Rick Ross is getting his hustle on in 2017.
Not only is he gearing up to drop his ninth album Rather You Than Me on March 17, but the Bawse is hosting and performing at the 2017 MTV Woodies, which will air live on March 16 at 11 p.m. ET from SXSW in Austin, Texas.
“That was a big play,” Renzel told Billboard. “The Woodies have always been cool, I performed at the Woodies with the Clipse [in 2009] and I’ve been back a few times. But my new album Rather You Than Me will be up in stores on the 17th, so it just felt right to mesh all the dope concerts, a lot of dope artists and really just the culture. The fans that make the world go ’round at the Woodies, so I felt like that’s what we should touch.”
The hosting gig marks a first for Rozay, but he’s not worried. “To me, that’s what’s gonna make it dope, the fact that I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing,” he said. “I’m gonna go out there fly as a motherfucker and it’s gonna be boss. You know me, I just go off the energy, I’m gonna do a wonderful job. I could be a funny motherfucker off the rip just by myself, so I can imagine me gettin’ in the crowd — I’m gonna have a lot of shit I can talk about. But to me, it’s just all about the music and the crowd and the fans. I’m gonna interact with the crowd, so that’s what it’s gonna be about with me.”
During the interview, Rozay also confirmed that Rather You Than Me will feature Nas, Future, and Chris Rock. The latter appears on “Idols Become Rivals,” which is an open letter to “someone in the game” that Ross once looked up to.
Additionally, Renzel has collaborated with Fergie. Though it’s unclear what they worked on, he posted a photo with the Dutchess in front of a fancy ride at what appears to be a video shoot. “Ferrari fatboy x Ferrari @fergie,” he captioned the pic.