S. Samuel
Former drug kingpin Freeway Ricky Ross is not buying into rapper Rick Ross' Rolling Stone comments about his short-lived experience as a correctional officer and is publicly questioning the Maybach Music Group leader.
Freeway said no one within the urban community would suggest a youngster to consider a job in law enforcement over more common employment.
“The answers by Rozay to being a correctional officer in this Rolling Stone article were BS, this is scripted to make it look like he had some struggle. No one tells you to go be a correctional officer before all the other jobs that build our community such as a Carpenter, Mechanic or Preacher. They especially wont say it when their son just got convicted for a long sentence behind unfair drug laws. They tell you get a job , and don’t do crime.” (All Hip Hop)
He also went on to ridicule the “Boss'” claim and questioned his logic.
“They don’t say “William my son is in jail for 20 years for a nonviolent offense, save yourself and go become his guard be a correctional officer.” William never sold drugs, so the whole idea he had to wash his hands is never cleared up,” Freeway added. “Why would you wash your hands for somebody else selling drugs, that you happened to know. Rozay needs to read Michelle Alexander’s book New Jim Crow to understand why that’s the case, and his real place in the crack epidemic. He also never tells us a name for this created friend. This is a disrespect to everyone who actually lived the game, people are serving 20 years all because they had to for survival and this guy is using my life and name this way.” (All Hip Hop)
Earlier this week, Ross’ Rolling Stone cover feature excerpt landed online.
For the first time, Ross talks about his past life as a corrections officer – an opportunity, he says, to “wash my hands” after his best friend was sentenced to 10 years for trafficking cocaine and heroin: “This was my best friend, who I ate peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches with, and pork and beans with, my buddy, my partner, my number-one dude. Suddenly I’m talking to him over federal phone calls. Hearing the way it was building, I knew I couldn’t take nothing for granted,” says Ross. “My homey’s father was a huge influence on my life, too . . . He was the one who was like, ‘Yo, go get a job somewhere, man. Go be a fireman. Or go be a f*cking corrections officer. Just go sit down somewhere.” (Rolling Stone)
Last summer, Philadelphia rapper Beanie Sigel defended Ross in light of corrections officer criticism.
“I just don’t think he should have lied about it,” Sigel said in an interview. “He should have just kept it real. He had a j-o-b. He was gigging. He probably took that job to be in a position where as though he had people in there that he could look out for. My mom was a correctional officer. When I went to jail, there was n*ggas who had the will. Life. Never coming home…” (Forbez DVD)
Freeway Ricky Ross is known for being a convicted drug trafficker best known for the “drug empire” that he presided over in Los Angeles, California, in the early 1980s.
Check out Freeway Ricky Ross speaking on Rick Ross below:
