointing out the apparent contradiction in Rick Ross adopting the name of a known figure in the drug trade. One comment read, “This is laughable. So, you stole an informant’s name. That should make you a ‘gangsta informant’ as well…”
Users emphasized Freeway’s belief that Rick Ross is a fraud who built his career off an identity he never earned. “How you steal another man’s name that you NEVER earned?” one comment read. “And that fake informant talk you tryna do cause you been afraid of @freewayricky cause he’s the real thing that you only rap about.”
ICYMI, the dispute goes back years. Freeway Rick Ross has long accused the rapper of co-opting his identity without permission. The original Freeway made his name in the 1980s as a notorious drug trafficker, building a reputation that remains part of his legacy. Meanwhile, Rick Ross, born William Roberts II, has consistently maintained that his name was not only inspired by Freeway but also by Miami’s street culture, emphasizing that it was an artistic choice.
Check this part out. Despite the court ruling in favor of Rick Ross in 2010, which deemed his use of the name protected as artistic expression, Freeway has continued to contest the legitimacy of the rapper’s persona. After his release from prison in 2009, Freeway filed a trademark infringement lawsuit, arguing that Rick Ross had exploited his name and image for personal gain while fabricating an inauthentic street legacy.