Author Topic: RA THE RUGGED MAN - ALL MY HEROES ARE DEAD (Official Discussion)  (Read 609 times)


doggfather

Re: RA THE RUGGED MAN - ALL MY HEROES ARE DEAD (Official Discussion)
« Reply #1 on: April 20, 2020, 12:47:20 AM »
this will be my soundtrack of the day!
https://twitter.com/dggfthr

HELP

I'm an ol' school collecta from the 90's SO F.CK DIGITAL, RELEASE A CD!

RIP GANXSTA RIDD
RIP GODFATHER
RIP MONSTA O
RIP NATE DOGG
RIP BAD AZZ
 

doggfather

Re: RA THE RUGGED MAN - ALL MY HEROES ARE DEAD (Official Discussion)
« Reply #2 on: April 20, 2020, 06:06:03 AM »
new video:

https://twitter.com/dggfthr

HELP

I'm an ol' school collecta from the 90's SO F.CK DIGITAL, RELEASE A CD!

RIP GANXSTA RIDD
RIP GODFATHER
RIP MONSTA O
RIP NATE DOGG
RIP BAD AZZ
 

Eddz

Re: RA THE RUGGED MAN - ALL MY HEROES ARE DEAD (Official Discussion)
« Reply #3 on: April 22, 2020, 04:36:44 AM »
Lyrics, production and features are all top notch, top 5 album of the year easily.
« Last Edit: April 27, 2020, 02:30:06 PM by Eddz »
 

Rudki

Re: RA THE RUGGED MAN - ALL MY HEROES ARE DEAD (Official Discussion)
« Reply #4 on: April 22, 2020, 06:11:37 PM »
Great album

EPIC posse cut ft chino xl, onyx, brand nubian, chris rivers and more.
 

DJSpin

Re: RA THE RUGGED MAN - ALL MY HEROES ARE DEAD (Official Discussion)
« Reply #5 on: April 27, 2020, 12:12:58 PM »
Instant cop after hearing the wu joint.   I’ll never forget the first time I heard soundbombing 1, been a fan ever since.

 

The Predator

Re: RA THE RUGGED MAN - ALL MY HEROES ARE DEAD (Official Discussion)
« Reply #6 on: April 30, 2020, 07:28:02 AM »
Some good stuff on this.

Quote

All My Heroes Are Dead, R.A. The Rugged Man, album review:

R.A. The Rugged Man, aka R.A. Thornburn, is hip-hop’s best kept secret, and that is a hill I am willing to die on.

Despite starting out rapping in the early 90s, his controversy-soaked career has only borne three studio albums.

The most recent of this trilogy is All My Heroes Are Dead, which fans of the New York artist have waited seven years for.

The long wait may explain the album’s swollen tracklist, which at first looks daunting, but Thornburn needs every second to explore a plethora of ideas.

Across the album’s hour-and-a-quarter running time, he discusses the many facets of his identity.

In ‘Golden Oldies’ and ‘E.K.N.Y’, we get insights into the influences of 90s New York, and in ‘Legendary Loser’ Thorburn discusses mistakes that cost him a $1.8 million record deal.

‘The Introduction’ and ‘First Born’ cover the many effects of fatherhood.
The All My Heroes Are Dead artwork. Image: courtesy Nature Sounds Music

What Thorburn is adamant about, however, is that all of these influences can co-exist and he can inhibit multiple characters – soft and tender with his children, controversial and outspoken on stage, thoughtful when discussing sensitive topics such as rape and drug use, as he does on ‘Wondering (How To Believe)’.

All My Heroes Are Dead’s guest features are a Who’s Who of underground hip-hop, with contributions from Immortal Technique, Vinnie Paz and Slug from Atmosphere, as well as big-name verses from the likes of M.O.P, Ice T and several Wu-Tang members.

Thorburn delivers all the lyrical prowess and flow change-ups you would expect, but he also translates this way of manipulating punchlines and gags into vivid and evocative storytelling.

What we receive from The Rugged Man on this project is just that: a rugged medley of fast flows, boom-bap nostalgia and tear-jerking storytelling which details the intricacies of a man who has been around the block, suffered through hard times, but never lost the essence of his sound.



Quote
Review RA The Rugged Man 2020 All My Heroes Are Dead

R.A. The Rugged Man is one of our favorite personalities in the Hip Hop game: he is totally authentic and says what he thinks, no matter what other people think about his opinions. Furthermore, when it comes to Hip Hop (and politics…), he knows what he is talking about – his interviews in which he continuously needs to school DJ Vlad are a testament to that.

But R.A. is not just one of our favorite personalities, he is one of our favorite emcees as well. Few, if any emcees can go bar-for-bar with R.A. The Rugged Man. His technical skill, his incredible flow, his breath control, and his bar-building skills are second to none. Due to all kinds of label woes and a strong-minded personality with an unwillingness to compromise, he only released two albums in the close to three decades he’s been active in the game – but on those two albums, and on numerous guest appearances on other people’s songs (where he usually bodies everybody else involved), R.A. has consistently shown an unbeatable lyrical ability. Anyone who saw him performing live knows he can rock a crowd too – as a real emcee should be able to.

So now here we have his third album, All My Heroes Are Dead. Is it on par with his previous work? Well, yes it is. All My Heroes Are Dead is a LONG album, at 22 tracks and 1 hour and 16 minutes, but there’s a lot more killer more than filler. For those unfamiliar with R.A. The Rugged Man, the album may seem a bit schizophrenic. Some songs are personal or emotional, about family and fatherhood and such, other songs have some conscious and political tendencies, some are about Hip Hop (history) and some songs have that typical R.A. crass vulgarity (always with plenty of tongue-in-cheek and self-deprecating humor).

What all songs have in common though is R.A. The Rugged Man’s unparalleled wordplay and lyrical skill. All My Heroes Are Dead has a host of guest artists, and unlike a lot of other rappers R.A. The Rugged Man really doesn’t need any features to help carry his albums, but the feature list here is CRAZY.

Ice T. Chuck D. Kool G Rap. DJ jazzy Jeff. Brand Nubian. Ghostface Killah. Inspectah Deck. Masta Killa. Chino XL. M.O.P. Onyx. Immortal Technique. Vinnie Paz. Atmosphere. A-F-R-O. And others besides – this has to be one of the most impressive guest lists ever. Despite all these guests, this is very much a Rugged Man album, though – he is never outshined and nowhere overcrowded.

Legends Never Die was one of our favorite albums of 2013, this will be one of 2020’s best. Awesome rhyming, amazing features and fire production too. Fans of mainstream pop-rap will likely not like this album, older heads and those in tune with Hip Hop history will. This is a perfect album for the HHGA demographic and an AOTY-contender.

“Some say I’m a troll and a grumpy old a-hole / ‘Cause I prefer Kool Moe Dee and Melle Mel over J. Cole“. Ha!

Stand-out tracks: “Gotta Be Dope”, with incredible rhyming by R.A. and his protege A-F-R-O, and with cuts by the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff, “The Slayers Club”, the best posse cut you will hear this year (featuring Ice T, M.O.P., Onyx, Brand Nubian, Vinnie Paz, Chris Rivers, and Chino XL), “Dragon Fire”, the other posse cut (with Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, and Kool G Rap) that’s almost as dope, “Golden Oldies” (with Atmosphere and Eamon) with all its nods to classic Hip Hop, “Who Do We Trust” featuring Immortal Technique, with its eery beat and thought-provoking lyrics, and the deep and emotional single “Wondering”. 89/100



 

DJSpin

Re: RA THE RUGGED MAN - ALL MY HEROES ARE DEAD (Official Discussion)
« Reply #7 on: May 10, 2020, 03:03:51 AM »
Anyone receive yet?