Rick Ross Beats Rick Ross In Court

Name Game.Rapper Rick Ross was allowed to keep his alias after successfully defeating former drug lord, Freeway Rick Ross in a California appeals court. Freeway filed a lawsuit in 2010 claiming infringement on his namesake. According to Judge Roger Boren however, Rozay was protected under the first amendment.

“We recognize that Roberts’ work — his music and persona as a rap musician — relies to some extent on plaintiff’s name and persona. Roberts chose to use the name ‘Rick Ross.’ He raps about trafficking in cocaine and brags about his wealth. These were ‘raw materials’ from which Roberts’ music career was synthesized. But these are not the ‘very sum and substance’ of Roberts’ work.”

“Roberts created a celebrity identity, using the name Rick Ross, of a cocaine kingpin turned rapper. He was not simply an impostor seeking to profit solely off the name and reputation of Rick Ross. Rather, he made music out of fictional tales of dealing drugs and other exploits—some of which related to plaintiff. Using the name and certain details of an infamous criminal’s life as basic elements, he created original artistic work

thr

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  1. Street lights on gtfoh says:

    What a fucking joke. Can u imagine the people who will defend this as a win?

    I mean. Hey admit ur a fraud. Make millions defend it on a technicality and dust off the

  2. Word says:

    I kinda wish you guys would go back to putting more content in the front of the post so I wouldn’t have to click the post every time just to listen to the song or read the rest of the story or watch the video. I end up opening so many tabs its ridiculous…but oh, congrats Ross. I guess.

    1. jameshall says:

      I’ve gone from being on this site like 3-4 times a day, to maybe once a day due to it. The stupid lead in sentences don’t do shit. They’re just link bait and you can tell the writers hate it too “Name Game” Wow, so informative. Thanks for that. This whole redesign is a joke, its not good for the end users, its good for them to get more clicks and more views.

      1. ✨Don Draper says:

        I agree with the both of you. I’m barely on the site anymore due to the awful re-design which doesn’t benefit the end-user. Glad I’m not alone with this thinking. Rap Radar, take notice! Change the site back.

        1. Coney says:

          I feel the same way. I’ve been coming here less since the redesign and the awful lead in sentences. Not user friendly at all.

          1. jason2012 says:

            I feel the same as all of you. I definitely don’t come to the site that often

          2. Keith says:

            Same here as everyone else. It sucks anymore. Such bs, feeding the industry and trying to make more money he’s actually pushing folks away. Elliott READ THIS SHIT!

        2. Michael Angelo says:

          the new design is god awful on cell phones

      2. Troll Dot ™ says:

        its all done for more “page views” forTroll Dot and The Yellow Coward. The site is not here for the culture or the people. its here to increase site hits so they can sell ads for more money. Im not mad at their business model, Im mad that their business model is disguised as being “leaders” of the culture . Bdot aint shit and YN is too concerned with his relevance amongst 15-21 year olds.

        1. Your Life Is A Lie says:

          Agree 100%

        2. jig-ah says:

          Yo my nigga U taking this shit way too serious…

        3. LuckyP757 says:

          which all of in that age range and beyond actually hate him his face and that God awful laugh of his

      3. Changeclothz says:

        Rapradar ain’t fun anymore

      4. ODB says:

        hahaa same here its kinda sad what the site has become so to speak..

      5. Abe6772 says:

        Maybe it’s not rap radar, but just rap music as whole. Maybe you’re just tired of the frauds and drake love songs… I feel the same way, but I’m not blaming this site, I’m blaming rap as a whole

    2. tia told me says:

      officer rozay the fakest most delusional rapper ever to exist in hip hop.

      dude is so forced and every time he does a interview it looks like u gotta hand him a script before hand.

      but when u got jay z,diddy and lyor cohen MASTERMINDING his career behind the scenes then he will continue to be pushed on the people.

      dude is a straight cornball like dj khaled.

      “these industry niggas aint friends they know how to pretend”

    3. the fight is fixed says:

      WHY DIDNT YOU POST THE OTHER PART OF THE JUDGES STATEMENT.

      BASICALLY SAID ROSS’S RAPS ARE MADE UP FICTION.

      CB4 NIGGA THAT CAME FROM THE BURBS AND NEVER STRUGGLED.

      WENT TO COLLEGE AND BECAME PART OF LAW ENFORCEMENT.

      1. LuckyP757 says:

        you’re mad bro. i can tell

      2. CmonSon says:

        YN smiling like a proud dad watching his only son that made it smh

    4. Wow says:

      I’ve also started visiting this site less and less! Damn, thought I was the only one. The layout sucks big time. HipHopDX is my favorite, followed by Dopeboyz.

      1. Michael Angelo says:

        its terrible on cell phone.. either cant comment or music wont play. whoever designed should be fired

    5. LuckyP757 says:

      although an inconvenience, this way makes it easier to tally which posts people are more interested in. I’m sure they’ve monetized the site & posts, also I’m sure they want to continue making posts of what people care about. so having the reader actually click the post to get the entire article is the only way to do so.

    6. Brown Sparta says:

      True I was the guy who would use RR as a source in daily conversations IRL. I liked it at first but i just realized ive been showing up less and less too. All the buttons are huge its for ipads not my desktop.

