Q&A: Rick Ross

Rick ross leans back in his plush chair at def Jam’s Manhattan offices and takes a long pull on a blunt. “That’s PR-80,” he says, exhaling a cloud of thick, sweet smoke. “My favorite kind of weed. It’s the Rolls- Royce of marijuana.” As usual, every­thing about the Miami hip-hop don is extra-luxe, from the gold Rolex on his wrist to his sixth album, Mas­termind, co-executive-produced by Diddy and featuring guest ap­pearances from Jay Z and Kanye West. “Puff Daddy told me, ”˜Yo, Ross, this is a classic,’ ” says the rap star. “We made it one of the greatest ever.”

Who rolls your blunts? Do you have a guy for that?

I got somebody, but I actu­ally just hired this chick that I met at a dispensary in L.A. She’s real pretty, green eyes. I’m gonna fly her in once a month for a three-day period to roll all of my weed, ’cause I ain’t smok­ing with niggas no more. I need a chick rolling my shit.

Wait. You’re saying you only get high with beautiful women now?

Yeah. That’s Jedi-level.

The cover of your new album looks a little bit like an all-pink version of Nirvana’s Bleach. Are you a fan?

I can’t say I am. That cover comes from one night when I was up in the studio, smoking and drinking, and staring at a bottle of Belaire Rosé. I was like, “Damn, this is the color I want my album to be.” It’s fuchsia. That shit is energetic.

One of my favorite songs on the album is “The Devil Is a Lie,” with Jay Z. But some people on YouTube are convinced it’s a secret Illuminati message.

Man, there’s a part of me that laughs when I hear that. It’s a compliment. Like, “Wow, I made it, I’m in the Illuminati!” But people who say shit like that, to me, are like people who believe in fucking magic. David Copperfield is a close homey of mine ”“ I told him I was going to bring my yacht out to his private island ”“ but the fucking Illuminati? I just smile and keep it going.

You’ve rapped some great lines over the years about lobster bisque, crab­meat, oysters and shrimp. Is there any kind of seafood you don’t enjoy?

I don’t eat clams. But I make a lot of food referenc­es because I believe that’s really one of the most im­portant parts of life. To me, it ain’t what car you’re driving ”“ it’s what you’re eating, man.

I saw that you bet $100,000 on the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. Congratulations. Would you have been upset if you lost, or is that just pocket change to you?

I would’ve took it to the chin. We bet a lot amongst each other. I won a million from Puff out in Vegas a few months ago on craps. I have the dice roll on Instagram.

You had a series of scary sei­zures a few years ago. Have you slowed your roll, or do you still party like a boss?

I mean, I still party like a boss ”“ I’m gonna do that until they fold my arms across my chest, you understand? But I’ve had to make some changes. It was dehydra­tion and no rest that trig­gered the seizures. I used to have to wake up every hour, just to hit the blunt and look out the win­dow, but now I can go two and a half hours without getting up.

If you had to compete in an Olympic sport, which one would you be best at?

Shot put. I did that in high school for one year. I got pretty decent at it ”“ I think I ranked in the Bob Hope Invitationals, or some­thing. They knocked me off first round, but at least I got to see all the fine chicks running around in their short shorts.

What were your favorite movies last year?

12 Years a Slave, Captain Phil­lips ”“ I’m a Tom Hanks fan, and I like that little Somalian-looking motherfucker. Wolf of Wall Street was my shit too.

If Martin Scorsese made a movie about your life, would it be more or less crazy than Wolf?

I mean, it depends on how far Martin Scorsese wanted to go. And how much I was willing to tell him [laughs].

Scientists predict that global warm­ing could devastate Miami by 2030. What would you do if your city washed away tomorrow?

I’d get on my 98-foot yacht, Rich For­ever, and pick up all my niggas and all the pretty bitches I could fit on it.

Sounds a little like Noah’s Ark.

Of course. Two of each. Then I’d hit up David Copperfield on his island. Time to take up that offer!