Rick Ross and the artist formerly known as Diddy are two of the most successful men in hip-hop. They’ve used the music to help fund their various business ventures, making them multimillionaires. They recently caught up backstage at Kanye West Donda 2 listening event, and Ross shared a story about taking the initiative and hustling while working under Love Combs that he hopes inspires his fans.
Rick Ross and Love have been working together for over a decade. Enamored by his unmistakable hustle and unavoidable similarities to his late friend Notorious B.I.G, Love took Ross under his wing as a manager after losing a bidding war to sign him as an artist to Jay-Z’s Def Jam. Love instead brought Ross along for the ride as he launched Ciroc and made a liquor empire. The pair also released a record around that time called “Another One,” and Ross featured on Love’s Diddy-Dirty Money album Last Train to Paris.
The two gentlemen were all smiles backstage at the Donda event, sporting matching black outfits and adorned in heavy jewelry. Both men appeared to be drunk and really happy to see each other. Ross was on his IG Live and sang Love’s praises to his audience. Love bragged about becoming hip-hop’s first trillionaire, something that might be attributed to his recent reacquisition of the Sean Jean Clothing line he launched in the ’90s or another undisclosed business venture. Ross also brags about being very rich, something we can probably attribute to his Wing Stop enterprise. Ross lives in a massive property in Atlanta that houses the largest private swimming pool in the country and was the shooting location of last year’s Coming to America sequel released on Amazon.
While talking game, Love thanked Ross for working for him for free for a year as a branding ambassador for Ciroc. He reminds Ross that at the end of that year he rewarded him with a million-dollar check as a thank you. Ross says it is all about hustle and initiative.
Love kept jumping in the camera and joking about how he is “back outside” after what appears to have been a brief hiatus and career rebranding following the passing of longtime partner Kim Porter. He changed his name from Diddy to Love Combs and is reportedly dating City Girls’ Yung Miami. Love is ready to get back out and seems to be fully focused on making his tequila brand #1 in the world as he kept flashing it in the camera and showing off his watches. French Montana, DJ Khalid, and Elon Musk all make appearances throughout the live as well.
Love briefly talks about the five years he worked for free right out of college. He kicked off his career as an intern at Uptown records in 1989, where he served as a runner for label head Andre Harrell. During that time Love helped launch the careers of Mary J Blige, Jodeci, Al B. Sure, Christopher Williams, and more. He would eventually get fired and go on to build Bad Boy Records around the Notorious B.I.G.
