Rick Ross escapes drive-by shooting

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/jan/29/rick-ross-escapes-drive-by-shooting

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Rick Ross was apparently the target of an unsuccessful drive-by shooting in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. As Ross got into his Rolls-Royce on Monday morning, an unidentified gunman opened fire on the rapper's car as well as the restaurant where he had been dining with friends.

The shooting took place at around 5am, as Ross was leaving the Floridian Diner. He was there to celebrate his 37th birthday. "I was sound asleep and I heard boom-boom-boom and I ran out [and] said, 'Did you hear that?'" Carol Touchstone, a nearby business owner, told the Miami Herald. Witnesses said they heard at least 10 rapid-fire shots, from what seemed like a high-power rifle. While the spray of bullets reportedly missed the car, Ross crashed his vehicle into an apartment building as he tried to drive away.

Neither Ross nor his passenger, 28-year-old fashion designer Shateria L Moragne-el, were injured in the attack. The gunman disappeared before police arrived at the scene. The rapper has yet to comment publicly on the incident, though he is understood to have spoken with investigators.

Ross, whose real name is William L Roberts II, took his rap moniker from the notorious 80s drug lord "Freeway" Ricky Ross (who unsuccessfully sued him over the use of the name). Although the rapper briefly worked as a correctional officer in the 1990s, he projects an image of a dangerous street hustler. In February 2012, one of Ross's tenants was murdered outside his home in Miami.

Last month, Ross announced that his Maybach Music Group was calling off a string of concerts because of an "apparent lack of organisation and communication on the part of the tour promoter". Hip-hop gossip sites claimed the promoter had nothing to do with it: Ross allegedly cancelled the gigs due to threats from a gang, the Gangster Disciples. "I could put 1,000 gangsters in any hood, but that's not what I'm here for," Ross retorted. "I'm here to make stars ... I'm here to be Grammy nominated."

Ross's most recent full-length album, God Forgives, I Don't, is nominated for the Grammys' best rap album. It topped the US charts last summer and reached No 8 in the UK.