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VIEW MIAMI, Fla. — Prosecutors have dropped criminal charges against rapper Rick Ross a month after he was arrested in Miami Beach when a woman he lived with told police he hit her, court records show.
The Miami-Dade State’s Attorney’s Office filed papers Thursday to drop a charge of battery by strangulation due to “insufficient evidence.” Ross, whose legal name is William Roberts II, remains on a misdemeanor charge of battery domestic violence.
Ross, 50, has pleaded not guilty to all charges, and his attorney said Friday that his client will continue to defend himself against the charges. Ross surrendered at a Miami Beach police station on Oct. 1, two days after the woman filed a police report, officials said. He was released on bail several hours later.
According to an arrest report, a woman told Miami Beach investigators that she had been living with Ross when he accused her of cheating on him and hitting him multiple times on August 28. The woman said she eventually managed to leave the home and returned later – after Ross had left – to collect her belongings.
Ross previously pleaded no contest to aggravated assault in 2017 after he was accused of forcing a man into a guest house at his Atlanta mansion in 2015 and brandishing a handgun at him, according to Georgia court records. Under Georgia’s first-time offender program, the court issued an order vacating that felony count.
Ross is a longtime South Florida resident who rose to prominence in 2006 with his debut album “Hustlin’.”
The rapper and entrepreneur helped put Miami on the music map in the early 2000s, when most hip-hop fans looked to Atlanta and Houston as Southern rap headquarters. “Hustlin'” was certified two times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and sparked a bidding war for Ross. He eventually signed with Def Jam Records, managed by Jay-Z.
Ross’ debut album, “Port of Miami,” also went platinum, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. It was the first in a string of chart-toppers, including “Trilla” in 2008 and “Deeper Than Rap” in 2009. He has been nominated for nine Grammy Awards.
In 2008, he founded the influential label Maybach Music Group, promoting the careers of signees such as Wale, Meek Mill and French Montana.
His latest album, “Set In Stone,” was released in July.
