Rick Ross, the triple-platinum American rapper, recently drew attention to the increasing world dominance of African music. He made this observation while on his historic tour of the continent. He’s sure that Africa’s music moment has truly arrived. He presents a musical explosion of culture, bridging musical genres and honoring the cultural influences that shape his artistic expression. He uttered these comments after developing genuine relationships with African artists. He doesn’t hold back when he talks about African influences as an important foundation for hip-hop music, and he is proud of that legacy.
Between 2009 and 2014, Ross recognized an opportunity to expand his sound by incorporating jazz and funk elements into hip-hop. These aesthetics informed his later work, especially Future Magic, a series of collaborations with African artists. Ross emphasized the fluidity of these collaborations. He told me that he “had a vision of the beauty in what we were doing” way before African music took on widespread international success.
A Connection Beyond Music
Rick Ross’s relationship with Africa goes deeper than music. He recently returned from a trip to Zimbabwe and was given a hero’s welcome. Fans and local leaders were nearly equally excited to welcome him. The rapper’s engagement with African culture has allowed him to appreciate the continent’s musical diversity deeply.
It was his homecoming concert during the Durban Music Fest at Moses Mabhida Stadium in South Africa that took the cake and cemented his artistic prowess. “The very next night I had one of the biggest concerts out there… it felt good. The energy was there, the love was there,” Ross shared. This experience did a lot to corroborate his conviction that African music has been “well overdue” for recognition.
While exploring those ideas through conversations with Senegalese American superstar Akon, Ross dove deep into the colorful landscape of African musical culture. This experience solidified his love for the genre even more. He affirmed, “Now, I sit back and enjoy it. And I really feel it’s only the beginning.”
Collaborations Across Genres
Rick Ross has been instrumental in linking the two cultures through multiple collaborations. He’s written, produced and performed with influential artists including Nigerian American rapper Wale and Ghanaian superstar Stonebwoy. This first trend illustrates the increasing emergence of genre-blurring collaborations within the music industry. He especially referenced his recent work with Nigeria’s Yemi Alade. He lauded it as a raw yet organic process that bared the true talent of African artists way before hitting the big time.
His feature on the 2012 remix of “Beautiful Onyinye” with Nigerian duo P-Square serves as a case in point. “They were young, but they were dope. I saw the vision. I saw the talent,” he recalled, emphasizing his early recognition of their potential.
Currently, Ross is preparing the release of a new collaborative project – a priority for his label Maybach Music Group. “So many African artists, producers, big ones, small ones… we’ve been collaborating on this project for over 12 months,” he stated. “Get ready for it. We’re gonna do some real big things.”
The Influence of Legends
What I learned, obviously, was the legacy of the music of Africa. He issued an enthusiastic mini-lecture on the massively influential impact that Fela Kuti and James Brown made on their respective genres. He noted that “so much hip hop was inspired by James Brown and his samples. To me that’s what Fela was.” This accurate comparison highlights Kuti’s importance, not only in the early days of Afrobeats, but in establishing the sound and identity of modern Afrobeats today.
Ross believes that Kuti’s influence is foundational to the genre’s current global appeal. He remarked, “When you think about Afrobeats now, that’s Fela Kuti.” This recognition is a true testament to how deeply interconnected all of these musical heritages are, and the importance of uplifting their origins.
Looking ahead, Ross expressed a desire for a dream collaboration involving legends from various backgrounds: “If I had a dream collaboration right now, it’d be Ricky Rozay (Ross’s nickname), it’d be Bob Marley, Fela Kuti and Burna Boy.” This aspiration says something about the depth of his admiration for blending styles and cultures that made up music.
