R.A. The Rugged Man

Born Richard Thorburn in 1974, the Long Island native R.A. the Rugged Man began circulating through New York’s underground rap scene in the late ’80s, performing at local shows and drawing major-label interest with his bold lyricism and high-energy live sets. He inked a deal with Jive Records in 1992, but persistent conflicts kept most of his recorded material from reaching the public; only a handful of singles emerged while an entire album stayed shelved by contract disputes. A mid-’90s agreement with Priority Records produced similar roadblocks and another unreleased project, yet during this period he still appeared on tracks by Wu-Tang, Mobb Deep, and the Notorious B.I.G. while contributing to every installment of Rawkus Records’ influential Soundbombing series.

After more than ten years of stalled major-label attempts, he established the independent Nature Sounds imprint and issued his long-delayed debut, Die, Rugged Man, Die, in 2004. The 2009 retrospective Legendary Classics, Vol. 1 collected earlier collaborations with the Notorious B.I.G., Jedi Mind Tricks, and Sadat X. His 2013 follow-up, Legends Never Die, featured guest spots from Talib Kweli, Tech N9ne, Krizz Kaliko, and Masta Ace. Seven years later, third album All My Heroes Are Dead arrived, spotlighting appearances by Chuck D, Ice-T, Ghostface Killah, and additional Wu-Tang Clan members. The release climbed into the Top Ten of Billboard’s Heatseekers chart and reached number 22 on the overall album sales ranking.