Rick Ross Explains Why He Took Shots at Birdman and Defended Lil Wayne and DJ Khaled on “Idols Become Rivals”
When Rick Ross first started teasing the Birdman-dissing Rather You Than Me track “Idols Become Rivals,” he kept things vague. The track, he said just weeks before its release, was merely an open letter to “someone in the game.” When the song actually dropped, the vagueness was lifted. Ross’ “Idols Become Rivals” directly addresses Birdman’s financial disputes with Lil Wayne, at one point comparing the Cash Money co-founder to a Catholic priest.
In a new interview with Billboard, Ross explained why he went in on Birdman and revealed he’s aware of the theory that DJ Khaled’s “they” is actually a very specific reference to one person in particular. “You know, I just think it’s so fucked up,” Ross told Billboard. “Us seeing Lil Wayne’s [situation] and suffering from that, I think we kind of all got used to it. I think the culture has fucking accepted that Wayne would not put out another album. And that’s not the way the game [should be]. That’s not the way we designed this. That’s not the way this is supposed to be.”
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The real tragedy behind the situation, Ross told Billboard, is that it keeps creatives from doing what they do best. “They supposed to be in the fucking [building], flipping over desks in those fucking offices, fighting to get money,” he said. “Not fucking suing each other, fighting lawsuits and everybody starving. Not putting out music, not being creative. Us not doing what we came here for. There’s nothing more I hate than that—us not doing what we came here for.”
Speaking on Khaled, Ross said Birdman “really left [him] in the hole” financially. “I felt the pain, and it wasn’t my money, but just by me watching and what took place and me being supportive, me being there for [Khaled], me being there for anything he needed, I was there for him,” Ross said. As for that “they” theory, Ross’ response was perfect: “I know they don’t want us to laugh at those,” he said. Peep the full interview here.
