Rick Ross Takes It As A "Compliment" That People Compare Him To Notorious B.I.G.

The rap mogul also praises the "Biggie-Tupac era" as one of the most influential times in Hip Hop.

BYErika Marie
Link Copied to Clipboard!
3.8K Views
Christopher Polk / Staff / Getty Images

It's been decades since the world lost Christopher "Notorious B.I.G." Wallace, but his legacy lives on. The award-winning rapper was only 24-years-old when he was gunned down in Los Angeles during a drive-by shooting, and while the perpetrators responsible have never been apprehended, the conversation about police corruption and shady music executives continues. There haven't been many artists who have been compared to Biggie but some have drawn parallels to Rick Ross. The rap mogul recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe to share his thoughts on being linked to a rap legend.

"I can't do nothin' but take it as a compliment but I won't play myself. Big was on somethin' else," said Rozay. "Big was just somethin' special. That era, that energy, that Tupac, that Big era, that Jay-Z—imagine what that cypher was like. And so, when I think of the records that they put together, the timeframe, the love that was put into that music, Big was most definitely, possibly my greatest ever."

Sharpe mentioned Biggie's brief career that was cut short at only five years in the rap game. "It may have been three or four years," Ross replied. "That's what I mean his impact and influence on the world in such a short time, that sh*t can't be compared. It was really that vacuum fill of that Biggie-Tupac era. At one time, you couldn't talk about rap if you wasn't talkin' 'bout Big and Tupac. It was that entire era of rap music. Everything else was just some sideline sh*t."

Was this the best era of Hip Hop? Check out a clip of Ross and Sharpe below.

  • Link Copied to Clipboard!
About The Author
Erika Marie is a seasoned journalist, editor, and ghostwriter who works predominantly in the fields of music, spirituality, mental health advocacy, and social activism. The Los Angeles editor, storyteller, and activist has been involved in the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry for nearly two decades. E.M. attempts to write stories that are compelling while remaining informative and respectful. She's an advocate of lyrical witticism & the power of the pen. Favorites: Motown, New Jack Swing, '90s R&B, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, & Punk; Funk, Soul, Harlem Renaissance Jazz greats, and artists who innovate, not simply replicate.