The latest issue of Billboard features an in-depth look at the partnership of Rick Ross and Wale, hip-hop's latest odd couple who joined forces on Maybach Music Group and have created a buzz online, on the radio, and on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

Read the full story of Rick Ross' rise to prominence below, and click here to learn how Wale went from written-off to white-hot , all thanks to some sky-high "Ambition."

RICK ROSS: THE BILLBOARD COVER STORY

"Clutch" is a word sports fans use to describe a moment in which someone recognizes the magnitude of a situation and rises to meet it.

It's a buzzer-beating jump shot, or a Hail Mary touchdown pass -- a triumph instantly memorized and placed in the history books.

The idea of being "clutch" -- of having a sixth sense for the defining moment -- is one that Rick Ross relates to. After all, the 35-year-old Miami rapper has quietly been clutch his entire career.

When he needed a hit first single five years ago, "Hustlin'" became an anthem, selling 733,000 copies, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

When he needed to win over critics, he released a front-to-back classic, "Teflon Don," in 2010. It sold 682,000 copies and topped out at No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

When he needed to deliver guest verses on tracks by Kanye West, DJ Khaled and Lil Wayne, he crushed them, and helped "Devil in a New Dress," "I'm on One" and "John" sell more than 2.1 million cumulative copies, according to SoundScan.

"I understand why New York's a huge fan of Derek Jeter -- because in the playoffs he always delivered, he always came through," Ross says. "And that's what it is when it comes to big records, big collaborations. I was fortunate last year to have a run with the biggest names in the game."

And when Ross moved to join hip-hop's elite ( Jay-Z with Roc Nation, West with G.O.O.D Music, Lil Wayne with Young Money) by establishing a solid musical brand, he expanded his label, Maybach Music Group (MMG), to include Wale, Meek Mill and Pill last spring. The move also punched up the identity of Warner Bros. Records' urban department: Maybach inked a distribution deal with the major in February, as Ross continues his solo career at his longtime home, Def Jam Recordings.

Rick Ross & Wale: The Billboard Cover Story, Part II

"I said to [Ross], 'I think we could build something great together. You could build the next Cash Money,'" says Joie Manda ( @joeyie), executive VP/head of urban music at Warner Bros. Records. "And he said, 'That's what I want to do. That's my dream.'"

MMG sports an assortment of lyrical styles, but just when Ross needed to prove the power of his brand, Wale released his sophomore album, "Ambition," to stunning results on Nov. 1. The Washington, D.C. rapper's 2009 debut, "Attention Deficit," sold 28,000 copies in its first week, and Interscope Records eventually dropped him. However, with Ross executive-producing (with Wale), and relentlessly promoting "Ambition" (he even set the avatar of his @rickyrozay Twitter account, which sports 1.5 million followers, with Wale's album artwork), the album sold 164,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It's an improbable comeback that Wale acknowledges in the liner notes of the new LP. "Rick Ross," it says simply, "thank you for giving me my shot."

On Oct. 14, 18 days before the release of Wale's "Ambition," Ross suffered a seizure aboard a Memphis-bound plane, on his way to opening a Wingstop restaurant franchise. The medical scare required an emergency landing and treatment at a Fort Lauderdale hospital, and when Ross tried to fly from Florida later that day, he suffered another medical setback and was rushed to an emergency room in Birmingham, Ala.

One month later, Ross says that he "feels great," and although rumors abound about his physical state, he chalks up the scares to a "lack of sleep." The incidents have delayed the release of the anticipated "God Forgives, I Don't," his spectacularly titled fifth full-length originally slated to arrive Dec. 13. Island Def Jam (IDJ) senior VP of marketing Chris Atlas says that the album is now expected "around first quarter, maybe early second quarter" (Billboard.com, Nov. 17).

"We're all aware of his recent health issues, and based on some of the minor setbacks with that, we weren't able to confirm certain opportunities, because he physically wasn't able to deal with certain things at the time," Atlas says. "We want him, as we want for ourselves, to have the best setup for this album, and to have an artist that is 100% ready to go in releasing and impacting this record, because the expectations for it are high."

Rick Ross Delays 'God Forgives' Album Release

In the meantime, Ross is still firing on all cylinders, spending marathon studio sessions tweaking "God Forgives" and other projects. He's a tireless worker, literally -- longtime manager Alex "Gucci Pucci" Bethune says that he and Ross usually get about three hours of sleep per night. Ross is constantly thinking, talking and tweeting about MMG, and wants "God Forgives" to pack the epic scope of a Brian De Palma film -- hence the title.

"This album is almost like a movie," Ross says. "I wanted [the title] to be something that was extremely emotional, to set up a real roller coaster ride as far as the music and thought process. It sounds like a term of retaliation, and with the picture that I'm painting, it felt perfect."

After breaking out with the 2006 single "Hustlin,'" Ross' first three albums - 2006's "Port of Miami," 2008's "Trilla" and 2009's "Deeper Than Rap" - all hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spawned hits like "Push It," "The Boss" and "Magnificent."

2010's "Teflon Don," however, was a lush, more cohesive effort than his previous output, with guest verses by West, Jay-Z and T.I. and tracks like "Tears of Joy" offering insightful introspection. Pitchfork and Rolling Stone both included "Teflon Don" on their year-end albums lists, and "Aston Martin Music," the sparkling third single featuring Drake and Chrisette Michele and produced by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, gave Ross his biggest hit on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, peaking at No. 2 in January.

According to the Grammy Award-winning production collective J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League's Kevin "Colione" Crowe ( @colionejl), who began working with Ross on "Trilla," the "Aston Martin Music" beat originally was sent to both Drake and Ross through a mix-up. When the two rappers met up, Ross folded Drake's hook next to Michele's chorus and created a unique pop track. "Ross has such a vision - he's a musical type of guy, and he can see the whole format of a beat," Crowe says.

Next: Rick Ross Mentors Wale, and Plans Out 'God Forgives'