Becoming the Bawse: Eight-Part History of Rick Ross, From Street Rapper to Maybach Mogul

Yes, Officer
Lured by the potential for serious cash, Rozay hustled his way into a gig with the Florida Department of Corrections. He was hired as a corrections officer in 1995, earning a base salary of $22,913.54 before steadily worked his way up the law enforcement pay scale until 1997, when he resigned making just under $26,000 annually.

"I never tried to hide my past," Ross said in a 2008 interview with Don Diva Magazine. "I put my name inside my CDs. My company has my [Social Security number]. I could've put a company name."

Some in the hip-hop community feel that Ross's pre-rap professional past tainted his street credibility. But the MC disagrees.

"I never ratted on a nigga. I never prosecuted a nigga. I never locked up a nigga, that's first and foremost. I always felt that me being the nigga that I am, I never owed a nigga an explanation. When I'm making my music and I'm talking about blow, it's because I did it.

"When I say that I'm rich off cocaine, it's because I did it. Those are the street principals that apply."