Rick Ross had people laughing when he warned that self-driving cars could one day turn on their passengers.
At the time, many dismissed the idea as another one of the rapper’s over-the-top theories. But after a series of viral incidents involving driverless taxis reignited questions about how much control these vehicles really have, his comments are being viewed in a very different light.
The “Hustlin'” rapper first shared the now-viral prediction during an Instagram Live session three years ago while showing off his massive car collection.
At the time, the “Teflon Don” admitted, “Never in my life. I’ve never ridden in a Tesla.”
He explained, “The reason being is ‘cause I’ve always had in the back of my mind the government could tap into the brain of the car.”
This scene, according to Ross, would play out with a few strokes on the keyboard: “‘OK, where’s Rick? Here’s over at — nah, bring him in for questioning.’” He then mimed the car going into lockdown mode and rerouting itself to law enforcement.
“N–aa like, ‘Where I’m going? Yo! It’s leaving Wing Stop before the wings…’ You pull up to the building, and the agent walk out, ‘Hey, Rick.’”
The hypothetical entrapment scenario received reactions like, “Ross funny asf” to “Lol s–t if anybody know bout the government Rick would I f–k wit tho” and someone who tweeted, “Never thought about it that way before.”
Others commented, “His phone already can do that,” and “What’s to fear?”
You will never catch Rick Ross in a Tesla pic.twitter.com/hq5TJuTieL
— Complex Music (@ComplexMusic) January 25, 2023
However, three years later, Ross’ words read more like a prophecy and less like a comical conspiracy after the arrest of two teens in California.
The 15-year-olds were detained after a self-driving Waymo representative alerted police that they were drinking and shooting Orbeez water beads out of the windows.
A Waymo representative forced the vehicle into a parking lot and then shared the location with San Mateo police officers.
In a statement, department spokesperson Jeanine Luna said, “The occupants were not locked in and had every ability to exit the vehicle,” adding that the officers spoke with the representative through the car’s communication feature during the stop.
Law enforcement searched the vehicle and confirmed the teens’ activity. In a viral Facebook post, they wrote, “Parents do you know where your teens are? Waymo does!” and detailed the arrest.
The department also warned, “While there was some ingenuity to this scheme, toy guns, water guns, and BB guns all pose real dangers, especially to an untrained eye… Shooting projectiles at speed can cause real damage. And lest not forget the underage drinking. All bad ideas today for these two. Well, the Waymo might have been the smartest idea yet, because driving impaired would’ve made this so much worse.”
The incident, of course, reminded people, like comedian Loni Love, of Ross’ 2023 fears.
She shared a clip of the teens’ arrest with the caption, “This Waymo reported some teens drinking to the police.. some folks laughed at Rick Ross when he said why he don’t mess with Tesla…”
A follower snapped back with, “Ross doesn’t have nothing to worry about Tesla taking him to his job automatically can save him some time.” Similarly, someone on X tweeted, “He’s a former cop, too. He knows how they operate!”
The “Port of Miami” hitmaker briefly worked as a corrections officer from 1995 to 1997. In a 2022 interview, Ross claimed, “I didn’t really get to make it to the prison.” He noted tardiness and the physical demands as his undoing.
Another commenter wrote, “Rick Ross fearing smart cars was funny until Waymo started acting like a substitute teacher with a surveillance budget.” While a sixth individual joked, “Them kids got Waymo then they paid for.” “Wow that is insane,” added another.
Ross appeared to have a change of heart regarding Tesla vehicles in 2024. That year, he purchased a Tesla Cybertruck. However, the electric vehicle is just one of his car show whips in his fleet.
