Rick Ross insists there’s “nothing” going on between him and Drake — despite the latter dropping a diss track on “Iceman” Friday.
The “Hustlin’” rapper exclusively spoke with Page Six this week while promoting the new Luc Belaire Alcohol-Removed Rare Rosé, his new book “Renaissance of a Boss,” and his upcoming studio album, “Set in Stone,” which drops on June 12.
When asked where he stands with the Canadian rapper, Ross simply said, “It’s nothing.” But upon hearing that Drake’s ninth studio album, “Iceman,” was debuting Friday, he replied, “Is it?”
Drake notably took shots at Ross in one of his new tracks on Friday. In his song, “Make Them Pay,” Drake raps, “Dog, I was aiding Ross with streams before Adin Ross had ever streamed.”
Ross, for his part, is releasing his 12th studio album next month — and he tells us there will definitely be a diss track or two.
“It’s always diss tracks. You know Rozay,” he laughed, referring to his nickname. “It wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t. That competitive spirit, to me, is what made Hip Hop what it was. It has to be competitive.”
“Life is competitive,” he continued. “You know, people could try to make it as sweet as possible, and I get it, but this is a success as a competitive sport.”
He also said that his new music will definitely inspire some “conversations.”
“I’m sure the Rozay fans know, I love to shock people. I love to cause, not controversy, but things to discuss,” he said. “Conversations will most definitely be taking place about the music and it’s beautiful.”
“The Boss” artist didn’t specify if any diss tracks would be about Drizzy, but he did share the names of his collaborators on the new project, divulging that he has songs with BigXthaPlug, Don Toliver, The-Dream, and T.I.
“I feel possibly [“Set in Stone”] could be one of my best albums, if not my best,” he gushed.
Ross, 50, and Drake, 39, had several hits together, including 2010’s “Aston Martin Music,” 2012’s “Stay Schemin’,” 2019’s “Money in the Grave,” 2021’s “Lemon Pepper Freestyle,” and several more.
Despite being close collaborators for more than a decade, their relationship publicly unraveled when Ross showed his loyalty toward Kendrick Lamar during the latter’s massive 2024 rap war with Drake.
After Lamar dropped the diss track aimed at Drake, “Not Like Us,” Champagne Papi hit back in April 2024 with his own shady track, “Push Ups,” taking shots at the “Swimming Pool” rapper, Ross, the Weeknd, Metro Boomin and Future.
Ross also accused Drake of using ghostwriters in his 2024 diss track “Champagne Moments.”
He further fueled speculation that there was beef with Drake when Ross skipped over the “One Dance” rapper’s verses while performing their song “Aston Martin Music” in a “Verzuz” battle with French Montana earlier this month.
When asked why he skipped over Drake’s lines, he told Apple Music’s “Rap Life Review” that he was just “being a boss.”
However, he then wished Drake well, telling listeners, “Drake, if you listening to this homie, listen to me, my n—-a, shine. I don’t want to see you lose. No real n—a want to see you lose. That ain’t what about. This culture, this game, this rap this ain’t what it’s about.”
Elsewhere in his interview with Page Six, Ross discussed his newly released book, co-written by Neil Martinez-Belkin, which documents his road trip across the country as he grapples with a midlife crisis.
Throughout his journey, Ross told us he learned he had “so much more to give” and “so much more to live for.”
“You know, coming up to 50 years old, after accomplishing so many different things … I realized I still had so much more passion and love for the game and love to give,” he said. “So that’s what I do with my music.”
The rapper-turned-entrepreneur also utilized the book to offer readers some insight into how they can achieve success.
“So many people ask me every day, ‘Rozay, how did you achieve this? How did you get here? How did you do this?’ And I try to put it in a way where you could digest it,” he said.
“This is like my personal let’s go riding with me,” he continued. “This is what life is. This is what it’s like.”
While Ross can offer his guidance, he warned that not everyone can reach his level of greatness.
“It most definitely depends on the type of person you are, but there’s most definitely things that you can absorb to make it to the top as quick as possible,” he said. “You can’t cut no corners…You gotta put in that work.”
The Luc Belaire ambassador has been working especially hard to promote the wine brand’s new zero-proof variation.
“I think it’s cool. It’s a lot of young, you know, gatherings — that’s the vibe,” he said of spirit-free beverages. “And here we are. We won’t let you down. That’s what Luc Belaire does.”
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