Freeway Ricky Ross: Name Check
By Alvin 'aqua' Blanco
allhiphop.com
August 1, 2008
What’s in a name? Everything.
It can be haphazardly given, a carefully contemplated nom de plume or even a wayward nickname that sticks, but eventually your name will come to represent the many facets of your being. "Freeway" Ricky Ross—the man serving out a bid in the Texarkana Federal Correctional Institution for drug trafficking—takes pride in his name. He earned the Freeway moniker when gaining his legend running a multi-million dollar cocaine ring that spanned from South Central LA to the Midwest and beyond in the 80's. Google it if you need evidence.
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In today's music industry it's hard for everyone. It's hard for females because the business is male dominated. It's hard for artists as a whole because of the decline is sales. But it's even harder for those making music from the heart because of imposters who are willing to sell their soul. Gone are the days when urban poets blessed us with their feelings and experiences so that we may learn and/or relate to what they were saying.
I once heard the late Tupac Shakur speak of the rappers he said "raised him" because he had no father and they were the men he was learning from. What's sad currently in music is that artists are still raising children. Although most of them only speak of clubs, possesions, and portraying an image, the youth still take this in. I don't think the artists have a responsibility to raise America's children, but, for the support and money that is given to these artists to entertain us it's only fair that they are real, honest, and as creative as they can be.
Being an artist myself I've struggled and I've gained an understanding that it's hard to survive in this business going against the masses. It's hard to try and promote songs that aren't typically what people expect. But it's even harder to pretend to be something that you are not.
Like most young black men my past is tainted with mistakes. Some things would be considered gangster by a person who doesn't know any better but for me to say those things make me real, hard, gangster, or whatever, it would be a lie. Those mistakes make me human. I can only give thanks to God that those things did not put me in jail or a grave.
Unfortunately, most people associated with hip-hop these days don't see things this way. Hip-hop has become the cash cow that it's originators wanted it to be but, it has sacrificed it's meaning.
A week or two ago I was reading an interview on Allhiphop.com with Freeway Ricky Ross and I decided to write him as I had read he was starting a label. He described the type of artists he'd be willing to work with and I felt I fit that description. I mailed my letter and approximately a week later I received a reply from him. I honestly didn't expect him to write back although I hoped he would.
His words jumped out at me from the pages and by the time I finished the letter I felt I had not only exchanged thoughts with someone but I had made a genuine friend. He told me to go to his site and I'm writing this blog on his site a little over an hour after reading the letter.
I read other blogs from a few other gentleman and after reading those I knew I had found a place where I belong. The site wasn't a typical "Hey, look at my ice.....I'm a dope dealer and I'm hard etc." type of site. Not only could I learn something from reading what others wrote but I was given the oppurtunity to express myself.
I know that this will reach Freeway Ricky Ross probably before my next letter does but I want to thank him now and I will do so again when I write him. To the other gentleman who have left blogs on the site I also want to send a very special thank you to them and beg everyone that had anything to do with this to continue. Thank You. You know I mean it because it's from the heart of J.Young.
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