Rick Ross Responds to Lawsuit Filed by Drug Dealer Ricky Ross

The rapper Rick Ross has finally decided to respond to the $10 million lawsuit filed by Freeway Ricky Ross, the former Los Angeles drug dealer who claims that Ross stole his name and likeness, making millions at his expense.

"We just gonna let the people deal with that," rapper Rick Ross said to AllHipHop.com. "It's like owning a restaurant, you're gonna have a few slip and falls. You get lawsuits, you deal with them, and get them out your way... sometimes you lose."

It appears that Rick's actions are adjusting in response to the charges in the lawsuit, as he has made a subtle move to change his name to "Ricky Rozay," which he used during the BET Awards this year.

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Real Name: Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones
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Notable Acting Roles: 'Jungle Fever,' 'Living Single,' 'Set It Off'' 'Chicago'
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Notable Acting Roles: 'Boyz N the Hood,' 'Barbershop,' 'Are We There Yet?' 'Friday'
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Notable Acting Roles: 'Belly,' 'Exit Wounds,' 'Romeo Must Die'
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Notable Acting Roles: 'New Jack City,' 'New York Undercover,' 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'
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"That's my Twitter name, so hit me up on Twitter @RickyRozay. I just got on Twitter so shout out to all my followers," said Ross.

The real Ricky Ross, the drug dealer who just finished a 20-year sentence for cocaine trafficking, discussed Ross' behavior during a recent interview with Fox News Channel 11 in Los Angeles:

"I did 20 years in prison and beaucoups of money went into making this name and what it is today. I feel it was mine, I own it and I want it back," he said. "It's mine. It's like if somebody stole your car, even though they painted it and put wheels on it that they like, it's still your car."

Freeway Ricky Ross has a point on this issue. I am certainly not an attorney, but it doesn't appear to be a coincidence that the other Rick Ross decided to use this particular name. I'm not completely sure why he would do that, other than to rely on the fact that the name Rick Ross evokes particular emotions in those who are familiar with the notorious drug dealer. The same could be said about names like Scarface or Pablo Escobar.

Rick Ross' decision to use someone else's name also has a disturbing correlation with the allegation that Rick Ross is always pretending to be someone he's not. What remains true in hip hop is that the black community would benefit dramatically if artists would find something other than drug dealers to emulate in their behavior. The life of a drug dealer is never as glamorous as rappers make it out to be. It typically ends in either death or long prison sentences. Rather than training little black boys to deal drugs or engage in criminal behavior, it might make more sense to make them equally enthusiastic about obtaining an education. That's where the real money gets made, and it's safe money too.

Dr. Boyce Watkins is the founder of the Your Black World Coalition and a Scholarship in Action Resident of the Institute for Black Public Policy. To have Dr. Boyce commentary delivered to your email, please click here.