Freeway: Crack in the System, a documentary about the life of cocaine baron and unwitting CIA pawn Freeway Rick Ross, was nominated for an Emmy back in July. The film, produced by filmmaker Marc Levin who also documented the life of infamous Harlem drug dealer Nicky Barnes in Mr. Untouchable, is up for an Emmy in the Outstanding Investigative Journalism: Long Form category. The nomination is a celebration of sorts for Ross, who’s been doing all he can since his release from prison to make amends to society for his drug-dealing exploits of the 1980s.
“It was like a dream come true,” Ross tells The Fix about the nomination of the film that profiled his life story, which has become synonymous with crack cocaine. “I knew my story had that kind of magnitude, I always knew that. But for it to actually happen, it let me know that the way I thought was correct.” The former drug dealer, who has turned into a community activist and self-styled “Mayor of the Ghetto,” was released from prison in 2009 after serving 13 years of a life sentence that he got reduced to 20 years battling in the courts. The crack amendments in the late aughts put him out, and he has been working with kids and traveling the country ever since.
“I believe that the overall message that the film tells, and what I try to tell kids everyday, is that no matter where you are at in life, you can always bounce back,” Ross tells The Fix. Ross knows the perils of courting infamy firsthand, and has even had his brushes with the law since his release. But through it all, he has maintained a positive message—a message that the documentary imparts as well.
“So many messages,” Ross tells The Fix. “The importance of reading, of going to school, why not to get involved in drugs. When I first met Marc Levin and he showed me some of his work, I thought he could deliver the message I wanted to deliver.” And obviously, that message of redemption has been felt, evidenced by the Emmy nomination.
To learn more about Freeway Rick Ross check out his website here and check out the trailer for the documentary below:
