HOTOS: Rick Ross performing in Lagos, Nigeria
August 19, 2012By Osagie Alonge
Rick Ross
‘Can I get a Rozay?!‘ Rick Ross asked the hyped up guests at the Expo Hall of the Eko Hotel Suites where he performed his hit songs on Friday night, August 17, 2012.
The Maybach Music honcho along with his MMG disc jockey DJ Sam Sneaker left no stone unturned as he kept the energy level on a high leaving guests standing, chanting Rozay’s lyrics.
Check out some photos of Ross performing…
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One Response to “PHOTOS: Rick Ross performing in Lagos, Nigeria”
- I love u boss “they can hold you back”
Adetona Adewale says:
FROM NOLLYWOODPLUS.BLOGSPOT.COM
Friday, August 24, 2012
Why I love Nigerian women -Rick Ross
Few days before his trip, the tattoo-crazy artiste declared on Twitter, “Nigeria is rich with Oil. Generational wealth. I need some.”
For the Maybach Music Group boss, the trip to headline the inaugural edition of Summer Jam Festival was not his first to Nigeria.
The Miami born star first visited Nigeria in 2010, as one of the star performers at MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMA). But this time, Rozay as he is fondly called by fans came on the bill of St. Eve Concepts, publishers of St. Eve Magazine.
Ask him what he thinks about Nigerian ladies and he doesn’t mince words. Hear the thick-bearded lyricist: “We blacks are the best. We have the best set of ladies in the world. So, Nigerian women are the same.”
Entertainment Express had a brief chat with the showbiz mogul before he hit the imposing stage of New Expo Hall, Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, to thrill anxious fans last Friday night.
Also read more about the highly anticipated concert that featured leading homegrown hip hop acts such as: Terry G, Flavour, Vector and others.
The whole nation is agog because of your visit, how do you feel right now?
I feel happy. I feel at home. It is a good thing to be loved among your people. Nigeria is home. Africa is where we all come from. This is our land and I am excited.
What are your expectations?
I have come here to entertain my hommies. I am here to have fun and let my people have a feel of me. You know after the show, have my hommies or whatever bringing me the best food. I smoke the best weed. I get the best massages. Already, I have gone on a tour to some parts of Lagos and I am excited about that. Nigeria is blessed. Nigeria is rich in oil and people. We have great people here, men and women.
Are you willing to take a Nigerian lady back to the States?
I’m single and I am enjoying life being a boss for now. But like all true bosses, one day you gotta give it up. Perhaps, then I would consider a Nigerian woman. I mean, black is black. We are all one. This is home for me. I am proud to be back home in the midst of my brothers and motherf**king sisters.
What do you like about Nigerian women?
We blacks are the best. We have the best set of ladies in the world. So, Nigerian women are the same.
If you settle down, would you like to have a Nigerian woman?
I am not going to say I feel the urge to settle down, but being a bachelor you go to sleep lonely a lot of nights, even for a boss. But I won’t say I’m ready to settle down; that ain’t even a consideration for me yet. You know what I mean? I just suck it up and then in the morning, someone’s available.
So far, how would you describe life in Nigeria?
It’s wonderful. I can feel the city already. It feels like it. My nose feels like it. People here are wonderful and I can feel the warmth all over. Even the people at the airport were great.
You have just been to some ghetto parts of Lagos, how would you compare it to the ghetto in the United States?
The ghetto life in the States is all about guns and cracks but I doubt if we have such here. I hear there are some dangerous spots here. The ghetto over there has houses but there are no such buildings here. It’s all fun all the same.
Your new album God Forgives, I don’t, how did you come about that title?
I had a lot of fun doing it, and I learnt a lot in the process, so I’m just excited it’s on the streets. It’s for the men on the street and those who hate.
What excites you the most about this album?
I’m just proud of the work. I mean, it’s like lightning in a bottle. You know what I’m saying, that’s one of the best ways to describe the new music, the concepts, the ideas — I just put a lot more into it.
What made you decide to get into film production?
I have always loved movies. After we shot the video for “Hustlin’,” a lot of people were asking me to do something. So, I was in Ireland, Paris, a lot of places that I went and it was just so surprising; I came back and we came up with the concept for M.I. YAYO which made the top 10 countdown of the ten biggest dealers in the history of my city. And then it just came up so phenomenal and groundbreaking; it’s a powerful piece to watch. I would also make a movie out of my visit to Lagos.
Many rappers adore you, do you see yourself as a role model?
I think I rep the hood. I see myself as a motivation for somebody who — you know, a young dude sitting in the house that wants to live his dream. I may not be a role model, but I most definitely could be a motivation for a lot of people in the hoods.
What would you say has kept you in the game?
Just not having no Plan B. I mean, that’s what it was. You know, once I make my mind up on something, ain’t no Plan B. Yeah.
How did you hook up with Jay-Z and the likes?
We needed to hook up. He belongs to where I belong. So once we sat down, he saw my vision, we chopped it up like bosses, so here it is.
What about Nigerian P-Square?
Those are my hommies, I love those niggas. They are good. I love their songs which was why we hooked up. There are many artistes here that I am familiar with.
How has your recent success changed you?
I get that question a lot, and other than the obvious, I don’t think it changed me a lot, you know what I mean? It might have made me more hungrier for more success — that’s with anything. You know, I tell everybody where I’m from.
Lagos rocks as Rick Ross dazzles fans
The time was 10 p.m. Friday, August 17. It was still a clear one hour gap to the 11 p.m. arrival time of the American super star rapper, Rick Ross, but the venue, Eko Hotels and Suites had already become jampacked with both human and vehicular traffic.
From the upper lounge of the Expo Centre where few journalists stood to catch a vintage view of the show, the 5, 000 capacity hall was a sea of human heads.
From the black door which was the main entrance to the other narrow door of the hall, young men and women stood glued and facing Rick Ross on stage. Despite the large crowd, more and more people pushed and shoved to come nearer the stage. Photographers, mobile phone cameras and video cameramen carried there equipment high above their heads making it look like the cameras had feet of their own.
At the main gate, the battle for entry was tough. The fervor of most of the fans was put in check at the entrance by menacing macho-looking men from K’s Security, yet few young men and ladies forced their way in.
However, the crowd waited for about an hour before the duo of Beat FM’s MC Larry D and Olisa Adibua would set the ball rolling. Obviously, the double-deck stage arrangement gave a wide floor space for performances, while the elevation housed Rick Ross’s official DJ, Zeez and DJ Jimmy Jatt at the other extreme.
Starting on a low energy, the show dragged on to slow note with performances by Dammy Krane, a new kid on the block who is signed to Tuface’s Hypertek record label, the ‘Down Low’ crooner Flowsick, Zaina and delectable Sheyi Shey. Their performances were obviously snowed under by the frightening task of setting the tone for the occasion.
As the organizers made the wait for Rick Ross worthwhile, Terry G came on stage. As usual, the dreadlocks wearing musician ‘killed’ it. He stood out from every other person that performed that night because of his zany theatrics and panache. He wowed the audience when he brought out his bell to complement his mental craze style on stage. The entire crowd simply went agog.
After the Benue born artiste left the stage, the eagerly expectant fans would again wait for some minutes before the international rap star came on stage. For a while, an upbeat tempo of adrenalin pumping music performances were dropped by known acts including self-styled ‘Kukere’ master, Iyanya, Timaya, Bovi and the South African duo of Liquid Deep.
Around some minutes to 11.p.m, the man of the moment, Rick Ross arrived in a colourful way. With Rick Ross’ arrival, the hall lit up in pink, white and orange colours. It was obvious a bigger star in status and clout had made an entrance. It was a grand entrance. Just before you could say jack, the night skyline of the Eko Hotel & Suites glowed in a grandiose carnival of colours like night skies at Christmas time.
The dramatic entry visibly brought the hall on its feet. The DJ stand which featured the well experienced and youthful disc jockey, Zeez came alive for the first time and later became very busy for the next two hours. Distinguishing of the award-winning Maybach record boss, he opened with his famous signature. “Can I get a Rozaaaay?”
From that unique opening, it was a roller-coaster of performances from the Rick Ross collection including fresh songs from his latest album with tracks such as: ‘Blowing money fast’, ‘Hustlin’, ‘Hold me back’, ‘I’m not a star’ and ’The boss’.The highpoint of the two-hour performance included songs he recorded with other acts like DJ Khaled, T-Pain, Lil Wayne and Chris Brown. The show climaxed when the huge rapper told the crowd how much he was happy to be in Nigeria after which he sang the ‘One Nation’ song which got the audience jumping and screaming for more. Obviously, it was over. Rick Ross had performed 13 songs in a single night.
Meanwhile, the low point of the show occurred with occasional technical hiccups from the sound system. The organizers also made a grave mistake of bringing Flavour, Vector and Eva after Rozay’s performance as they performed to an almost empty hall.
Indeed, it was a night heaven blazed. A night of stars from all walks of life. People from government, business, diplomatic circles, foreign dignitaries and of course, artistes, were all at the show.
Rick Ross – Profile of an entertainer
Born January 28, 1977, rapper William Roberts is best known by his hip-hop stage name, Rick Ross. These days, this self-proclaimed “Boss” – who stands more than six feet tall and weighs in at over 300 pounds – is living large and enjoying immense success, but don’t mistake his laid-back Southern demeanor for any lack of effort.
Growing up in Carol City, a lower-class, predominantly African-American suburb of Miami, Florida, the city Rick Ross knew was nothing like the glamorous South Beach we see on television — it was “a real hardcore place,” he has acknowledged. Even as a teenager, however, Rick Ross had the kind of drive that set him apart from the pack. He had big dreams, and he planned to accomplish them by any means necessary — a fact that led him to dabble in drug dealing and rapping as well as playing football.
In fact, he received a scholarship to play football at Albany State in Georgia, and it appeared that this might even open the door to an NFL contract, but after two weeks, Rick Ross realized that a career in sports ultimately wasn’t for him, so he left the programme.
Soon after his return from college, Rick Ross hooked up with childhood friends Elric “E-Class” Prince and Alex “Gucci Pucci” Bethune and signed to their management company, Poe Boy Entertainment, and he’s been hustling ever since. He appeared on the albums and mixtapes of other hometown artistes like Trina and Trick Daddy, making a name for himself in the local music scene long before coming out with his solo work. He eventually signed a joint deal with Trick Daddy’s Slip N’ Slide label, which has been under the Def Jam umbrella since 2007.
Rick Ross’ debut album, Port of Miami, was released in August 2006, and sold 187,000 copies in its first week, launching it straight to the top of the charts. A remix of the lead single,“Hustlin’,” by Jay Z and Young Jeezy drew even more attention to this Miami phenomenon, who dominated hip-hop playlists through much of 2007.
March 2008 marks the release of Rick Ross’ latest album, Trilla, as well as his documentary, M.I. YAYO, which looks at the top 10 drug dealers in Miami’s history.Though his past four solo albums have debuted at #1, in the past year Ross’ stock has risen faster than ever. The arrival of his instant-classic mixtape ‘Rich Forever’ – a self-released behemoth that some are calling the best rap of the year thusfar –and the constant barrage of new material, features and online contents that he and his MMG cohorts flood the streets with daily, has taken Ross to a new level.