Black Rob

Biography

Robert Ross (June 8, 1968 – April 17, 2021), known professionally as Black Rob, was an American rapper who was signed to Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment. He was best known for his 2000 single "Whoa!×Whoa!31 July 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Whoa! (club mix)4:07A2Whoa! (instrumental)4:10B1Whoa! (radio mix)4:07B2Whoa! (a cappella)4:10", which peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Career

Ross grew up in East Harlem and began rapping between the ages of 11 and 12. He was inspired by the artists he listened to regularly, including Spoonie Gee, Doug E. Fresh, and Slick Rick. When he was 22, he joined his first rap group, the Schizophrenics, though they did not release any albums. He initially rapped under the alias "Bacardi Rob".
He began associating with the Bad Boy label as early as 1996, appearing on the Bad Boy remix to 112's "Come See Me". He was then featured on several Bad Boy releases, including remixes to Total's "What About Us" (1997) and Faith Evans's "Love Like This" (1998), the song "24 Hrs. to Live" (1997) from Mase, and albums by Puff Daddy & the Bad Boy Family (1997) and The Notorious B.I.G. (1999). He also made two appearances on Cru's 1997 album Da Dirty 30, as well as albums by Channel Live, Benzino, Tony Touch, and others. These guest appearances earned him media buzz.
In his earlier years, Black Rob headed the street rap team which he named "Alumni". His debut album Life Story×Life Story7 March 2000 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 21 tracks1Mrs. Barry (intro)1:022Life Story5:003Whoa!4:064Drive By (interlude)0:505Lookin’ at Us4:376Down the Line Joint4:597Espacio4:088You Don’t Know Me4:539Can I Live5:0210Championship (interlude)1:2211PD World Tour4:4912Muscle Game4:3713Cop Skit (interlude)1:4314B.R.3:5715Thug Story4:3716Jasmine5:3417Mad Rapper (interlude)0:5518I Love You Baby3:3819Spanish Fly4:0520Rise Up (interlude)0:2521I Dare You4:29 was released in 2000 through Arista Records and Bad Boy Entertainment and rose above platinum sales. At the time of the album's release, he was managed by Shak Bak. In early 2000, he released the hit single "Whoa!×Whoa!31 July 2000 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 4 tracksA1Whoa! (club mix)4:07A2Whoa! (instrumental)4:10B1Whoa! (radio mix)4:07B2Whoa! (a cappella)4:10". Produced by Diggin' in the Crates Crew member Buckwild, "Whoa!" became his biggest hit. The song peaked at number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 10 on both the R&B/Hip-Hop and Rap charts. It was Rob's only solo single to reach the Hot 100. Black Rob's verse in the song "By a Stranger", was featured in the in-game radio station "Game Radio" from Grand Theft Auto III.
Despite subsequently appearing on releases by P. Diddy and G. Dep, he did not make another hit single. His second album, The Black Rob Report×The Black Rob Report18 October 2005 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 22 tracks1Courtroom (intro)0:292They Hear I Got Life4:103Watch Your Movements4:224Star in da Hood3:585She's a Pro3:466Where da Bypass At (interlude)1:417B.R.2:298Ready2:279B.L.A.C.K.3:0410Lights Out (interlude)0:2311When You Come Home5:2212You Know What4:0013Y'All Know Who Killed Him3:5714Back to Live Action (interlude)1:4315Fire in da Hole4:0816Smile in Ya Face3:4617Warrior4:0518Team4:2419Help Me Out3:5420Courtroom (skit)0:2321Long Live B.R.4:1822The Verdict0:19 (2005) failed to perform as strongly as his debut and quickly fell off the Billboard 100 charts. In 2005, Jemal Mosley from Off the Block Entertainment started managing Black Rob's career. In 2010, he parted from Bad Boy and signed to independent label Duck Down Records. In 2011, he released Game Tested, Streets Approved, which peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Black Rob also started his own independent label, Box in One, with Jemal Mosley.
In 2013, he joined the reality series Come Back Kings with Ed Lover, Calvin Richardson, David "Davinch" Chance (of Ruff Endz), Jeff Sanders, Jameio, Mr. Cheeks and Horace Brown. In 2014, he appeared on the song "Take 'Em Off Da Map" on Diamond D's album, The Diam Piece. In 2015, Black Rob released his fourth studio album, Genuine Article×Genuine Article17 April 2015 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 12 tracks1Rockstar3:362Genuine Article2:403Ni**a in My Circle4:214Need That Real Ish2:585Pat Em Down3:356Bring Them Out3:197Where You At4:228Chapter One3:119Let Em Lay2:4510Wave of New York3:1611Fight Back3:1412Welcome To My Life3:40 on Slimstyle Records, which he produced with Jemal Mosley. Guest emcees include Sean Price, Tek, battle legend Murda Mook, and Quas Amill. Ron Browz, former Bad Boy label-mate Q. Parker (112), Kali Ranks, and Quan all sing choruses on the album. Producers include Easy Mo Bee, Coptic, Big French, and others.

Legal issues

Black Rob was sentenced to over seven years in prison in 2006 after failing to appear in court for his sentencing (which was set to be two-to-six years initially) on a charge of grand larceny from 2004, in which he pleaded guilty to criminal possession of more than US$6,000 worth of jewelry stolen in a hotel. He was released from prison in May 2010, and was interviewed by BET two hours later.

Later life and death

Towards the end of his life, Ross struggled with homelessness and health issues. A GoFundMe page was created to help him "find a home" and "pay for medical help". Over his last five years of life, he suffered four strokes. On April 17, 2021, Ross died of cardiac arrest at age 52.