BY JORDAN COMMANDEUR • JANUARY 14, 2019

R.A. The Rugged Man has been a standard bearer for the sometimes-repulsive yet often-witty raps since he burst on the scene in the mid-1990s, However, since Y2K, this veteran MC has grown to be so much more. His development as a lyricist was apparent on his 2013 album, Legends Never Die, and his mentoring of A-F-R-O has seen the young wordsmith mature into an exciting recording artist. While it has been six years since his last LP, the Suffolk County spitter has been busy with his podcast, The R.A. The Rugged Man Show (aka Ignorant Long Island Guy’s Podcast). Episode 8 of the series dropped in November of last year and featured filmmaker Frank Henenlotter. But make no mistake, The Rugged Man will still get grimy on the mic at the drop of a dime.

To whet fans’ appetites for his upcoming studio album, the artist formerly known as Crustified Dibbs is serving up the Western-themed video for “The Return.” This, of course, makes perfect sense considering the intro sample sounds like it was pulled right from an Ennio Morricone soundtrack. Not to mention that fact R.A. compares himself to Keith Cowboy from Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five about halfway through the cut. To keep it 100, he kicks his minute-long verse in chaps, cowboy hat and boot, and a six-shooter.

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