Rick Ross Says Wale Has Kanye West 'Potential'

Rick Ross might not have gotten his man in Wiz Khalifa, who he wanted to ink to a deal with his Maybach Music Group, but the Miami boss' first pick, Wale, wasn't a bad backup.Ross thinks the Washington, D.C., rhyme spitter has a chance to follow in the footsteps of another guy who was also considered "unconventional" when he first signed on with his crew. Wale could be the next Kanye West, Ross told MTV News."They may be unconventional, but to me, it comes naturally," Ross said about moving to sign Wale and Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill.

"After spending months of my summer working with Kanye, I learned and seen so many different visions and ideas come to light. I was there for 'Flashing Lights,' when it was actually titled another title that me and Kanye went back and forth about. And when I think about Wale, I think about Kanye.

"And the kind of rhymes Wale has been laying down the last few months, since we been in the studio, I'm pretty sure there's gonna be a lot of similarities as far as the pictures that he paints," the Bawse continued. "Of course, Kanye is one of the greats of our time but I see that same potential in Wale."

At the moment, Ross and his MMG roster, which also includes Pill, his Triple C fam and Masspike Miles, among others, are working on the Self Made compilation set to arrive on "Maybach 24." Ross suggested Wale's next solo album should be out "two to three months after that" group project.

While the Maybach Music head said Wale is poised to make big waves, the Miami MC was making waves of his own over the weekend, but probably not the kind he's aiming for. Ross was arrested on Friday in Louisiana on a marijuana possession charges and subsequently released with a misdemeanor summons. Ross is now in New York and scheduled to take the stage in Long Island on Monday night (March 28) as part of Lil Wayne's I Am Still Music Tour lineup