R.A. The Rugged Man

~~[MERIT]~~ · 07-08-2011, 10:47 PM

R.A. The Rugged Man

Quote:

R. A. Thorburn, better known as R.A. the Rugged Man, is an emcee from Suffolk County, Long Island, New York.

He began his music career at age 12, and, at 18, was subject to a 9 label bidding war including Def Jam, Mercury, Tommyboy, Warner Bros., eventually signing with Jive Records as part of the group Crustified Dibbs, a vehicle for R.A. and producer Marc Niles (Nigga Niles). His contract was later absorbed by Capitol Records but he began recording independently in the early 2000s.

He has worked with various artists including the Notorious B.I.G., Mobb Deep, Chuck D of Public Enemy, Jedi Mind Tricks, Kool G Rap, Wu-Tang Clan, and producers Erick Sermon, Havoc, Alchemist, and Ayatollah. He was featured on all three of Rawkus’s Soundbombing albums, as well as the platinum-selling WWF Aggression album, performing the theme song for Chris Jericho.

In Ego Trip Vol. 1, Issue 3, the Notorious B.I.G. was quoted as saying, "I thought I was the illest," when referring to R.A.

The October 2006 issue of The Source featured the R.A. The Rugged Man verse on Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story as its "Hip-Hop Quotable" of the month and HipHopDX named it as the "Verse of the Year." AllHipHop.com states that "This record will be remembered most for R.A.'s robotic flow recounting his own father's story of war while absolutely murdering the beat."

Discography:

Night Of The Bloody Apes (1994)

Track Listing:
01. Toolbox Murderer
02. You Ain't Never Been Down
03. Walking Down The Street With My Nuts In My Hand
04. Every Record Label Sucks Dick
05. R.A. Meets A.R. (Skit)
06. Hookin' With The Hookers
07. Bloody Axe
08. R.A. Classroom (Skit)
09. R.A. Be Down
10. Cunt Rennaissance (F/ The Notorious B.I.G.)
11. Back To The Rubber Room
12. Bloodshed Hua Hoo
13. Interlude
14. Statchy
15. Bloody Body Parts In Da Fruit Punch
16. Bloodshed Hua Hoo (Nigga Niles Crusty Remix)

American Low Life (1999)

Track Listing:
01. 4 Days In Cali
02. Even Dwarfs Started Small
03. Stretch Armstrong Freestyle
04. Tha Hardway (F/ Godfather & Prince Po)
05. German Pussy Freestyle
06. Smithhaven Mall
07. Break The Walls Down
08. Grizzly
09. Poor People
10. Kill It (F/ Channel Live, Agallah & Craig G)
11. American Low Life
12. Flipside
13. Homecoming Queen (F/ Mr. Eon)
14. Bottom Feeders (F/ Smut Peddlers)
15. 50,000 Heads (F/ Sadat X)
16. Stanley Kubrick
17. On The Block (F/ L. Dionne)
18. Betcha Life (F/ Mr. Eon)
19. Till My Heart Stops (F/ 8-Off The Assassin)
20. Don't Wanna (F/ Havoc & Mr. Eon)
21. What The Fuck (F/ Akineyle)

Die, Rugged Man, Die (2004)

Track Listing:
01. Lessons
02. Casanova (Fly Guy)
03. Star Is Born
04. Chains (F/ Killah Priest & Masta Killa)
05. Dumb
06. On the Block
07. How Low?
08. Mitch Blood Green (Interlude)
09. Midnight Thud
10. Black And White (F/ Timbo King)
11. Brawl
12. Die, Rugged Man, Die!
13. Pick My Gun Up (Skit)
14. Da' Girlz, They Luv Me
15. Make Luv Outro

Legendary Classics: Volume 1 (2009)

Track Listing:
01. Give It Up (F/ J-Live)
02. Supa
03. Renaissance 2.0 (F/ Hell Razah, Tragedy Khadafi & Timbo King)
04. Windows Of The World (F/ Ayatollah & Dynasty The Emp)
05. Uncommon Valor (F/ Jedi Mind Tricks)
06. Who's Dat Guy (F/ Havoc of Mobb Deep)
07. L.I.'s Finest
08. Stanley Kubrick
09. Cunt Renaissance (F/ The Notorious B.I.G.)
10. 3 Kingz (F/ Kool G. Rap & Big John)
11. Smithhaven Mall
12. Posse Cut (F/ Hell Razah, Jojo Pellegrino, Remedy & Blaq Poet)
13. What The Fuck (F/ Akinyele)
14. Poor People
15. 50,000 Heads (F/ Sadat X)
16. Effin' Yo' Bitch
17. Every Record Label Sucks Dick

