Former drug kingpin reveals how Joe Rogan accidentally helped him publish "how to manual" on dealing drugs
Author and former drug trafficker recently explained how Joe Rogan, albeit unintentionally, enabled him to publish the autobiographical book about his dark past. Rogan has made a huge impact with his podcast, stand-up comedy, and several other ventures and this story is the latest addition to the list.
Former drug lord Rick Ross, who became notorious for drug trafficking in the 1980s, was sentenced to life imprisonment. However, he was released in 2009 and has since been a noted author and motivational speaker.
During a recent appearance on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Ross explained that a person in his neighborhood convinced him to sell t-shirts with 'Real Rick Ross is not a rapper' printed on them.
Rogan, who wore the t-shirt to one of his shows, helped push the sales. This enabled the 64-year-old to buy a house and publish the autobiographical book Freeway Rick Ross: The Untold Autobiography. Ross explained:
"From there, I took that money and I did this [published the book]. I had already written the book. I wrote the book in prison when I had the life sentence. You know when I wrote the book, this was kind of my message to the world about what it takes to become a drug dealer, how you become a drug dealer. I wrote it for kids so they would know if they start to be a drug dealer, what they were going to run into. Like a 'how to manual.'"
Catch Rick Ross's comments here (1:18).
The 'Real Rick Ross is not a rapper' message on the t-shirt refers to the former drug kingpin's lawsuit. One year after his release from prison, Ross filed a lawsuit against rapper William Leonard Roberts II AKA Rick Ross for using his name.
However, the lawsuit was dismissed in multiple courts and the rapper was allowed to keep the name 'Rick Ross'.
Rick Ross tells Joe Rogan about the motivation behind writing the book in prison
In the aforementioned episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, Rick Ross also explained the motivation behind writing the book about the life and struggles of a drug trafficker. He said:
"I look at it like this, Joe. We always talk to kids about why not to sell drugs. Why not give them all the information? And they can make their own decisions. Okay, 'if you sell drugs, you might get a big house, you might get the cars but at the end of that rambling is some cuff links and a prison sentence. So I felt that I want to give them all the information." [3:56]