(AllHipHop News) Freeway Rick Ross recently spoke with radio host (some say conspiracy theorist) Alex Jones about Hip Hop. During the interview, the convicted head of the former $900 million drug enterprise claimed that some rappers are purposely used to promote illegal activities to the public.
Ross mentioned two rappers by name – Rick Ross and Jay Z. Freeway Rick continued his criticism of rapper Rick Ross using his name and likeness to present an image that he says is not true. He refers to Jay when questioning why the Brooklyn emcee’s music is allowed to be played in school settings.
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“When I sold drugs I hid. But now they got these guys that never sold drugs. One guy was a correctional officer who goes by the name of Rick Ross now. He took my whole identity and the courts said he could do it,” said Freeway. “The message it tells our kids is that if you go out [and] sell drugs, then you can become a great rock star like myself and never go to prison.”
He later added, “I’m disappointed in the whole culture. Not really [rapper Rick Ross] because I don’t think he understands what he’s doing. To him, I believe he’s making a living. Almost like I was when I sold drugs… Then you go to our schools and guess who you hear on the radio, playing in a high school gym on the turntables? Jay Z.”
Freeway then gives his perspective on the connection between rap music selling the drug kingpin lifestyle and the prison-industrial complex. He also expressed his belief that today’s young people are being programmed to embrace drug dealing, gang banging, and prison mentality.
“I had come up with a mentality about myself that I was dumb, stupid, that all I should be was a thug. And that thugging was cool. When I looked around from my prison cell and started to look at all my friends, they all thought the same way,” stated Ross. “And it was this programming that put us in this position that dealing drugs and gang banging was easy for us to accept. I believe that Hip Hop is doing that right now but on a more massive scale.”
Ross released his book Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography earlier this year. His involvement with the reported CIA program of importing narcotics into the United States as part of the Iran-Contra scandal was featured in the recent film The Messenger. The alleged drug smuggling operation has been credited for helping to spark the crack cocaine epidemic.
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Watch Freeway Rick Ross’ interview below.