S. Samuel
Former drug kingpin Freeway Ricky Ross hopes to have the last laugh after announcing plans to continue his war against rap star Rick Ross in Supreme Court.
This week, Freeway revealed he would suit back up and take his legal beef against Ross to the nation’s highest court.
“Absolutely! We are headed to the Supreme Court right now! I was so thrilled with my lawyers when they called me. They are fighting Universal and Warner Bros. which are two of the biggest corporations in the country,” Freeway revealed in an interview. “When we went to court they had about 15 lawyers and I had 1 lawyer. Universal and Warner Bros are standing behind this guy 100, and my lawyer called me and told me “What you think?” I was like “I want to fight on” and she said “I do too!” (“Murder Master Music Show”)
In a statement, Freeway placed an emphasis on Ricky Rozay making profits off allegedly using his street fame earlier this month.
“I respect Hip-Hop as an art form and consider many of its artists some of my close friends. But I believe the art form owes an obligation of authenticity. You cannot go out and say you sold cocaine at Kilo to Metric ton scale and be so detached from the experience. If you do, you have an obligation to the youth to tell them the truth and not lie about the facts of your circumstance to try to further validate the mistruth. There is a teachable moment about the state of our community when a man who has a respectable job as a correctional officer, has to recreate himself in my former image as a large-scale kingpin to gain what he feels is social acceptance as a successful man.” (AHH)
According to recent reports, Ricky Rozay had been cleared for use of Freeway’s name despite handfuls of court battles.
The former cocaine kingpin who claims that rapper Rick Ross stole his name and identity cannot sue, a California appeals court ruled. “We recognize that Roberts’ work – his music and persona as a rap musician – relies to some extent on plaintiff’s name and persona,” Presiding Justice Roger Boren wrote for the court. “Roberts chose to use the name ‘Rick Ross.’ He raps about trafficking in cocaine and brags about his wealth. These were ‘raw materials’ from which Roberts’ music career was synthesized. But these are not the very sum and substance’ of Roberts’ work.” (Courthouse News)
Freeway also could not win over a judge in a dispute against Rozay and his record company last year.
On Wednesday, a judge rejected claims made by “Freeway” Ricky Ross — who ran a notorious drug empire that covered Los Angeles in the 1980s and 1990s — against Warner Bros. Records over the career of hip hop star Rick Ross. The first Ross says the second Ross (born William Leonard Roberts II) stole his name and likeness, with the help of Jay-Z and others in the music industry. Unfortunately for the plaintiff, who was released from prison in 2009 on good behavior and now counsels youth, he’s been having trouble convincing a judge that he brought his claims soon enough over a rapper who has been around a decade. (The Hollywood Reporter)
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Check out the interview:
