Author Topic: dope interview with R.A. The Rugged Man (Read 103 times)

eKardz · « **on:** May 01, 2005, 08:40:33 PM »

saw this over at art of rhyme...figured id post it up

R.A. the Rugged Man

Your album has been out for a couple months now, are you happy with its success?

Yeah, but it's gonna be a slow process, because it's an indie joint you know. We're doing good. We made all the money back and we recouped, now everything we make on top of this is going to be profit. Yeah I'm happy with it man, we got the video for "Lessons" coming out in two weeks. We're just starting to really come back for the new year and try to get motherfu--ers talking.

You've taken part in some wild videos in the past.

You talking about the X-Rated video? Yeah, that sh-- was supposed to be on the fu--king DVD but everybody fu--ed up. That wild ass video you were talking about was supposed to be in the Die Rugged Man Die album, but I don't know what the fu-- happened. That sh-- got leaked somewhere and someone's playing it somewhere on the Internet, but I want to get that out there a little better. But the video I'm talking about is for "Lessons". It's got Vito Antefermo, the ex-middleweight champion of the world in it. He fought Haggler twice. He was on the Sopranos, Godfather Part 3 and Goodfellas. I got him playing a bouncer and Mitch Blood Green playing a bouncer. We got a lot of tricks in it, it's a dope video you know.

Where do you expect to have that played? Where do you think we'll see it?

Hey wherever Nature Sounds can get it played you'll see it, so who the fu-- knows.

Have you heard from The Alchemist since you're line about him in the song Lessons?

Yeah, he's a nice little kid. He's a nice kid. The line was written out of love. I believe that he did it, and I won't say he didn't and sh--, so I'm going to say it on the record. But I've seen him a couple of times and he's like "The song's fire, it's all good R", you know. I've known Al for a lot of years, that's why I said it in a playful way. You know, Al you my little buddy, but motherfu--er you know what you did.

I'll apologize because I interviewed The Alchemist awhile back and we asked him about that…

Oh, you were the first one that he heard that from. I read that online and he was all confused and nervous, and didn't know what the hell was going on. "He really said that", every two lines. I read that sh--, that's funny. That's you guys? He would have found out sooner or later but you motherfu--ers told him right away. In fact, it wasn't no gritty sh--. I was MP3'ing it to his brother up at Shady, like "Yo check out this sh--". I wanted motherfu--ers to hear it, I think it's a hot line.

I'm sure you've heard this before, but you don't look like the stereotypical rapper. What's the most interesting reaction you've gotten from someone when they first meet you as RA?

That's happened so many times in my life, it's the same sh--. "Get the fu-- outta here", you know, nobody really believes it ever. For a lot of years nobody really knew what I looked like. I be up in the party and there'd be mad little dorky RA fans and they wouldn't even know I was there. For some reason, as much as I say "white boy this, white that", everybody thought I was black for a lot of years. Yes, RA's a white boy.

It's gotta be the deep voice…

I think I make legitimate ass music with a legitimate ass voice. It ain't no whiney, squeaky ass white boy voice, it sounds like some other sh--.

You've been holding down the game for almost 20 years….

Well I've been rapping for 19 years, since it's 2005 and I started it in '86. Holding down the game, I don't know. (Laughs) I wasn't too good when I was 13. I got good around 15-16. I was a good amateur when I was like 14, but first couple years of rapping I was very wack.

…we'll be conservative and say you've held it down for 16 years. How have you kept your style fresh for all of this time? Or do you believe people are just catching up?

You know what, it's funny. Nah I keep my style fresh. I think everybody has to advance their sh-- to the next year, cause if I was still sounding like I was in 92, it'd be like "Yo, this motherfu--er sounds like 92." If motherfu--ers were still rhyming like Trends of Culture, it wouldn't be popping. You just be yourself, say the sh-- you really feel and keep saying it. Advance your flows, get your flows better and keep updating your sh-- every year or you're going to fall off. Once you don't think you have to get better, then your sh-- is going to sound the same five years from now. This ain't rock and roll, this is hip hop, you have to advance and stay on top of all the young kids.

