Even the Bawse is not above mowing his own lawn. Rick Ross revealed that he personally maintains the grounds of the 45,000-square-feet Fayetteville, Ga. mega-mansion he purchased from Evander Holyfield. The heavyweight boxing champion reportedly spent $20 million building the 235-acre estate and paid more than $1 million annually to keep the lights on and the grass cut.
But when he bought the property in 2014, the Maybach Music mogul was not about to waste his hard-earned money on upkeep, so he decided to do the job himself.
“When I bought the Fayetteville estate, locals would see me walk out of a restaurant and scream, ‘You know Holyfield spent $1 million a year to cut the grass.’ So I decided that I was gonna cut my own grass. And that’s what I did,” Ross told Forbes.
So he went to John Deere and purchased the biggest tractor he could get. “I told them I had 200-plus acres that I wanted to keep cut, and they pointed out the right tractor,” he revealed. “I bought it right then and there. I bought the extended attachment on the back that would cut even wider. Once I got it back home, I filled it up with gas. I may have sat in the same spot for two hours before I got everything working, but once I got it going, I didn’t stop. I cut grass for about five hours.”
Rozay even customized his tractor with tinted windows so he could go about the job peacefully. “People still know it’s me, but when I get in the tractor, it’s a whole other level of peace, a whole other level of connecting with the estate and the animals and the birds and the wildlife.”
He added, “I sit there and have my cannabis rolled up, and, man, I look at the property and can appreciate my struggles and my triumphs, those rough days. It’s the smallest thing, but it keeps a smile on my face. So, you know, for anybody who doesn’t cut their own grass, I would say take time out every two or three months to cut your grass because it is such a great and peaceful sensation.”
While he may be the Biggest Bawse, he’s frugal when it comes to his money. He flies commercial and even frequents swap meets and antique stores in search of “beautiful things that cost $8 or $20.”
“I’m not about throwing money away, but it’s important that people enjoy the fruits of your labor and stay ahead of the curve,” said Ross, who recently purchased an 8,600-square-foot Florida home from Amar’e Stoudemire for $3.5 million in cash.
Rick Ross is now readying his 11th studio album, Richer Than I’ve Ever Been.