Rick Ross

While many hardcore rappers could recite every last scene of Scarface, Rick Ross actually sampled its theme song alongside the sputtering drums of "Push It." Between that single and his breakout hit, "Hustlin'" — a steam-pressed slice of steely beats, warm organ rolls, and street-savvy verses — Ross' Port of Miami debut all but owned the summer of 2006. He's stuck around for more than one season, too, courtesy of the throwback Beastie Boys breaks and well-oiled T-Pain hook of "The Boss," the champagne-popping posse cut "Luxury Tax," and so much more.

Whether or not Rick Ross really knew Pablo Escobar and Manuel Noriega in a past life doesn't matter once you start tearing through his actual songs. And not just starring roles, like the soul-infused "Maybach Music" (featuring Ross' former label boss Jay-Z) and the bullet-ridden, horn-chased "White House," either. The Miami native has also put his personal stamp on some serious pass-the-mic singles, including the woozy carnival chords of "We Takin' Over," the water-logged keys of "Make It Rain," the skittish, club-bound beats of "Out Here Grindin'," and the stutter-step loops of "O Let's Do It."

One gold-certified single ("Hustlin'") is all it took for Rick Ross to find himself in the middle of a major bidding war. In the end, Jay-Z signed him to Def Jam, beating Diddy to the dotted line and giving one of Miami's most promising MCs a booster shot of street cred. Not that he needed it. In four short years, Ross has gone from being that big dude with the drug dealer name to a fearsome competitor in the hardcore-rap arena. Just ask 50 Cent, the G-Unit boss who felt the sting of Ross' slow-burning diss track, "Mafia Music." Or anyone who's heard Ross' chart-topping trilogy, from the blustery rhymes and restless beats of his scrappy debut, Port of Miami, to the diamond-dusted Notorious B.I.G. nods of Deeper Than Rap.