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Keeping it real may be cliché in Hip-Hop, but the philosophy behind the statement remains the backbone of many rappers.

For

Rick Ross, keeping it real was put to the test as the Miami-based

rapper’s credibility came into question amid allegations concerning his

background. The rapper, who is known for his gritty rhymes about street

life, spoke out in July about pictures that surfaced of him being

depicted as a corrections officer.

“My

life is 100% real,” Ross said. “These online hackers putting a picture

of my face when I was a teenager in high school on other peoples’ body.

If this s**t was real don’t you think they would have more specifics,

like dates and everything?… I live by this die by this. Fake pictures

are created by the fake, meant to entertain the fake.”  Despite

Ross’ denial, his past employment was confirmed by TheSmokingGun.com as

the site reported that the 32-year-old rapper graduated from the

Florida Department of Corrections training academy. In addition, Ross’

social security number matched that of a William Roberts, who was

assigned to the South Florida Reception Center in Dade County.  As

it turned out, the entertainer was appointed a prison guard in December

of 1995 when he was 19. Ross worked as a guard before leaving the

position in 1997.  Ross once again weighed in on the controversy as he told Phoenix, Arizona radio station Power  98.3

(KKFR-FM) that he was a victim of a massive smear campaign . The rapper

further verified that the content of his raps are real and based on

actual experiences as he revealed to Don Diva magazine that he never attempted to hide his past from anyone.  The

remarks came as news of Ross’ namesake, Freeway Ricky Ross, taking

the rapper to task for stealing his name to create a phony street

persona came to light.  Fallout

from the C.O. controversy came to  a head in August as gunfire put a stop

to the second annual Rick Ross Be Out Day at Carol City Park. According

to one witness, the event ended with people fleeing the scene for their

lives. Police later confirmed that they had one man in custody related

to the incident.  Ross

downplayed the shooting as he revealed that he stayed at the Rick Ross

Charities, Inc.-hosted event to meet with fans and do short performance

in an effort to end things on a positive note.  

While he endured the consequences of his past coming to light, Ross  still had a worthwhile 2008 with the success of his album Trilla. “The release, which spawned the hit singles “The Boss” and “Here I Am,” debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in March.

He

may be “biggest boss that you seen thus far,” but the future has yet to

reveal whether fans will remain loyal to Ross or terminate his status

among the rap elite.