R.A. The Rugged Man
One of rap's more elusive figures, East Coast emcee R.A. the Rugged Man worked with multiple legends as he was coming up, guesting on tracks by Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, and even Notorious B.I.G. before quietly releasing records of his own. His high-speed delivery, juvenile lyrical mean streak, and self-depreciating humor were all factors that put R.A. ahead of his time. His career was held up by legal issues with major labels, so after over a decade of delays, he formed the Nature Sounds label as an outlet for his music, independently releasing everything from his 2004 debut, Die, Rugged Man, Die, to his 2020 album All My Heroes Are Dead.
R.A. the Rugged Man was born Richard Thorburn in 1974. By the late '80s, the Long Island native was rapping in underground New York circles, playing shows, and attracting label attention for his audacious lyrics and party-starting stage presence. He signed with Jive Records in 1992 but had a hard time working with the label. Though R.A. released several singles, an album's worth of material remained unreleased, tied up in contractual industries. He signed on with Priority Records in the mid-'90s, which resulted in more contractual issues and another canned album that never saw the light of day. In the meantime, he was guesting on tracks from huge rappers and contributed to all of Rawkus Records' seminal Soundbombing compilations.
Fed up with the dead ends of the music industry by 2004, R.A. went the indie route and released Die, Rugged Man, Die on Nature Sounds. In 2009, the compilation Legendary Classics, Vol. 1 rounded up his collaborative releases with names like the Notorious B.I.G., Jedi Mind Tricks, and Sadat X all landing on the track list. Talib Kweli, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, and Masta Ace were some of the names that joined R.A. on his 2013 sophomore release, Legends Never Die. Seven years later, third album All My Heroes Are Dead arrived. The record was another testament to R.A.'s quietly legendary status, boasting guest appearances from respected rappers that ranged from Chuck D to Ice-T to Ghostface Killah and many other Wu-Tang Clan members. The record did well, cracking the Top Ten of Billboard's Heatseekers chart as well as placing 22nd on the overall album sales chart shortly after its release.
© David Jeffries & Fred Thomas /TiVo
Discographie
18 album(s) • Trié par Meilleures ventes
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All Systems Go (Edit)
R.A. The Rugged Man, Smokey Joe & The Kid
Électronique - Paru chez Banzaï Lab le 30 avr. 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Legendary Classics, Vol. 1
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Greenstreets Entertainment le 27 oct. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Book Of Life (feat. Justin Cohen)
C-Lance, Murs, R.A. The Rugged Man
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez C-Lance Productions le 13 avr. 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Greatest
Marcella Puppini, R.A. The Rugged Man
Électronique - Paru chez Freshly Squeezed le 18 sept. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beast on Beat
Smokey Joe & The Kid, R.A. The Rugged Man
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Banzaï Lab le 8 oct. 2021
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Demon Slayer
İlkay C., R.A. The Rugged Man, Sayedar
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Ilkay C., R.A. The Rugged Man & Sayedar le 22 déc. 2023
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Bullet Train Flow (feat. R.A. The Rugged Man)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez WM Czech Republic le 15 sept. 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Do It Again
Whitney Peyton, Rittz, R.A. The Rugged Man
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Alpha Howse le 10 mars 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Know the Gospel (Remix)
iNTeLL, R.A. The Rugged Man, LDontheCut
Alternatif et Indé - Paru chez Round Table Records, Nature Sounds le 17 nov. 2021
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
All My Heroes Are Dead
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 17 avr. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Legends Never Die
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 30 avr. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Die, Rugged Man, Die
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 21 mai 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Golden Oldies
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 25 mars 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Legendary Loser
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 15 janv. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Crustified Christmas
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 4 déc. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wondering (How To Believe)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 11 mars 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dragon Fire
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 14 avr. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The People's Champ
Hip-Hop/Rap - Paru chez Nature Sounds le 20 févr. 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo