by SCOTT C

A true legend of underground hip hop, R.A. the Rugged Man has all the unpredictable humour and demented charm of a crazy man exploiting his own inflated shortcomings for our twisted pleasure. This monster on the mic worked with Biggie and Mobb Deep in the beginning, has supposedly been homeless and loves horror movies more than most.

Touring to support his latest release Die, Rugged Man, Die on Nature Sounds, R.A spoke to the Mirror from his home in New York.

Mirror: You’re an opinionated guy, and you’ve worked that into your career as an MC.

R.A.: Yeah, I just know what I’m talking about. A lot of people in the world don’t so, y’know, I deserve to speak because I know more than others (laughs).

M: I bought a bootleg of Biggie’s “Who Shot Ya?” in ’93, and your Crustified Dibbs industry diss “Every Record Label Sucks Dick” was on the B-side. Why did you do it? Didn’t you screw your major label chances?

R.A.: Ain’t nothin’ changed. You say the things, and they have repercussions in the commercial market, but in the real world they don’t. They get you respected. I’m gonna do everything I want to do the way I want to do it. Like right now, I’m making a movie and I’m not taking the Hollywood route. I’m goin’ to do it the way I want. You gotta do whatever the fuck you want to do.

M: So did that record end up hurting you at the time?

R.A.: Financially, yeah, because everyone was scared of me. But look, I’m still in the game years and years later, while all those other faggots who conformed to what their record label wanted are missing in action and gone, and broke, and wished they was doin’ what I’m doin right now. I can get ignorant and be wrong sometimes, but if I’m thinkin’ it, I’m sayin’ it.

M: So tell me about this movie. Are you a director now?

R.A.: Naw, I’m producing it and Frank Henenlotter is directing. He’s the director of Frankenhooker and Basket Case 1, 2 and 3. Gabe Bartalos, who worked on Leprechaun, is doing the special effects, and Prince Paul is doing the original score. Jedi Mind Tricks is executive-producing, and there’s a couple of cameos from J-Zone and Killah Priest, but we also got actor motherfucker types in there too. It’s a little horror sex thing, you know, chills and thrills. It’s actually a god-awful love story. (other phone rings) One sec man...Sorry ’bout that. They want me to interview Crispin Glover tomorrow for Mass Appeal magazine.

M: You’re joking.

R.A.: Naw, I’m serious. They were like, “For this issue, would you be willing to do Crispin Glover?” and I’m leaving for five weeks tomorrow, so we had to set it up real quick.

M: That’ll be crazy.

R.A.: Well, he’s doing that movie about retards, and if you listen to my music, you know I’ve got retarded people in my family. Nephews, brothers, sisters. So I know more about retarded people than he does, and he cast them in his movie.

With Jedi Mind Tricks, the Narcicyst/Illuminarcy at Foufounes on Saturday, Sept. 23, 7 p.m., $13

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