Rick Ross rolled into Cincinnati on a private jet bearing his own name, stepped onto the outfield grass of Great American Ball Park, and declared the moment nothing short of major league. The Miami rapper and entrepreneur, born William Roberts and known for two decades as one of hip-hop's most opulent figures, headlined a post-game concert on August 14 that doubled as a celebration of the 20th anniversary of his debut album, Port of Miami. Before the music started, the hometown Cincinnati Reds beat the Miami Marlins 1-0 in front of 21,232 fans, with starter Chase Burns striking out eight over seven shutout innings and Eugenio Suárez delivering the game's lone RBI on a sixth-inning double.
The concert capped a night the Cincinnati Enquirer described as larger than life, with Ross telling the crowd that few artists get to mark a debut album's 20th anniversary at a major league franchise. Ross, now 50, performed with longtime collaborator DJ Nasty providing the beats, running through 2000s-era hip-hop staples including Shawty Lo's “They Know” and the Fast Life Yungstaz anthem “Swag Surfin'” before Ross launched into his own catalog, including a performance of “Stay Schemin.”
A Jersey, a Necklace and a Boyhood Diamond Dream
Team staff presented Ross with a custom jersey bearing the nickname “The Boat,” a reference Ross has used to signify being the biggest of all time, while DJ Nasty received his own personalized jersey. Ross, sporting his signature diamond-encrusted crucifix necklace, told the crowd that as a kid he had dreamed of playing outfield and catching a deep hit, calling the ballpark moment “still a dream for a boss,” according to the Enquirer's reporting. He later walked through the outfield after the show and summed up the night simply: “It's major league.”
DJ Nasty, working the boards throughout the set, praised Ross's stage instincts during the performance, saying, “that boy is sharper than a razorblade.” Ross documented much of his backstage and onstage time in Instagram Stories throughout the evening, giving fans an inside look at a night that folded baseball pageantry into a career-spanning hip-hop retrospective.
Twenty Years Since Port of Miami's No. 1 Debut
Port of Miami, released August 8, 2006 through Poe Boy Entertainment, Slip-n-Slide Records and Def Jam Recordings, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after selling 187,000 copies in its first week, per XXL Mag. The album, propelled by hits like “Hustlin',” launched Ross into mainstream stardom and set the stage for a career that, per Billboard, helped define the sound of 2010s-era rap music. Ross has since founded Maybach Music Group, which has released roughly 20 albums since 2009, and has racked up 11 consecutive top-10 Billboard 200 albums along with multiple Grammy nominations, including a Best Rap Album nod for 2012's God Forgives, I Don't, according to the Voice of Black Cincinnati. He currently draws 17.1 million monthly Spotify listeners and has appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone twice, with the outlet having called him a “hip-hop heavyweight.”
The Cincinnati stop was one piece of a much larger anniversary rollout. For much of 2026, Ross headlined a nationwide black-tie tour called Port of Miami: 20 Years of Boss Classics, performing his catalog alongside the Renaissance Orchestra and the Sainted Trap Choir in formal theater settings, according to the AT&T Performing Arts Center. That run included stops chronicled in earlier Hoodline coverage, including a black-tie takeover in Houston, a similarly formal show at Detroit's Fox Theatre, a symphonic evening in Orlando, and an earlier Jacksonville stop that previewed the tour concept. The Cincinnati ballpark date marked a return to a high-energy stadium setting, a contrast to the formal orchestral shows that defined most of the anniversary circuit.
Reds Lean Into League-Wide Concert Trend
Ross's set was part of the Reds' four-show 2026 Ohio Lottery Post-Game Concert Series, which also brought country singer Jon Pardi to the ballpark on July 8 and will close with electronic DJ Marshmello and hip-hop artist Ludacris on September 4, according to MLB.com. Standard single-game tickets for the Ross date started at $23, and the team also sold $25 Ohio Lottery Field Pass upgrades granting standing-room access on the outfield grass behind section 119, with redemption tables set up in Gapper's Alley beforehand.
Turning an active baseball diamond into a concert stage required a tight operational window. MLB.com reports that stadium crews assembled the temporary stage on the outfield grass roughly 20 minutes after the game's final out, ushering field pass holders into designated turf sections while protective covering shielded the playing surface. Great American Ball Park has leaned into this format for several seasons, previously hosting acts including Flo Rida, Walk the Moon, Train, Old Dominion, and Shaquille O'Neal performing as DJ DIESEL in August 2024.
Booking major hip-hop names for post-game shows has become a wider pattern across the league, echoing Ludacris's June 2025 post-game concert at Detroit's Comerica Park before he joined the Reds' own 2026 lineup, as Hoodline previously reported. The strategy reflects how MLB franchises are increasingly using concerts to pull in younger, more diverse crowds beyond traditional box-score audiences.
Beyond the Stage, a Growing Business Empire
Ross's Cincinnati appearance also lands amid an active stretch for his business ventures. In July, he expanded his real estate holdings by partnering on EnSima, a 670-unit residential condominium project in Miami Gardens, Florida, with units priced from $450,000, as Hoodline detailed in coverage of his 670-unit condo gambit. That deal follows earlier reporting on Ross's mounting mortgage at his Star Island mansion in Miami, and he is also slated to headline a stadium music festival in Utica later this fall alongside Gene Simmons and Chris Janson.
For one Friday night in Cincinnati, though, the focus stayed on the music and the milestone. Two decades after Port of Miami put him on the map, Ross closed out the Reds' post-game slate with the same swagger that built his career, jersey in hand and outfield lights overhead.
