Rugged Man Be Who The Man Is

I just got an email from my dude RA The Rugged Man, co-writer of the recent horror flick Bad Biology, about his upcoming directorial debut. Rugged's first film is called God Take, God Give. According to RA, it is going to be “an insane mockumentary” based on the life of his father, Staff Sgt. John A. Thorburn. If you read my articles, you may remember this interview I did with RA that focused on Staff Sgt. Thorburn and the importance of the song "Uncommon Valor". For those unfamiliar with the song, RA rhymes a biographical verse about his father's Vietnam war experiences alongside Vinnie Paz over a Stoupe beat. Upon hearing the song, I instantly put RA's verse in my all-time Top 5. It hasn't moved out of my personal Top 5 yet. I'm happy to see Staff Sgt. Thorburn and RA continuing to collaborate on creative projects. To read the full write-up of God Take, God Give over at Fangoria, click here.

Download "Uncommon Valor" by Jedi Mind Tricks featuring RA The Rugged Man.



Bonus: I've really been feeling this joint I randomly discovered yesterday. "Ring Kings" by Hostyle featuring RA The Rugged Man

Uncommon Valor: The Story of Staff Sergeant John A. Thorburn and RA The Rugged Man

The Smoking Section recently helped me get in touch with RA The Rugged Man to do two different interviews. The first interview was about his career background and some of his new projects. The second interview was an in depth look at his verse from the Jedi Mind Tricks song "Uncommon Valor". The interview went online today, and I'm very proud of how it came out. It's a piece that I've wanted to write for a long time, so I'm glad it made the transition from idea to finished project.

Here is a snippet...

TSS: How much input did you and Vinnie Paz have on Stoupe’s production for the song?

RA: Well, Stoupe originally hit us with different beat. I started writing some shit to the first beat he hit us with. Stoupe is neurotic, and after I started writing to the first beat he said, “Oh, I hate the beat. I don’t like the beat.” I told him, “Just give me the fucking beat that we’re really using.” Paz sent me over the next beat that Stoupe had, and I just started writing to it. Neither of us really had any influence. Vinnie just accepted it and I said, “No doubt, we’ll do it.”

To read the whole interview, click here.

Smoking Session with RA The Rugged Man

I have a brand new Smoking Session (interview) with RA The Rugged Man at The Smoking Section. Amongst other things, we discussed Treach from Naughty by Nature, OPP, and his new movie project titled Bad Biology. To read the interview click here.