When the T.I. enlisted the help of Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West for “Swagger Like Us,” it was considered one of the biggest collaborations of 2008. What many fans don’t know is that the track excluded one of the biggest stars in Hip Hop today—Rick Ross.
Despite not making the final cut, Ross told MTV that there are no hard feelings between T.I. and himself.
“I feel like everything happens in time,” the bearded rapper says. “He had to make it as big as he could. It’s Paper Trail, he had to make it explosive. … The way I make music, I’m hater-free. So I don’t have egos. I’m a fan.”
As a fan, Ross went on to compare the collaboration to another classic Hip Hop track. “That’s a statement record, ‘Swagger Like Us.’ I applaud Tip for making those moves [on the original]. That’s a boss move. A lot of dudes wouldn’t pull that together. It just don’t happen that way. When you do see it pulled together and unfold the way it did, it’s great for the game. It’s great for the kids. It’s great for the newer generation to see all the top dogs. Like when I was young, when I would come home and put the TV on. Before I watched cartoons, I put the TV on to see Fab Five Freddy [on ‘Yo! MTV Raps’. You might see ‘Self Destruction.’ That made you love hip-hop.”
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The Boss would neither confirm or deny his participation on another version of “Swagger Like Us” that may feature Jay-Z, Nas, Andre 3000, Young Jeezy and himself.