What are some techniques to staying like that?

You have to always study hip hop. You have to know what the fu-- is out there and know what you have to stay better than. If a producer's trying to make beats better than Premier's beats in 93, so what. Premier's made beats better than Premier made in 93. You always have to stay on top of the game and what's going on. Look at the history and say okay, so and so already said this, I have to say it this way. Stay focused and work really, really fu--ing hard. You see how many rappers fall off. I can't believe every one of my favorite rappers fall off. I got like maybe 2 or 3 left from my childhood. I don't know how to tell him to do it because nobody seems to do it. I don't know how G. Rap did it, I don't know how he advances every year. It's just something that some people have in them, like boxers. Bernard Hopkins is 40 still fighting and kicking people's asses. Guys like Roy Jones getting knocked out twice in a row.

You're very into boxing. Are you a boxer, or just a spectator?

I'm just a spectator. I've fought and was in boxing, joined it when I was 9. I fought for two and a half years and never got to fight in the city, I had to just train in my gym. I got a bleeding ulcer when I was 10, and I kept boxing but my mother made me quit because she thought I'd get hit in the stomach and sh-- blood or something. So that's my pathetic career in boxing, so I'm a spectator. I was fat, I was like 9 years old and 130 pounds, with a mad belly roll, acting like I'm going to be a fighter and sh--. Pretty pathetic. But I can slapbox the sh-- out of anybody, to this day. Name a rapper, we'll go on the street and slapbox.

If money wasn't an issue, who would be some people on your current top ten list of artists and producers to collaborate with?

Out of dudes right now? Everybody gets mad at me because I give him props all the time, but I like Ludacris. The underground cats always get mad at me, but I think he's a gifted ass MC. He's got a strong voice, thick bassy voice, mad flows, versatile, I think Luda's dope. I think most commercial rappers are wack, but Luda's not. I always wanted to do some dirty x-rated sh-- with Lil Kim, talking about eating the pu--y, she's sucking the di- type raps. I wanted to call it Beauty and the Beast, that never happened. Beatwise, I'd get some R&B cats. I'd go see Teddy Riley and take it back to The Show, Doug E Fresh and Slick Rick. I'd get Teddy Riley to produce my sh-- (laughs).

How about Kanye West?

Just as long as he didn't try to rap on the song with me, I'd let him make a beat for me because once in a while he got some tracks. People sleep on that sh-- he did for Alicia Keys, but if they put Wu-Tang members on that beat or a hard-ass MC on that beat like Beanie Sigel, that beat is retarded. He's got beats, I just don't want him to rap on my sh--.

You mentioned the Neptunes on "Lessons", how about them?

Neptunes man, those dudes got skills. I know people clown them because they're so popular, but as long as it's not one of those beats they give to four different artists, and it blows up everytime, but it's the same kind of beat. When they get creative and try some other sh--, they got some cool sh--. If I fu--- with the Neptunes, I want them to dig and make some sh-- that'll make you like "what the fu-- is that?", which I know they got in them. Like who's the two drug dealer kids they produce, Clipse. That second single, that beat is fu--ing retarded. It's easy to diss motherfu--ers cause they sell records, but I know they're talented. People will go to them for some sh-- that sounds exactly like the sh-- they're known for, cause they think it'll sell, but I never want beats like that.

Who are some of the producers on Die Rugged Man Die?

They're almost as known as Neptunes, and almost as known as Timbaland. Mark Nilez, he's really a famous producer. Nah, I got a whole bunch of cats that are dope, really talented. Ayatollah, Cologero, J-Zone, DJ Luciano, Koran. Those are all talented kids who just wanna make music. They're not making crazy doe. Cologero's making doe, him and Gizmo from Audio Two. They did the song Casanova. They're producing sh-- for Jaheim and Beanie Sigel.

Where'd you come up with the title Die Rugged Man Die?

