Hurricanes

by Rick Ross, Neil Martinez-Belkin

Overview

The highly anticipated memoir from hip-hop icon Rick Ross chronicles his coming of age amid Miami’s crack epidemic, his star-studded controversies and his unstoppable rise to fame.

Rick Ross is an indomitable presence in the music industry, but few people know his full story. Now, for the first time, Ross offers a vivid, dramatic and unexpectedly candid account of his early childhood, his tumultuous adolescence and his dramatic ascendancy in the world of hip-hop.

Born William Leonard Roberts II, Ross grew up “across the bridge,” in a Miami at odds with the glitzy beaches, nightclubs and yachts of South Beach. In the aftermath of the 1980 race riots and the Mariel boatlift, Ross came of age at the height of the city’s crack epidemic, when home invasions and execution-style killings were commonplace. Still, in the midst of the chaos and danger that surrounded him, Ross flourished, first as a standout high school football player and then as a dope boy in Carol City’s notorious Matchbox housing projects. All the while he honed his musical talent, overcoming setback after setback until a song called “Hustlin’” changed his life forever.

From the making of “Hustlin’” to his first major label deal with Def Jam, to the controversy surrounding his past as a correctional officer and the numerous health scares, arrests and feuds he had to transcend along the way, Hurricanes is a revealing portrait of one of the biggest stars in the rap game, and an intimate look at the birth of an artist.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781335999283
Publisher:	Hanover Square Press
Publication date:	09/03/2019
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	4,423
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Rick Ross is an American rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, and founder of the Maybach Music Group. All ten of his albums have landed in the top ten of the Billboard 200, including five number-one debuts. He has received four Grammy Award nominations, and his single “Hustlin’” was the first song ever to reach certified platinum status before its associated album was released. He has worked closely with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Diddy, Drake, Lil Wayne, and DJ Khaled, among many others. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia. Hurricanes is his first book.

Neil Martinez-Belkin is the New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Autobiography of Gucci Mane and the former music editor of XXL magazine. He has written extensively about contemporary hip-hop for V ICE , Apple Music, Mass Appeal, and others. He lives in Boston.

Guy Lockhard is a voice talent and Earphones Award–winning narrator.

Editorial Reviews

“Hurricanes takes readers on a gripping journey through Ross’s childhood growing up in the ’80s in the crime-ridden neighborhood of Carol City in Miami Gardens, Florida—to his rocky road to stardom and the many perils and controversies that came after.”—People



“No one can accuse William Leonard Roberts II of living an uninteresting life, and his appropriately titled memoir is one wild ride.”—Library Journal



“Hip-hop fans will flock to Ross' frankly told and compelling life story.”—Booklist



“Another milestone moment [for Ross].”—HotNewHipHop

From the Publisher

08/16/2019

No one can accuse William Leonard Roberts II of living an uninteresting life, and his appropriately titled memoir is one wild ride. Under the name Rick Ross (taken from drug kingpin "Freeway" Rick Ross), the hip-hop star has achieved chart success, fame, notoriety, and personal wealth, all of which is explored in great detail in this account cowritten with Martinez-Belkin (coauthor, The Autobiography of Gucci Mane). Ross has fiercely crafted his persona, to the point in which he was caught denying—despite ample evidence to the contrary—his work as a corrections officer, just one of many episodes addressed here. At times the boasting and self-justification threaten to overwhelm the story, but there is sufficient description of the creation of Ross's recordings and collaborations to provide a fascinating window into the contemporary rap music scene. Considering that the author has "the gift of foresight," it's particularly fascinating to see the choices he's made, the accomplishments he's had, and the legacy he's creating. VERDICT A roller-coaster ride. Fans of Ross's work as well as his music-making projects with some of hip-hop's most acclaimed artists will race through this one.—Bill Baars, formerly with Lake Oswego P.L., OR

Library Journal

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