#061 - R.A. The Rugged Man - Biggie, Vietnam, and Modern Hip-Hop
Mr Obnoxious
Peter McCormack
4.8 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 24 March 2025
⏱️ 91 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
R.A. The Rugged Man is a legendary hip-hop artist, lyricist, and filmmaker, known for his uncompromising style, underground acclaim, and powerful storytelling. From early industry blackballing to global respect, he’s earned a reputation as one of the most authentic voices in rap, praised by legends like Biggie, Kool G Rap, and Chuck D.
In this interview, we explore R.A.’s rise through the chaos of the music industry, the making of his iconic track Uncommon Valor, and the deeply personal story of his father’s service in Vietnam and the devastating impact of Agent Orange on his family. R.A. reflects on hip-hop’s evolution, the modern rap landscape, and what it means to stay real in a commercialised culture. We also dive into his passion for filmmaking, his experiences as a father, and his views on politics, war, and American decline.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Big was my era. You know, we're kids, you know, I think I was probably 18, he was probably 20 or something. |
| 0:06.8 | You're a competitor, so I'm like, I'll destroy this guy. You know, you're not looking. And like I said, they're from my era. |
| 0:13.5 | So they're my peers. And they were all on the come up. So all these guys that had these brilliant careers, they didn't have the brilliant careers that they were my competition and my peers. |
| 0:22.2 | And even if we were friends, you were still like, |
| 0:25.6 | I'm better than him, I'm better than you, you know, let's go. |
| 0:28.1 | That was what hip hop was at the time, it was like a competition and a fight. |
| 0:32.6 | I just thought like, oh yeah, we're going to, you know, my man, he was cool. I wasn't like, whoa, I'm in the guy that's going to be one of the most famous rappers that ever lived, |
| 0:40.3 | and they'll still be talking about them in 30 years worldwide. |
| 0:42.7 | You don't know that. |
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| 1:27.1 | That is iron.com. All right. All right. How you doing, man? |
| 1:32.0 | I'm great. Man is treating me like a king. I'm in the UK with my kids. Just got back from the London |
| 1:38.2 | dungeon. His son thought I was doing it for me. Like, oh, I already want to see the dungeon. |
| 1:43.4 | Nah, he has two kids here, nine-year-olds, nine- and eight-year- for me. Like, oh, I already want to see the dungeon. Nah, he has two kids here, nine year olds, nine and eight year old here. |
... |
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