Rick Ross and “Lotus Flower Bomb” emcee, Wale, take to the cover of Billboard magazine and discuss their partnership as boss and signee under Maybach Music Group. Ross also talks establishing MMG and taking inspiration from Jay-Z’s business finesse,

“It wasn’t about hype, and it wasn’t about past success,” Ross says. “It was about who Wale was as an MC – an incredible MC – that made me a fan. I felt we could make history together.”

“I’ve most definitely been a fan of Hov and his whole movement,” Ross says of Jay-Z. “He gave a blueprint to a lot of young entrepreneurs, as well as Wayne, with how active Wayne is with artists. There’s a lot of different approaches, but at the end of the day, we’ve . . . just got to be hands-on and walk our own path.”

On his health scare following two consecutive seizures,

“It could have been a lot worse. So I’m just thankful. I feel good and I’m back on my grind already.”