TBT: Rick Ross' 2006-2010 Era

Over the years, Rick Ross has made his way from a Slip-n-Slide Records artist to an empirical kingpin. How did he do it? Well, there's a lot of moves you could attribute to his success, but basically, he did it by putting out good music.

His first two records paved the way for the Maybach Music Group's beginnings. MMG released Deeper Than Rap as its first official album, and Ross has been building an empire ever since, putting on MCs like Meek Mill, Wale, and Stalley to a huge audience.

The South Florida MC has come a long way in his rap career over the past decade, so we decided to take a look back at the first half of his journey. Let's throw it back to Ricky Rozay's earlier cuts.

There's no doubt that without "Hustiln'," and the all-star remix that ensured, things wouldn't be quite the same. Rozay, alongside Jay Z and Young Jeezy, delivered the hustler anthem of a decade. 

Same goes for "Push It." The track, which relies heavily on a sample from Paul Engemann's 80s Scarface track, helped to introduce the world to the Boss.

While his first two wildly successful tracks had that gangster vibe, "Here I Am" introduced the piano-led, luxurious sound to the world. Rick Ross ran with it on a bunch of tracks that you'll hear next! 

When Ross enlists J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League on production, the results are incredible. For the first part of his "Maybach Music" series, Ross collaborates with Jay Z over a spectacular beat. This is hip hop. 

"Maybach Music" lead into "Billionaire" which led into "Luxury Tax," completing a trifecta of J-League production that really honed in on that luxurious sound. Inviting Wayne, Jeezy, and Trick Daddy isn't a bad way to round out a ballin' track.

Sequels rarely live up to the original, but not with "Maybach Music." Enlisting Kanye, Wayne, and T-Pain equated to a track that could rival the first one.

Ross proves that he can flow with another legend; this time it's Nas. "Usual Suspects" is that head-boppin' hip hop that makes Rick Ross such a diverse rapper.

Some more smoothness from Ross and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, this time with John Legend too.

Ross has always had an ear for really great beats, and "Tears of Joy" is no exception to that. Alongside Cee-Lo, the Miami MC delivers an incredible performance on a truly unique track.

He may be best known for that "mmMMMMMaybach Music," but you can't deny the excellence of "Aston Martin Music."

With one ear to the streets, Rick Ross enlisted up-and-coming stoners for his "Super High" remix. It ended up being one of the greatest stoner rap tracks any pothead could ever ask for.

Refining the vision, "Maybach Music III" was every bit as good as the prior two submissions. It's a beautiful song, through and through.