Photo: Slip-N-Slide/Poe Boy/Def Jam Records
The state of Hip-Hop in Florida and beyond was altered forever when Rick Ross made his grand entrance.
On August 8, 2006, the Miami-based rapper released his debut album Port of Miami. The album was led by his debut single "Hustlin'," which eventually got the remix treatment from Jeezy and JAY-Z. Rozay's first studio album contains 19 tracks including other hits like "Push It," "Blow" featuring Dre and "Cross That Line" with Akon with production from The Runners, Cool-N-Dre, DJ Khaled, DJ Nasty and more. Other artists like Mario Winans, Lyfe Jennings, Lloyd, Lil Wayne and Brisco also appear on the album.
"Feels like yesterday piled up in a cheap hotel room wit my homies on the road trying to promote ourselves w/ no idea what we was doing other than being MIAMI n****s, Yung business men," Ross said on the album's 10th anniversary. "Those small steps meant more than we even knew. Remain Patient. Remain Ambitious. Empower those closest to you, In return they will crown you. 1.Everyday I'm hustling 2.Push it to the Limit 3.Whitehouse..see my vision? from swimming in Charles Hadley to owning the biggest residential pool in U.S, still grinding like I'm back in that cheap hotel. To all my fans,you will never understand how much I appreciate you...THANK YOU."
The official video for "Hustlin'" had a plethora of cameos from Trick Daddy, Trina, DJ Khaled, Pitbull, Gunplay, DJ Drama, Field Mob and more. Ross found instant success with his debut album. It debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 187,000 copies sold within its first week. Ahead of its 10th anniversary in 2016, the album reached platinum status.
Relive Rick Ross' first album below.
WARNING: EXPLICIT LANGUAGE