It just sounded funny. Motherfu--ers wanted me dead for mad years. I know G-Unit's all saying "they want me dead" now, but I was hated 15 years before all of them. At a time in my career, everybody in my world, in my circle wanted the worst for me. Kill this motherfu--er, get him out of here. Hey man, I'm still here. I'm still fu--ing right the fu-- here, ain't nobody did sh--.

You've had your share of problems with labels, what do you think the biggest is the biggest issue with record labels?

You know what the problems are, the problems are being solved. They're all going out of business, so the problems aren't existing that much. The fu--ing dudes who didn't know what the fu-- they're doing. Some rich guy owns a label and a street kid who doesn't know music will come up and talk some slang, and he'll get a job as Senior A&R. The rich guy's like wow he knows street, but he don't know music motherfu--er. Then they'll throw another A&R who has a college education but he don't know hip hop. Def Jam was a rarity back in the day, people in Def Jam knew the music, most other labels didn't. They have power, it's about marketing. Power to promote and not promote, it's not about art or skill, it's about themselves. They want to be the stars, not the rappers. They want to keep the rappers broke while they buy houses and cars. None of them motherfu--ers have jobs anymore.

On your album you mention Jive records, and them just turning pop while they signed you. You say that your lawyer wouldn't even call you back; has he called you back yet?

That motherfu--er took my call when I got my deal with Priority. He was honest. (Laughs) I even used him on the next deal, which I shouldn't have. I was a dick. I put a call into him, he didn't call me for a year and change, maybe called me once. I put a call in a bunch of years later, telling him about Priority which I might be into doing, he calls me back like "Yo, you said the magic word". Alright, you're honest man, you put it out there so let's do it. He wrote me a shi--y contract, shouldn't have rolled with him. I dicked over some guy. I didn't dick him over, but I was working with a big fancy, Jew lawyer that wouldn't call me back. I get what I deserve with that one.

Who are you with now? Who's your label?

We did it independently through Nature Sounds/Caroline. They're looking at me now so I can't really say anything. (Laughs) Nah, it's a good situation because it's a one-off, so if they fu-- my sh-- up I can leave. I own the rights to my music, 50/50 split. It's a contract that no one can refuse. So I said alright I'll do this one with you. We have to get the hustle moving a little more, get some posters up in the street, some samplers out to the hood. I want the barbershops to know I exist. I want the elementary and junior high schools to know I exist. Little street kids, I'd like to let them know that I'm here. It's a low budget situation.

Do you still have a relationship with Eastern Conference Records? Mighty Mi and Eon?

Nah, we never really did. If we go there I always end up fouling out on Milo. I always say all fu--ed up sh-- about him. It's a cliche for someone to say Eastern Conference and for me to say "Milo's a bitch", and you can write all that.

Looking back on your career, what was the biggest disappointment?

It was all disappointing back in the day. My whole career was a dsiappointment to me. Everything that happened in my career up until 95, until I figured sh-- out. Now there's no disappointments, and everything went exactly as it needed to go. I wouldn't change one thing. When I was a kid I wanted to be a rap star. When I signed and had the 9 label bidding war, I knew I was going to be a star before I had a deal. For me not to sell the million or two million when I was 20, it was a disappointment. But everything happened for a brilliant reason. It took some distance for me to say this is helping you be the better artist than you ever would have been. If everything went the right way, I would have been a spoiled ass bullsh-- artist, and probably would have fell off 10 years ago. Everything happened for a reason. Made me a fuc--ing way better artist. That's why I'm still better than all these fu--ing faggot artists. I was just disappointed when I was younger.

Is Rugged Man somewhat of a persona, or when you wake up in the morning, are you Rugged Man?

It depends man. If I have a fu--ing nice little 19 year old innocent girl swallowing my cock, I might be like "Hey baby, I love you baby". Nah man, Rugged Man is Rugged Man. What you hear on the records is exactly who I am. It ain't a persona, I wish I could say it was. Like I said on the album, Rugged Man is not a nice guy. He is me. One of my boys said I'm different from Rugged Man, and Rugged Man fu--s mad bitches and gets mad pu--y, but if it wasn't for Rugged Man I wouldn't get no pu--y. But it's the same person.