A situation north of the U.S. border nearly turned rapper Rick Ross off of Canada for good, but the Boss isn’t scared away so easily.
Ross has been an influential figure in the world of music, and particularly hip-hop, since he burst onto the scene in the mid-2000s, and in the decades since his work has been nominated on multiple occasions. He’s earned recognition for several of his collaborative releases, his status as a staple of hip-hop, and for his third studio album, God Forgives, I Don’t.
Eleven studio albums in and still going strong, Ross has been traveling the world to share his music with a larger audience, particularly in the wake of his 2023 collaborative album Too Good to Be True, which he released alongside Meek Mill. A stopover in Canada nearly sent the artist’s plans awry, but it seems Ross can bounce back from anything.
What happened in Canada?
Following Ross’ performance at Vancouver’s Ignite Music Festival, issues arose among several attendees, sparking a widespread dispute that left at least one person unconscious. The fight reportedly began not long after Ross left the stage, when a group of concert attendees confronted him and his team. After one festival-goer threw a punch Ross’ way, things got heated, and a fight ensued.
Footage of the fight shared to social media shows as the melee escalates to a concerning degree, but no one on Ross’ team was injured, according to the rapper himself. He shared an update to TMZ in the wake of the attack, informing the publication that no one on his team “suffered any serious injuries.”
Despite the attack, which social media users seem to believe came at the hand of “OVO goons” or those affiliated with Drake’s October’s Very Own, an independent record label situated in Canada, Ross appears to be in good spirits. Earlier in his performance, Ross did perform “Not Like Us,” a diss track by Kendrick Lamar aimed at Drake. Its possible this was the motivation behind the attack, but there’s no concrete confirmation that the men who swung first are even affiliated with the group.
In good news for our brothers and sisters up north, the incident doesn’t seem to have soured Ross on Vancouver, or Canada in general. He later stated that “Vancouver is a beautiful city,” and expressed his eagerness to return. Hopefully next time his visit will be a bit more peaceful.