Artist Pages:

Official Website
MySpace
Facebook
Twitter

Uncommon Valor

Chains

Lessons

3 Kingz

Dumb

On The Block

Give It Up

Stanley Kubrick

Every Record Label Sucks Dick

~~[MERIT]~~ · 07-09-2011, 12:39 PM

Definitely one of my favorite rappers. He's one of those dudes like MC Juice who is famous for never being famous, despite being incredibly talented.

~~[MERIT]~~ · 07-12-2011, 03:57 PM

If you can't find them online, I've got pretty much his entire library if anyone wants to give it a listen.

The Batlord · 07-13-2011, 09:56 AM

I loves me some R.A. My friend played "Uncommon Valor" for me a couple yers ago (holy **** it's been that long!) and it just immediately blew me away. He's amazing.

~~[MERIT]~~ · 07-14-2011, 01:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Batlord

I loves me some R.A. My friend played "Uncommon Valor" for me a couple yers ago (holy **** it's been that long!) and it just immediately blew me away. He's amazing.

Yeah, his verse on that track has to be one of the sickest verses to leave the lips of a rapper in years. Couple that with the fact that it's a true story about his father, and it's all the better.

I like the dichotomy of how he raps. He can rap straight like in "Uncommon Valor," or he can rap with a lisp, thick NY accent, and sound like he has mental problems, like on "Toolbox Murderer."

~~[MERIT]~~ · 08-16-2012, 10:33 PM

I absolutely cannot wait for Legends Never Die to come out later this year.

Sparky · 08-18-2012, 08:09 PM

oojay i really recommend checking out kdotodot thread if you like this guy

~~[MERIT]~~ · 08-21-2012, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A$AP Sparky

oojay i really recommend checking out kdotodot thread if you like this guy

Good lookin' out homie

Sarcastic · 09-18-2012, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by [DONNIE -X- DUKES]

I absolutely cannot wait for Legends Never Die to come out later this year.

Quote:

Originally Posted by [DONNIE -X- DUKES]

Definitely one of my favorite rappers. He's one of those dudes like MC Juice who is famous for never being famous, despite being incredibly talented.

Yeah R.A.'s fµcking insane, the man has some serious skill.
His "Uncommon Valor" verse still leaves me speechless every time...

R.A. the Rugged Man is an experience.

~~[MERIT]~~ · 09-18-2012, 08:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarcastic

Yeah R.A.'s fµcking insane, the man has some serious skill.
His "Uncommon Valor" verse still leaves me speechless every time...

R.A. the Rugged Man is an experience.

I'll put "Uncommon Valor" on loop for hours sometimes man, I've got his entire verse memorized at this point. Also love "Black And White" (featuring Timbo King) off of Die, Rugged Man, Die and "Smithhaven Mall" and "50,000 Heads" (featuring Sadat X) off of Legendary Classics: Volume I.

On a side note, I really wish that I still had the motivation to create threads like this lol (well organized, download links, videos, sources, etc).

07-09-2011, 12:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
~~[MERIT]~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Missouri, USA Posts: 4,814	Definitely one of my favorite rappers. He's one of those dudes like MC Juice who is famous for never being famous, despite being incredibly talented.

07-12-2011, 03:57 PM	#3 (permalink)
~~[MERIT]~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Missouri, USA Posts: 4,814	If you can't find them online, I've got pretty much his entire library if anyone wants to give it a listen.

08-16-2012, 10:33 PM	#6 (permalink)
~~[MERIT]~~ Account Disabled Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Missouri, USA Posts: 4,814	I absolutely cannot wait for Legends Never Die to come out later this year.

08-18-2012, 08:09 PM	#7 (permalink)
Sparky not really Join Date: Jan 2007 Posts: 5,223	oojay i really recommend checking out kdotodot thread if you like this guy