Rick Ross is known for his luxurious rap songs, but this past week has been anything but luxury. The 42-year-old has had health scares in the past. On one day in 2011, he suffered from back-to-back seizures on two consecutive plane flights. After waking up in the hospital, again, he vowed to change his indulgent lifestyle. Thanks to a new diet and a regular exercise routine, the 350-pound rapper dropped an impressive 75 pounds, surprising fans. On a 2017 episode of Dr. Oz, he opened up about the incident, describing how thankful he was to break out of a self-destructive pattern.
So, last week it came as a shock to many when Ross was hospitalized, and kept alive on life support. At 3:30AM, someone in his Miami home placed a frantic call to 911. He said that William Roberts - aka Rick Ross - was "breathing hard," "slobbing at the mouth" and totally unresponsive. "He took his medicine earlier, but he's not breathing right," said the unidentified man. "He's been shaking real bad... When [he was vomiting] it looked a little like blood."
Emergency responders rushed the hip-hop artist to a Florida hospital, where a machine took control of his heart and lungs. Reportedly he was placed on ECMO, a technique where they oxygenate the blood outside of the body and pump it back inside. It is thought that these respiratory problems manifested as the result of a heart attack.
On social media, the hip-hop community reached out to wish Ross well, and express their love. In his ten year career, Ross has collaborated with some of rap's biggest stars, while carving out a niche for himself as a larger than life personality. Puff Daddy, Snoop Dogg, Fat Joe, Phonte, Missy Elliott, DJ Khaled and Gucci Mane all tweeted that they were praying for a speedy recovery.
Well, the gods much be fans of Maybach Music, because after spending four days in the hospital, Ross returned to his Miami home on Monday. And today he shared a photo on Instagram, updating his 7.6 million followers on his health: "Ain’t nothing like home ??. I love y’all - WLR" (WLR are the initials of his government name, William Leonard Roberts.)
In hip-hop, many artists have died too young - Big L, Big Pun, 2Pac, Biggie, ODB, Pimp C, Lil' Peep, Guru, Prodigy, MCA- the list goes on and on. At 42, Ross is no young pup, but today's trailblazing elder MC's are proving you don't have to stop rapping when you turn 40, or even 50. Like rock artists, hip-hop artists will record music into their old age, and Ross surely has more good albums in him.
Currently the 'Bawse' is recording his tenth studio album, Port of Miami 2, a sequel to his platinum solo debut. Maybe this health scare will inspire an introspective song, ruminating about his near-death experience. But if he drops another album full of irreverent luxury rap bangers, I'm sure his fans will appreciate that, too.
