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Hello and welcome to The
Rob Burgess Show. I am, of course, your host, Rob Burgess.
On this, our 40th
episode, our guest is “Freeway” Rick Ross.
I should say at this
point, if you haven’t heard it yet, go back and listen to Episode 25 with guest Marc Levin. This episode will make much more sense if you do so.
I first interviewed Marc, and
the subject of his documentary, “Freeway: Crack in the System,” “Freeway” Rick
Ross, last year. The film
premiered on Al Jazeera America and I was lucky enough to screen the film prior
to its release. Here's the movie's trailer:
I first became aware of the
story of “Freeway” Rick Ross in 2008
when it was revealed that not only was the rapper calling himself Rick Ross was
actually named William Roberts, but Roberts had also been a correctional
officer in Florida. I then went on to read the late Pulitzer Prize-winning
journalist Gary Webb's seminal series, “Dark Alliance,” in which he connected the dots between Ross, who was being
supplied with cocaine by Nicaraguans raising money for the Central Intelligence
Agency -backed Contras through drug sales. (Webb's story was also told the
Jeremy Renner-starring dramatic film “Kill the Messenger,” based on the book of
the same name.) July 21, Levin's film, was nominated for an Emmy award in the Outstanding
Investigative Journalism: Long Form category.
According to the Oakland Tribune, “In
the course of his rise, prosecutors estimate that Ross exported several tons of
cocaine nationally, and made more than $600 million in the process. Counting
inflation its $1.6 billion comparing 1986 to 2010.” Now, he has applied the
passion that helped him build an empire to helping the youth, Ross has been
given a second chance to uplift his community by giving back through mentoring
and sharing his story. He plans to inspire many of today’s youths to achieve
their greatest successes without following in his footsteps.
Recognized as a pawn in the CIA drug
game, Ross was a pioneer in the crack cocaine trade in Los Angeles, as well as
other parts of the U.S. A renowned drug dealer, Ross harvested millions as an
unknowing participant of CIA and Drug Enforcement Agency operatives, who
provided him with unlimited amounts of cocaine.
As a youth, Ross moved to South
Central Los Angeles with his mother with the intent of playing tennis. He
pursued a scholarship while attending high school. Unfortunately, his coach
would later find out he was illiterate and removed him from the school. Ross
then attended Los Angeles Trade Technical College and again pursued tennis,
reaching the third spot on the team. Shortly after, at the early age of 19,
Ross said a teacher, who taught at a job center, turned him on to cocaine.
Because he looked up to him, Ross started selling cocaine for him. The money
was good so he ended up starting his own business. His operation grew and he
soon became one of the biggest cocaine dealers in South Central.
During the height of his drug
dealing, Ross was said to have made $2 million to $3 million a week. In 1996,
he was sentenced to life imprisonment after being convicted of trying to
purchase more than 100 kilograms of cocaine from a federal agent. Ross became
the subject of controversy later that year when Webb’s “Dark Alliance” series brought
to light a connection between one of Ross’s cocaine sources, Danilo Blandon,
and the CIA as part of the Iran-Contra scandal. The decision in his case was
brought to a federal court of appeals where his sentence was reduced to 20
years and then reduced further for being a model inmate. He was then moved to a
halfway house in California in the spring of 2009 where he was released on Sept.
29, 2009.
And now, onto the show:
