Who Is William Roberts?

August 5, 2010

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Consig’s Corner

I’m eating this sandwich, taking in the beauty that is Brooklyn on a summer afternoon. As I’m eating this sandwich someone drives by my house blasting “BMF” through their speakers. I’ve had mixed feelings about the rapper since he stepped on the scene four albums ago, but now more than ever I can’t help but wonder, just who the artist on the song is. He says, “I think I’m Big Meech, Larry Hoover,” his name is really William Roberts. You wouldn’t know it though as he has called himself everything but since he emerged in the Hip-Hop arena. His moniker, “Rick Ross,” comes from the name of former Florida drug trafficker; “Freeway” Ricky Ross. Am I the only one that’s been confused?

The name of this man’s album is Teflon Don, a nickname that was given to Gambino Family Boss John Gotti for getting acquitted multiple times in the early 90’s. By my count that’s already four convicted felons and throughout all of this, I haven’t heard William Roberts, claim to be William Roberts yet. In fact, we as listeners know more about the people he claims to be than we know about William Roberts himself. Roberts has referred to himself as Pablo Escobar though, a legendary, deceased Colombian drug lord. Roberts even named one of his EP’s the Albert Anastasia EP, after another Gambino Family Boss, before the Gambino family was controlled by Carlo Gambino himself, when it was known as the Mangano Family. That’s six convicted felons. I wonder, how many cases does Roberts have?

As great as the music this guy makes, I have a hard time establishing an identity for him. Sure, 50 Cent took a legendary Brooklyn criminal’s name, but you know very well, that he is Curtis Jackson. The same goes for many other rappers who have referred to themselves as popular convicted felons. I just don’t know who William Roberts is and I have a problem with liking his music and listening to it at all because of all the fiction running around, and that’s crazy. Everyone tells me good music is good music, but there has to be a borderline. I feel as though, this guy, William Roberts, is getting away with an incredulous amount of fraud. If he wants to be known as the “Teflon Don” for that; then by all means, he can have that title.

He says that he was in the streets around the time when he was a C.O., but that photograph is something that just can’t escape me. As a fan of Gangster films, and the whole American Mafia culture, that picture, with Roberts in his C.O. uniform burns in my skull. This is a man who has succeeded by being possibly the most fraudulent artist in Hip-Hop history. If only he didn’t make good music, he would have been out of the game years ago. I personally could care less about his records. Before that, I must respect the man.

My nickname is the “Consigliere,” or the counselor/advisor to the Don in a Mafia Family. However, I am known as that because I do advise many people.

William Roberts is a boss? What kind of boss doesn’t own “his” name! His connections in music is what’s obviously keeping him alive, otherwise, he should never have gotten this far. All I would like to know is who William Roberts is. If he’d come out, with Trilla, claiming to be himself, and rising in the ranks, I could believe him. Otherwise, fuck that. To me, he’ll always be unbelievable.

Even when Carmine Agnello, John Gotti’s grandson, spoke out against Roberts for using the name “Teflon Don,” saying that, “A stand up, respectable guy would come and ask ‘If I could use the nickname,’” nobody really paid attention.

Is Hip-Hop just acting nowadays? Or like Cam’ron said, is this the WWE? Is fake the new real? That’s what it sure looks and sounds like. Roberts definitely seems to be living and getting his money, but the line has to be drawn by us somewhere.

…And at the end of the day, he’s Biggie Smalls in the flesh, living after his death.

Really?

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