Rick Ross says, extending his arms and cocking his head as he takes in the dazzling Florida sunshine. “This is Miami.” Gorgeous. It’s certainly intended for me. Wearing a blue tracksuit from Balenciaga and trainers from New Balance, Ross has just pulled up to his home on Star Island, a posh Miami Beach community where past and present residents include Jennifer Lopez, Gloria Estefan and pharmaceutical billionaire Phillip Frost. His rose-gold Rolex ‘Presidential’ Day-Date is adorning his wrist. The 47-year-old rapper, businessman, and self-described “biggest boss” is beaming, shaking hands with everyone, offering blunt puffs, and sipping from the bottle of Luc Belaire rosé that he always has with him. (In addition, Ross goes by “Rozay,” a reference to his preferred wine.) We’re in the rear, close to the pool that overlooks Biscayne Bay, because Ross wants an improvement, and the house he reportedly spent $35 million on is being prepared for demolition. Ross claims that while he was growing up in Carol City, roughly 20 miles distant, the idea of this opulent life initially began to take shape.

 

“You knew what luxury was right then, when you saw that Jaguar and you were getting out of your Buick,” he explains. We also cherished my dad’s Buick, but I was drawn to and recognised elegance at a young age. I knew I wanted to be riding in leather seats by the time I was in the third grade. We succeeded in it. Yes, in fact.

For a considerable amount of time, Ross has been a connoisseur of luxury goods, accumulating an impressive assortment of jewellery, watches, vehicles, and real estate. The crown jewel, a Gulfstream G550, the preferred private aircraft for people with comparable interests and financial constraints, arrived last year. However, the biggest boss does not operate in a regular manner (or, as with the aforementioned breakdown, in someone else’s way). He gave the aircraft to private-jet design experts Duncan Aviation shortly after he took custody of it so they could give it the full Rick Ross makeover, both inside and out. He truly represents the lifestyle he has always sang about, now more than ever.