Rick Ross is paving the way to become the biggest rap mogul in the music game with his Maybach Music Group imprint. Leading the charge is his MMG signee Wale who appears on the cover of Billboard magazine with the Bawse, himself. Together, the two discuss the future of MMG, which includes labelmates Meek Mill and Pill.

The magazine sees Rozay building his MMG label into a rap empire similar to his fellow artists like Lil Wayne (Young Money), Kanye West (G.O.O.D Music) and Jay-Z (Roc Nation). “I’ve most definitely been a fan of Hov and his whole movement,” Ross tells the publication. “He gave a blueprint to many 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.”

Since experiencing his health scare in October when he suffered two seizures in one day, the Miami rapper has recovered and is ready to get back on his hustle. “It could have been a lot worse,” he says. “So I’m just thankful. I feel good — and I’m back on my grind already.”

Meanwhile, Wale is off to a good start as MMG’s flagship artist. His second album ‘Ambition’ debut at No. 1 on the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Album chart with 164,000 copies sold. It’s a prominent victory for the Washington, D.C. rapper who was once signed to Interscope Records but was dropped after his 2009 LP ‘Attention Deficit’ sold poorly. “It’s not surprising,” he boasts. “I knew I could do it.”

Wale is appreciative of MMG’s support and backing of his album ‘Ambition.’ The rapper feels the album represents his current mind state as he continues on his new journey under the auspices of his MMG leader Rick Ross. “I nailed it this time,” Wale says. “I’ll keep busting my a– until … You’re going to have to respect me. I love hip-hop so much, and I’m really a humble dude. We’re all cocky inside our records — because that’s how rap is.”

The Rick Ross/Wale-featured Billboard magazine is on newsstands now.

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