Rick Ross rolled out “Turnpike Ike” from his forthcoming Port Of Miami 2 album during an episode of Apple Music’s Beats 1 Radio with Zane Lowe on Tuesday morning (August 6).
During their conversation about the upcoming music, Rozay touched on his relationship with the late Nipsey Hussle, who was shot and killed on March 31. He described Nip as “next level” and believes it’s up to his fans and peers to carry out Nip’s purpose.
“I couldn’t fathom it and I’ve been a fan of his since, I want to say ’09,” he said. “I knew he had a purpose and I knew he understood he had a purpose, and I knew he understood he was in position to speak for a lot of people that couldn’t speak for themselves. And me looking for an artist, that’s one of the first things I look for.
“You could be dope, you could be fly, you could have whatever it is. Whatever it is, but do you understand your purpose? And that’s something that when I think back to early Meek Mill when we did that ‘Tupac Back’ record. In no way was I saying he was Tupac, but I just seen the struggles that he was dealing with and he was facing. And I just wanted to put him in that light and a lot of people see that now.”
Rozay also made it clear he was impressed with Nipsey’s many roles and how he was able to balance them all.
AD LOADING...
“And just to know Nipsey’s vision and to see what he was doing,” he said. “In those conversations we always had him being an entrepreneur, him being a father, him being a leader, you know what I’m saying? He understood his position, and so we got to make sure we continue to celebrate homie purpose.”
“And me just being able to collaborate on that record, ‘Rich Nigga Lifestyle,’ which once again is talking about the longevity and understanding the sacrifices you have to make to make it to that upper echelon, baby.”
“Rich Nigga Lifestyle” featuring Nipsey is one of 15 tracks included on Port Of Miami 2. Wale, Meek Mill, Drake and YFN Lucci are among the many contributors to the long awaited project.
Listen to the full interview below.
