Miami rapper Rick Ross headlines the Mobile Civic Center tonight, November 28, at 7 p.m., with Belle Glade, Florida’s Papa Duck and a slate of openers including Mobile’s own L. Boogie, Pluto, and Sha.
Ross arrives with a deep catalog: his 2006 Slip-n-Slide debut Port of Miami opened at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and went Gold, Trilla also debuted on top, and “The Boss” featuring T-Pain reached No. 17 on the Hot 100. MTV News ranked him fourth on its 2008 “Hottest MCs in the Game” list, and his next two albums — Deeper Than Rap and Teflon Don — landed at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively.
The local undercard carries its own story. Pluto, born Brent Parker, was drumming with Mobile’s Bay City Brass Band by age 10 and started writing rhymes in the sixth grade, when he teamed with Gene Carlisle (a.k.a. Carlisle) to form PNC (Pluto n Carlisle), opening shows around the Mobile area. Since then Pluto has performed overseas in Dubai and Bahrain, appeared on Slip-n-Slide’s “SNS on tha Grind,” and was featured in Makin’ Magazine’s 2009 Hip Bet Awards issue in Atlanta.