    7. IToldYoMommaYouAintSh_t says:

      The same person that designed the Obamacare website did this one…they keep fukn up my people’s sht

  3. Extra Domus says:

    its the fact that hes a fake drug dealer that saved him hahahaha

  4. CanYouAllHearMe says:

    William knows anything and everything about all the big name gangsters and mafia members but says his never heard of Rick Ross one of the biggest drug lords in America. It’s not a coincidence they have the same name image and both made millions of dollars trafficking drugs. William knows what his doing. Such a shame the industry supports this.

  5. Sanders says:

    Latest Greatest

  6. TRUTHNESS says:

    KILWAUKEE STANDUPhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PM1XWQRpq1U

  7. nirusxhonda says:

    so basically he talk about it but he not living it that’s what that statement is saying.

    1. Critical Cowards says:

      we all know where the name and the persona of the CO came from. anyone who agrees with the judge must first wash the MMG semen off their mouth before addressing me.

  8. brza says:

    congrats to William Roberts for identity theft

  9. Playboy69 says:

    So it official The man William Roberts aka Rick Ross is A FRAUD by law….sad day and ending in hip-hop in 2013….LOL!

  10. REALHIPHOP! says:

    FAKE HIP HOP wins again….Its so strange to me how”REAL” cats accept a fraud!

  11. Guillaume Pilon says:

    ridiculous

  12. Guest says:

    yo that real this new design really suck bad

  13. The_Dynasty says:

    Who accidentally hit a post they didn’t really want to link to while scrolling on Rap Radar mobile site (particularly on the iPhone)? Most of the time I don’t even bother checking Rap Radar on my phone cuz I think it’s a bullshit strategy to get accidental hits by the users. Don’t even get the scheme I thought advertisers look for unique visitors?

  14. musicbusiness advisors says:

    A FRAUD in the streets will ALWAYS be a FRAUD, don’t need some high priced attorneys or court to tell us who THE REAL RICK ROSS is! This fat FAKE is marginally ‘talented’, is an ‘actor’ telling stories this C.O. never lived, & has ZERO street credibility by NOT paying homage to the REAL RICK ROSS! This idiot only presides over MAYCOCK Music & meek rappers who will be forgotten in short time! R.I.P. William ‘Officer Ricky’ Roberts

  15. Tessa says:

    frauds have always been in hiphop. some of your favourite rappers from back in the day cannot back up 80 90% of the things they rap about. You dis Drake but he is being himself, what the heck do you want then?????? you are the people who breed these fake rappers cause you demand a persona from these rappers whether they are real or fake and then dis someone who does not have the “HARD STREET RAPPER 101” persona and just wants to be themselves. Choose what you want and stick to it.

    1. krow132 says:

      you know rap fans are the most confused fans in the world. Like I give a fuck Rick Ross embellished his past. So did Prodigy, so did Nas (Esco Persona), so did Jay-Z, so did The Lox. Half of these dudes were petty criminals or had one or 2 cases against them but perpetrated to be Kingpins but we ignore it for the ones we like and get all in an uproar about Rick Ross. Who gives a fuck really, shit is entertainment.

  16. Tessa says:

    frauds have always been in hiphop. some of your favourite rappers from back in the day cannot back up 80 90% of the things they rap about. You dis Drake but he is being himself, what the heck do you want then?????? you are the people who breed these fake rappers cause you demand a persona from these rappers whether they are real or fake and then dis someone who does not have the “HARD STREET RAPPER 101” persona and just wants to be themselves. Choose what you want and stick to it.

  17. RIV says:

    The header should have read “Rick Ro$$ beats the Real RIck Ross In Court”…. shit crazy tho forreall…still…major salute to the Rick Ross the rapper cause he’s ill with the pen but I can imagine Freeway Ricky Ross is disgusted lol…

    stream or download my new music project “Progression”: http://www.datpiff.com/RIV-Progression-mixtape.563835.html

  18. TeF says:

    I will never support anything Rick Ross does, being exposed as a CO with no street ties is one thing, but beating a legend in court so that you can legally get rich off of HIS name, and HIS image is disgusting. How is anyone still listening to this clown’s music? The sad thing is, Hip Hop supports this fucking fake knowing damn well he has never lived the shit in his rhymes, how does this get a pass? How is it okay to be so fake that it’s backed by the law?

  19. KayandGee says:

    ricky rozay the bawse!

  20. PAPI MORENITO says:

    R.I.P ZoomZoomDadOtis

  21. CanYouAllHearMe says:

    THE FACT THAT RR HAVE PUT THIS IN THE TOP 5 POSTS AND ARE CELEBRATING IS TERRIBLE FOR THE HIP HOP CULTURE

  22. Reality Over Industry says:

    So the police won over the real gangster…. why are you surprise he won..meanwhile bmf is locked up…

  23. wei sheng says:

    wack in every since of the word, this dude was in law enforcement and talks about things he’s never done, hip hop is dead. they are all puppets for the money & fame. the world can’t see it cause were so brainwashed into what they want us to be and do. watch….

  24. meow says:

    “i took the case to trial, hired a dream team”

  25. TroyBrownTV says:

    Idk man. On the one hand you can say he is profiting off of the name and persona of another person. But on the other hand, movies like Scarface are loosely based on real people and they don’t give royalties to real gangsters. So I can see why Ross doesn’t have to.

  26. FAME_Richdreams_Ceo says:

    yall aint heard this yet http://youtu.be/JsLOUwxlZiw

  27. chris says:

    y wouldnt he just go with one of his many alias’s? Kinda petty of your William

    https://soundcloud.com/stillrill/still-rill-nothing-but-truth

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