Rick Ross now admits he was a CO

Rick Ross now admits he had in fact been a Florida correctional officer for 18 months. Photos originally surfaced of Ross (real name William Leonard Roberts) in July on the website TheSmokingGun.com. After seeing the pictures, Ross initially told AllHipHop.com the photos were doctored.

"Online hackers put my face when I was a teenager in high school on other peoples' body," said Ross. "If this **** was real don't you think they would have more specifics, like dates and everything? Fake pictures are created by the fake, meant to entertain the fake."
In subsequent interviews, Ross would go on to blame the uncovered photos on everything from digital manipulation to "haters." But in the latest issue of Don Diva magazine, the Florida emcee changes course regarding his pre-rap career.

"Yes, it's me," Ross tells Don Diva. "I never tried to hide my past. I put my name inside my CDs. My company has my [Social Security number]. I could've put a company name...I done been up and I done been down and that's what makes me what I am. I never ratted on a nigga. I never prosecuted a n****. I never locked up a n****a, that's first and foremost. I always felt that me being the n**** that I am, I never owed a n**** 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." -from hip-hop dx