More Info on R.A. The Rugged ManSimilar Hip Hop/Rap MusicSearch Artistopia
Biography
Infobox musical artist| image =| background = solo_singer| birth_name = R.A. Thorburn| alias = Crustified Dibbs, Rugged Man| origin = Long Island , New York , United States|US | genre = hip Hop music|Hip Hop | years_active = 1992 Present| label = Jive Records Capitol Records Priority Records Nature Sounds Records | associated_acts = Wu-Tang Clan , Notorious BIG , Jedi Mind Tricks , Kool G Rap , Akinyele (rapper)|Akinyele , Mobb Deep | website = http://ratheruggedman.net/ Official Website R. A. Thorburn , better known as R.A. the Rugged Man , is an rapper|emcee from Suffolk County, New York|Suffolk County , Long Island , New York . http://nature-sounds.net/artists/r-a-the-rugged-man/ R.A. The Rugged Man. Nature-sounds.net. Retrieved on 2011-05-30.
Career
At 18, R.A. signed with Jive Records and then in the mid-1990s signed with Priority Records / EMI . His contract was later absorbed by Capitol Records but he began recording independent record label|independently in the early 2000s. He has worked with various artists including the Notorious B.I.G. , Mobb Deep , Sadat X , Akinyele (rapper)|Akinyele , Chuck D of Public Enemy (band)|Public Enemy , Jedi Mind Tricks , Kool G Rap , Wu-Tang Clan , Masta Killa , Killah Priest , and producers Trackmasters , Erick Sermon , DJ Quik , Buckwild , Havoc (Mobb Deep)|Havoc , The Alchemist (producer)|Alchemist , and Ayatollah (producer)|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 (magazine)| 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. http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-11-10/music/r-a-the-rugged-man-abides/ R.A. the Rugged Man Abides Page 1 Music New York. Village Voice (2009-11-10). Retrieved on 2011-05-30. He is closey associated to the Wu-tang clan and its various associates.
In 2004 he released the album Die, Rugged Man, Die http://365aay.com/y1d171/ 365 Albums a Year » Year 1, Day 171: R.A. The Rugged Man Die, Rugged Man, Die (2004). (2010-04-06). Retrieved on 2011-05-30. on Brooklyn based label Nature Sounds . R.A. has cameos in several music videos including Havoc (Mobb Deep)|Havoc from Mobb Deep's ''I'm the Boss'', http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=-NHQNA3yusk ?Havoc I'm The Boss??. YouTube (2009-11-08). Retrieved on 2011-05-30. Sadat X's Throw the Ball http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=Zra9A42xtmM ?Sadat X Throw the Ball??. YouTube (2006-12-19). Retrieved on 2011-05-30. and Old Man featuring Wu-Tang Clan's RZA , Masta Killa and Ol' Dirty Bastard in one of ODB's final video appearances. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=JaXEGLRAWbQ ?Masta Killa Old Man??. YouTube (2009-07-31). Retrieved on 2011-05-30.
The October 2006 issue of The Source (magazine)|The Source featured 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" Hale, Andreas. (2007-01-01) http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/interviews/id.693/title.2006-hiphopdx-awards 2006 HipHopDX Awards | Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop. HipHop DX. Retrieved on 2011-05-30. 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." Rolling Stone|Rolling Stone Magazine recently compared R.A.'s rap flow to that of a blue-eyed Biggie Smalls. When reviewing his song "On the Block", Vibe (magazine)|Vibe Magazine said, "I love this song. It give me goosebumps. It's very inventive." Now things seem to be going R.A.'s way and his music is beginning to receive praise from critics and fans worldwide. http://www.koraawards.org/php/accueil/index.php? cnx=fr& page=detail_nommes& bio=903
In addition to his hip hop career, R.A. wrote a monthly movie column for Mass Appeal Magazine , was a contributor to The Ego Trip Book of Rap Lists (St. Martin's Press) and Ego Trip's Big Book of Racism (HarperCollins), and has written numerous articles for other magazines including Vibe (magazine)| Vibe , King (magazine)| King , Complex (magazine)| Complex , Rides , XXL (magazine)|XXL http://www.xxlmag.com/bloggers/2009/10/it%E2%80%99s-a-beautiful-thing-being-ra-the-rugged-man/ Its A Beautiful Thing Being R.A. the Rugged Man. Xxlmag.Com. Retrieved on 2011-05-30. and The Source (magazine)|The Source .
