Ras Kass
Lyrical, streetwise, and fearlessly sociopolitcal, MC Ras Kass represents the West Coast with deep collaborative connections far outside his region. He debuted with "Won't Catch Me Runnin'" (1994), a hard-hitting track he co-produced and released on an Atlanta-based independent label. Soul on Ice (1996), his full-length debut for Priority Records, landed amid accolades for his pen game and vocal precision. The follow-up Rasassination (1996) trumped it from a commercial standpoint, landing just outside the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart with help from the charting "Ghetto Fabulous," featuring Dr. Dre and Mack 10. Dozens of mixtapes and collaborative projects, including several as part of the HRSMN (with Kurupt, Killah Priest, and Canibus), have followed since then. Soul on Ice 2 (2019) and Quarterly (2022), along with the RJ Payne and Havoc collaboration GUTTR (2024), are among his most noteworthy later releases.
John Roland Austin II, otherwise known as Ras Kass, was born in Carson and raised in nearby Watts. A voracious reader throughout his youth, he adopted his stage name in honor of Ethiopian emperor Ras Kassa Mercha. After releasing an independent single, Ras Kass emerged as one of the most highly regarded new rappers at the time, winning particular acclaim for his skills as a lyricist. In the space of six months, he twice earned Rap Pages magazine's Rhyme of the Month award, as well as The Source's Hip Hop Quotable honor. His long-awaited debut LP, Soul on Ice, arrived on Priority Records in 1996. The album included the singles "Ordo Abchao (Order Out of Chaos)" and the seven-minute history lesson "Nature of the Threat," as well as a guest spot from Coolio. His sophomore effort, Rasassination, followed in 1998, landing in the upper half of the Billboard 200 and peaking at number eleven on the R&B/hip-hop chart. The album produced one single, "Ghetto Fabulous," with guests Dr. Dre and Mack 10, as well as the fan favorite "Interview with the Vampire." In addition, Ras was joined by Kurupt, Saafir, Jazze Pha, Xzibit, Twista, and RZA. The release of his follow-up, Van Gogh, was delayed by label mergers and bootlegging, and Ras was forced to shelve the project. Another project, Goldyn Chyld, also failed to materialize.
Ras shifted focus to the HRSMN, a rap supergroup formed with Kurupt, Killah Priest, and Canibus. The foursome issued their debut, The Horsemen Project, in 2003. Still embroiled in label disagreements, Ras released the mixtapes Institutionalized (2005); Revenge of the Spit and Eat or Die (2006); and Institutionalized, Vol. 2 (2008). A mixtape project titled The Quarterly was self-issued in 2009 on Ras' website and featured spots by Killah Priest, Mistah F.A.B., and producer Pete Rock. A crowdfunded project, A.D.I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Spittin), was released in 2011. Barmageddon followed in 2013 and featured guests like Too $hort, Ice-T, Monie Love, Yukmouth, Kendrick Lamar, and more. Blasphemy, a collaborative album with producer Apollo Brown, was issued on Mello Music Group in 2014 and recruited Royce da 5'9", Pharoahe Monch, and Xzibit. That same year, Ras released Barmageddon 2.0. In 2016, a flurry of activity resulted in the release of two additional mixtapes and Intellectual Property: SO12, which featured KRS-One, RZA, Bun B, and Onyx on a sprawling 26 tracks.
Acknowledging his legacy without nostalgic sentiment, Ras released Soul on Ice 2, the sequel to his 1996 debut, in 2019. As with his Apollo Brown collaboration a few years earlier, the set was issued on Mello Music Group. Immortal Technique joined him on "White Power," while Everlast and Snoop Dogg appeared respectively on "The Long Way" and "LL Cool J." Before the end of the year, Ras offered ChristMESS, an atypical holiday-themed set of original material such as the humorous "The Grinch Who Stole Dubstep" and the pointed "White Christmess." He returned in 2022 with Quarterly, a highly collaborative full-length with guest verses from the likes of Killah Priest, Strong Arm Steady, and Mistah F.A.B. He teamed with RJ Payne and Havoc in 2024 to deliver GUTTR, highlighted by "Roll Call."
© Neil Z. Yeung & Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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Barmageddon
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Cre8yte Corporation on 12 feb. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
GUTTR
Ras Kass, RJ Payne, Havoc of Mobb Deep
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Fat Beats Records on 3 mei 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Breakfast At Banksy's
Semi Hendrix, Jack Splash, Ras Kass
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 16 okt. 2015
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Intellectual Property #So12: 20th Anniversary
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Cre8yte Corporation on 17 okt. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
It's Up
X-Raided, Ras Kass, Kxng Crooked
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Strange Music, Inc on 19 apr. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blasphemy
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 27 okt. 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soul On Ice
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Priority Records on 1 jan. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soul on Ice 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mello Music Group on 6 sep. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Great Recession - Single
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Cre8yte Corporation on 6 nov. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rasassination (The End)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Priority Records on 1 jan. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Amerikkkan Horror Story Pt. 1 & 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Blackhouse on 19 jan. 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Rasassination (The End)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Priority Records on 1 jan. 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Soul On Ice
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Priority Records on 1 jan. 1996
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Eat or Die
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by RBC Records on 19 sep. 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Still More Bounce
Ras Kass, Dirty Rat, Kam, Tash, Merciless Stylz
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Wolfpac Records on 17 aug. 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Only Peace and Love Can Save Us Now! (feat. Borderline Delusion, Keith MURRAY & David "Mezzy" Mesirow)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Borderline Delusion Records on 6 dec. 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
50450
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Red Room Distribution on 3 nov. 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Institutionalized Vol. 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Babygrande Records on 5 aug. 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Promised Land (feat. Statik Selektah)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by That's Hip Hop LLC on 14 jul. 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
In $ We Trust
Mic Swift The Sound Provider, Ras Kass
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Sick Swift Productions on 11 nov. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Everything Is...GUTTR
Ras Kass, RJ Payne, Havoc of Mobb Deep
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Fat Beats Records on 19 apr. 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo