R.A. The Rugged Man
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| R.A. The Rugged Man | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Long Island, New York, U.S. |
| Genre(s) | Hip Hop |
| Years active | 1992 – Present |
| Label(s) | Nature Sounds |
R.A. Thorburn, better known as R.A. the Rugged Man, is a rapper from Suffolk County, New York on Long Island, who with his father lived in over 20 addresses throughout the area. He began his music career at age 12. At 18, he signed to Jive Records as part of the group Crustified Dibbs (A vehicle for R.A. and producer Nigga Niles). Due to violent and disgusting behavior R.A. was blackballed and feared by music industry executives throughout much of the 1990's. Effectively banned from all major record labels, R.A. honed his skills on the underground scene, working with well-known New York City hip hop musicians of the Golden age of hip hop. He was featured on all three of Rawkus’s Soundbombing albums, as well as the platinum-selling WWF Aggression album. In Ego Trip Magazine Vol. 1, Issue 3: The late great Notorious B.I.G. was quoted as saying "I thought I was the illest" when referring to R.A. In 2004 the release of his independent album "Die, Rugged Man, Die" received good reviews and sold very well grossing over $350,000 in sales and costing less then $5000 to produce. R.A.'s signature rhyming style, which frequently includes verses full of internally rhymed words, delivered in a speedy style.
Coming from a broken Long Island home, R.A.'s father was a gun toting Vietnam veteran/mental patient allegedly affected by Agent Orange. His family was forever changed by the potent chemical — his brother Maxx was born handicapped and blind, eventually dying at the age of 10, while his sister Dee Ann couldn’t walk or speak. R.A. tells the story of his father Staff Sgt John A. Thorburn in the first person on the Jedi Mind Tricks track "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story". His verse received quotable of the month in Source magazine. R.A. notes that he himself has suffered from mental illness in the past, in lyrics from the song "Lessons".
R.A. has cameo's in several music videos including Havoc from Mobb Deep's "Im the boss", Sadat X's "Throw the Ball" and "Old Man" featuring Wu-Tang Clan's RZA, Masta Killa and Ol' Dirty Bastard in one of ODB's final video appearances. His favourite Emcee is Kool G Rap, whom he has talked about performing a collabaration with in the future. He appears along with Kool G Rap in a cartoon called Three Thug Mice.[1]
In addition to his hip-hop notoriety, R.A. writes a monthly movie column for Mass Appeal magazine, is a contributor to The Ego Trip Book of Rap Lists (St. Martin's Press) and Ego Trip's Big Book of Racism (Harper Collins), and has written numerous articles for other magazines including Vibe, King, Complex, Rides and Source. Mr. Rugged has also recently signed a book deal that will explore his love of boxing to be co-authored with Max Boxing's Doug Fischer and scheduled for publication in 2008 from Testify / Powerhouse Books.
A horror-film fan, R.A. has written three screenplays with cult-film director Frank Henenlotter -- "Sick in the Head," "Love is Hell," and is writer/producer of a new Frank Henenlotter film titled Bad Biology scheduled for release 2008. The film has an original score by Prince Paul and cameos by Playboy Model Jelena Jensen and Penthouse Pet Krista Ayne.
Contents |
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
| Album information |
|---|
Night of the Bloody Apes (unreleased)
|
Die Rugged Man Die
|
[edit] Singles and EPs
- 1996 "50.000 Heads" / "Smithhaven Mall"
- 1997 "Till My Heart Stops" / "Flipside" (both later released on Soundbombing)
- 1999 "Stanley Kubrick" / "What Da Fuck"
- 2001 "Don't Wanna Fuck With" / "Even Dwarf Start Small"
- 2004 "Lessons" / "How Low"
- 2005 "Chains" / "Black And White"
- 2007 "Braindead" - ft Stig Of The Dump (Jehst Remix)
[edit] Appears on
- 1996 "Who's Dat Guy" featuring Mobb Deep produced by: Havoc
- 1996 "Smithhaven Mall" released on Stretch Armstrong's LP Lesson 1
- 1996 "50,000 Heads" featuring Sadat X
- 1996 "50,000 Heads (Remix)" featuring Sadat X and Capitol Da Crime Lord
- 1997 "Flipside" released on Soundbombing compilation
- 1997 "Till My Heart Stops" featuring 8-Off, released on Soundbombing compilation
- 1997 "Population Control" with Company Flow, released on the Funcrusher Plus album
- 1998 "4 Days In Cali"
- 1998 "Piece of Shit" featuring Tragedy Khadafi
- 1999 "Stanley Kubrick" released on Soundbombing 2 compilation
- 2000 "Break the Walls Down" released on platinum selling WWF AGGRESSION
- 2000 "Bottom Feeders" with the Smut Peddlers, released on the Porn Again album
- 2000 "Rap For Real" with Assassin (from the album Touche D'espoir)
- 2001 "September Rap" produced by DJ Quik
- 2002 "You don't Wanna Fuck Wit’" featuring Havoc from Mobb Deep, produced by AYATOLLAH
- 2002 "Kill It" with 8-Off, Channel Live & Craig G, produced by Alchemist
- 2002 "Effin' Yo' Bitch" released on BIG PIMPIN
- 2003 "On the Block" released on Soundbombing III compilation and Big Air Experience compilation. Later featured on his Die, Rugged Man, Die album.
- 2004 "King Of The Underground" released on Tony Hawks Underground
- 2005 "Give it up" featuring J-Live. Released on Wu-Tang Meets the Indie Culture Compilation.
- 2006 "Pignose" with Matlock
- 2006 "The Renaissance" featuring Black Market Militia, released on Natural Selection Compilation
- 2006 "Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story", released on the Jedi Mind Tricks album Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell
- 2006 "Supah," released on Blazing Heat 12 Inch "Supah" (Mad Flava Records)
- 2006 "Renaissance" featuring Hell Razah, Tragedy Khadafi, and Timbo King
- 2006 "Buh!" released on the "Rising Sunz" album "Throwing Stones"
- 2007 "DBA" featuring Rugged Intellect