A horror film fan, R.A. has written three screenplays with cult film director Frank Henenlotter and is writer-producer of a new Henenlotter film, Bad Biology . http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0974977/ Bad Biology (2008), IMDB.com The film has an original score by Josh Glazer (J. Glaze) with additional production by Prince Paul (producer)|Prince Paul , and cameos by Playboy model Jelena Jensen and Penthouse Pet Krista Ayne . R.A. is working on his directorial debut a film documentary based on his family, God Take, God Give . http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1468719/ God Take, God Give (2010), IMDB.com
Personal life
R.A.'s father, Staff Sgt. Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story#John A. Thorburn|John A. Thorburn , was a Vietnam veteran affected by Agent Orange . R.A.'s family was significantly affected by the potent chemical. His brother Maxx was born handicapped and blind, eventually dying at the age of 10. R.A's sister, Dee Ann, was born without the ability to walk or speak. She died in 2007 at the age of 27. R.A. tells his father's story in " Uncommon Valor: A Vietnam Story ," from the Jedi Mind Tricks album Servants in Heaven, Kings in Hell (which was also re-released on the compilation Legendary Classics vol. 1 ).
John A. Thorburn died 7 January 2010 from cancer . R.A. said that his father was truly happy within his last year of life, due to his mindset that he could plan his death. In his song "Lessons", R.A. alludes to suffering from mental illness himself.
He is of Germans|German descent on his mother's side. http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=8zuOOw_-TC0& feature=related http://www.myspace.com/ratheruggedman/photos/51140330#{%22ImageId%22%3A51140330}
Discography
Albums
1994: Night Of The Bloody Apes (unreleased)
1999: American Lowlife (unreleased)
2004: Die, Rugged Man, Die
2009: Legendary Classics vol. 1
2012: TBA
Singles
1992 "Bloody Axe"
1994 "Bloodshed Hua Hoo"
1996 "50.000 Heads" (feat. Sadat X ) / "Smithhaven Mall"
1997 "Till My Heart Stops" (feat. Agallah ) / "Flipside" (both later released on Soundbombing )
1999 "Stanley Kubrick" (on Soundbombing II ) / "What Da Fuck"
2010 "3 Greats" (on Reef the Lost Cauze album Fight Music feat. Kool G Rap )
2010 "Nosebleed" (on Vinnie Paz album Season of the Assassin (album)|Season of the Assassin )
2010 "Mad Ammo" (on Celph Titled and Buckwild album Nineteen Ninety Now )
2010 "Return of The Renaissance" (on Hell Razah album Heaven Razah )
2011 "Body the Beat" (feat. Ruste Juxx & Rock (rapper)|Rockness Monstah of Heltah Skeltah on album The maticulous EP )
2011 "Crazy Man" (on Block McCloud Crazy Man EP feat. Celph Titled)
2011 "High Ranking" (on Timbo King album From Babylon To Timbuk2 )
2011 "Animals" (on Clementino album "I.E.N.A.")
2012 "No Prints" (on Ruste Juxx and Kyo Itachi album "Hardbodie Hip Hop")
2012 "Zig Zag Zig" (on Rampage Ep "Everyone Aint Loyal")
References
Reflist|30em
External links
http://smokingsection.rawkus.com/TSS/? p=2577 Uncommon Valor: The Story of Staff Sergeant John A. Thorburn and RA The Rugged Man
http://artofrhyme.com/interviews/artist/R.A.-the-Rugged-Man/97/ March 2008 Interview with ArtofRhyme.com+ http://artofrhyme.com/interviews/artist/R.A.-the-Rugged-Man/23/ Feb 2007 Interview with Art of Rhyme
http://smokingsection.rawkus.com/TSS/? p=2456 Interview with The Smoking Section
http://nature-sounds.net/artists/r-a-the-rugged-man/ Nature Sounds Bio
http://hiphopruckus.com/2009/10/ra-the-rugged-man-to-floyd-mayweather-jr-so-when-you-gonna-fight-somebody-your-own-size.html/ Interview with Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
http://ratheruggedman.net/ R.A.theRuggedMan.net
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