Freeway Rick Ross came from nothing and started a business that grossed nearly a billion dollars and spanned forty-two cities. The problem is that the business was illegal. After his inability to read cost him any possibility of going to college on a tennis scholarship, Rick Ross began selling drugs. In his first book and autobiography, he details how from a small initial stake he built a massive drug empire that Esquire magazine recently estimated had revenues of $2.5 billion in today’s dollars. His empire was founded on a single drug, one which he is often credited with popularizing: crack.

In this interview, Rick discusses the African-American experience and where he is taking his life from both as an author and a music producer. Joining us in the studio is one of his artists, Tp9. The show opens with one of her latest songs.