R.A. the Rugged Man, a self-proclaimed hip hop legend, has not released a solo album in nine years. R.A. is characterized by a rapid-fire, and aggressive delivery as well as pissing people off with his lyrics. He is always nasty on the mic and does not care about what anyone has to say to him. R.A. is finally releasing some more solo material in 2013. Does R.A. keep up the excellence after such a long hiatus? Let's get into it.
STILL DIGGIN WIT BUCK (INTRO)- R.A. starts out the album with a bang, going at pretty much everything he doesn't like. He sounds angry and I love it. Buckwild's beat is simplistic, but is simply made for an MC like RA to spit over. 9/10
THE PEOPLES CHAMP- The anthem of the album, this song is epic. The beat is huge and powerful, and RA's flow is flawless. He has many memorable lines in this song and the hook comes in perfectly. 8.5/10
DEFINITION OF A RAP FLOW- the title for this song could not be more perfect. RA spits really, really fast on this track, showing his legendary technical ability. The beat is groovy and simple, with a hook that is really corny. I can still cosign this track just for RA's rapping ability here. 8.5/10
LEARN TRUTH (FEAT. TALIB KWELI) - one of the slower tracks on the album, this starts with a simple piano beat that evolves as the track goes on. Talib Kweli and RA trade some pretty good verses, and there is not much else to say about the track. 7.5/10
BANG BOOGIE - this 2 minute track felt like the one that didn't really have to be on the album. There is nothing wrong with it, but not much to remember, besides a pretty good instrumental. 7/10
TOM THUM- an old-school track, this one is perfect for the car and bop your head to. The beat is epic and RA has some nice lines. The icing on the cake is the beatboxing in the middle of RA's bars. This was a sick track, and catchy as hell. 9/10
HOLLA-LOO-YUH- Tech N9ne opens up this song with a typical Tech N9ne verse, and sounds perfect on this beat. Krizz Kaliko supplies a catchy ass hook, and RA delivers one of his best verses on the album. 9/10
MEDIA MIDGETS- one of the more lyrical tracks, RA goes into his hatred for today's media. The beat sounds very smooth and RA's flow is great on this track. The hook could have been better, though.I found it a bit obnoxious and corny. 8.5/10
SHOOT ME IN THE HEAD- a very memorable track, as RA drops one absolutely hilarious line after another. The hook is fantastic and RA's "political" bars are fantastic. This beat is pretty simple, but all the attention should be turned to RA's lyrics on this song. 9.5/10
LEGENDS NEVER DIE- this track is dedicated to RA's father who has cancer, and you can definitely feel the love he has for him. He relives all the memories and things his dad taught him, as he even gets choked up saying the last few lines. A very emotional and impressive track showing RA's songwriting versatility. 9/10
DANGEROUS THREE (FEAT. BROTHER ALI & MASTA ACE)- A simple piano beat starts the track, as Brother Ali is flowing nicely. with some surprisingly ignorant lines for him. This track takes off with the beat change in the middle of the verse. RA has a good verse, but Masta Ace absolutely kills it. The way he rides the beat change and switches his flow is so dope. 9.5/10
LUV TO FUK- this track definitely had a clear theme, as the hook clearly shows. A hilarious track, its definitely fun as RA spits some more funny lyrics. Also, a pretty solid instrumental. The silliness of this track does make it one I would skip. 8/10
UNDERGROUND HITZ (FEAT. HOPSIN)- while this track has a pretty badly cliche beat, RA makes up for it with one of my favorite verses of his. The hook is infectious and gets stuck in your head. Hopsin delivers a good verse, but being a fan of Hopsin, I was a little disappointed. Still a very good track. 9/10
LAUGH, CLOWN, LAUGH- this is a super catchy track, as the hook is awesome, and this is one of the coolest, most unique instrumentals on the whole album. RA has some good lines here, and there is not much to complain about on this song. 8.5/10
SAM PECKINPAH (FEAT. VINNIE PAZ) - easily the highlight of the album. RA and Vinnie Paz trade some seriously dope verses as they alternate every few bars, with the catchy hook giving them a breather. With a beat made perfectly for spitting over and some crazy lines from both MCs, this track is flawless. 10/10
STILL GET THROUGH THE DAY- RA closes out the album with a kind, personal track. What makes this track is the hook. Probably my favorite hook on the album, it is catchy and really well made. RA is very lyrical again here, and it was a good choice for the last song. 8.5/10
LEGENDS NEVER DIE WRAP UP
+RA spits as furiously as ever, his rhyme scheme and breath control is mind-blowing
+A lot of variety as this has tracks on a lot of different topics
+The featured rappers really come through and elevate the songs they're in
+A lot of hooks that are admittedly very catchy
+Some hilarious lyrics
-Some unbearably corny instrumentals
Best: Sam Peckinpah, Shoot Me in the Head, The Dangerous Three
Worst: Bang Boogie
R.A. the Rugged Man- Legends Never Die
9.0/10
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