Legends Never Die(R.A. the Rugged Man album)

Legends Never Dieis the secondstudio albumfromNew York Cityhip hop artistR.A. the Rugged Man.The album was released on April 30, 2013, byNature Sounds.It is the follow-up to 2004'sDie, Rugged Man, Die.The album featuresguest appearancesfromTalib Kweli,Krizz Kaliko,Masta Ace,Brother Ali,Tech N9ne,Hopsin,Vinnie Paz,Eamon,Sadat Xamong others.[2]The album's production was handled byBuckwild,Ayatollah,ApathyandMarco Poloamong others.

Legends Never Die
Studio albumby
ReleasedApril 30, 2013
Recorded2009–2013[1]
GenreHip hop
Length57:05
LabelNature Sounds
ProducerApathy,Buckwild,C-Lance, Dev-1, Jussi Jaakola, Marc Niles,Mr. Green,Shuko, Vherbal, Will Tell
R.A. the Rugged Manchronology
Legendary Classics Vol. 1
(2009)
Legends Never Die
(2013)
All My Heroes Are Dead
(2020)
SinglesfromLegends Never Die
  1. "The People's Champ"
    Released: February 20, 2013
  2. "Learn Truth"
    Released: March 26, 2013

Background

edit

The first single from the album, "The People's Champ", produced by Apathy, was released on February 20, 2013.[3][4]On April 9, 2013, the music video was released for "The People's Champ".[5]On April 29, 2013, the music video was released for "Learn Truth" featuringTalib Kweli.[6]On June 18, 2013, the music video was released for "Holla-Loo-Yuh" featuringTech N9neandKrizz Kaliko.[7]In July 2013 Nature Sounds announced that a limited edition cassette version of the album would be released.[8]

Critical response

edit
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic84/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
HipHopDX[11]
RapReviews8/10[12]
The Source(positive)[13]
XXL(XL)[14]

Legends Never Diewas met with rave reviews frommusic critics.AtMetacritic,which assigns anormalizedrating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received anaveragescore of 84, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 4 reviews.[9]David Jeffries ofAllMusicgave the album four out of five stars, saying "If he mentioned an exciting mixing of Twista's speed, De La Soul's D.A.I.S.Y. Age attitude, and the modern swagger of the Tech N9ne-driven underground, that would be the headline review of this sophomore release,Legends Never Die,which follows his debut,Die, Rugged Man, Die,by eight-plus years. That's criminal, because when producers like Mr. Green, Apathy, and Buckwild come up with fresh, funky ideas, R.A. responds with excellence, and sometimes a J-Zone-sized sense of humor (check "Luv to Fuck" for Talib Kweli and Redd Foxx's genetics being spliced together, right before your ears). "[10]Khari Nixon ofThe Sourcegave the album a positive review, saying "There's something to be said about an individual that is enjoying his 3rd decade as a member of this cutthroat industry, and can still make relevant music rivaling the most prevalent material that's currently out. And for those that don't thinkLegends Never Dierivals today's prevalent material, simply press play on track 3, the tightly-run lyrical battleship better known as "Definition Of A Rap Flow", and we dare you to imagine a verse out today that can compete with that on just about any level. "[13]

David "Rek" Lee ofHipHopDXgave the album four out of five stars, saying "Legends Never Dieisn't a perfect album. The sequencing is a bit off at times, as it inexplicably jumps from aggressive, lyrical tracks to more subdued conscious records. Also, some of the production feels dated even for an "underground record." But overall, it's an album embedded with enough humor, knowledge, and obscure Hip Hop references ( "I'm a whooligan like James Caan's son…" ) that will force listeners to keep this one in rotation. R.A. the Rugged Man might not care about an industry exec or releasing music on a consistent basis, but his love for the art is undeniable because he's only getting better. The champ is here. "[11]Grant Jones of RapReviews gave the album an eight out of ten, saying "Legends Never Die"is noticeably more intense lyrically, with RA adopting his multi-syllable style which shows influences of Big Pun." Definition of a Rap Flow "is the perfect example of how refined RA is at his art. The only person I can think that may match him for breathless flow is Esoteric, or Pun himself. This relentless verbal assault follows on" Media Midgets "which carries on RA's hatred of the industry, critics and everything else in between. This is a theme which understandably ran through"Die Rugged Man, Die"as it was his ten years-late debut, but having now established himself with regular work and clearly not toning his act down for radio, the anti-industry message seems redundant at times."[12]Sean Ryon ofXXLgave the album an XL, saying "With the exception of a few fillers,Legends Never Dieis a truly compelling entry in the two-decade discography of R.A. the Rugged Man. It's an album armed with exceptionally mastered production, stunning guest features and raw, emotional delivery from R.A.. "[14]

Commercial performance

edit

The album debuted at number 1 on the USBillboardHeatseekers Albumschart, number 17 on theBillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albumschart, and at number 131 on theBillboard200.[15]

Track listing

edit
No.TitleProducer(s)[16]Length
1."Still Diggin Wit Buck (Legends Intro)"Buckwild1:34
2."The People's Champ"Apathy3:55
3."Definition of a Rap Flow" (featuringAmalie Bruun)Dev-1, Marc Niles3:29
4."Learn Truth" (featuringTalib Kweli)Mr. Green3:16
5."Bang Boogie"Jussi Jaakola1:55
6."Tom Thum"Will Tell3:12
7."Holla-Loo-Yuh" (featuringTech N9neandKrizz Kaliko)C-Lance3:12
8."Media Midgets"Buckwild3:43
9."Shoot Me in the Head"Marco Polo3:54
10."Legends Never Die (Daddy's Halo)"Mr. Green3:21
11."The Dangerous Three" (featuringBrother AliandMasta Ace)Mr. Green3:58
12."Luv to Fuk" (featuringEamon)Shuko4:19
13."Underground Hitz" (featuringHopsin)Will Tell2:49
14."Laugh, Clown, Laugh"Vherbal2:55
15."Sam Peckinpah" (featuringVinnie PazandSadat X)C-Lance3:18
16."Outro"Shuko0:32
17."Still Get Through The Day" (featuring Eamon)Ayatollah3:36
Bonus Track
No.TitleProducerLength
18."Make You Famous" (featuringBlock McCloud)Vherbal4:07
Deluxe Edition Bonus Track
No.TitleLength
19."Complex Superiority" (Available via download card as MP3 only.)3:27
Cassette Edition Bonus Track
No.TitleProducerLength
20."It's Gone"DJ Noize4:10

Charts

edit
Chart (2013) Peak
position
UK R&B Albums(OCC)[17] 36
USBillboard200[18] 131
USBillboardTop R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[18] 17
USBillboardTop Rap Albums[18] 12
USBillboardHeatseekers Albums[18] 1

References

edit
  1. ^Arnold, Paul W (2009-08-31)."R.A. The Rugged Man Talks New Film And Music Projects".HipHop DX.Retrieved2013-04-27.
  2. ^Julian, Can (2013-08-13)."R.A. the Rugged Man - Legends Never Die (Artwork & Tracklist)".Rap-n-blues.com.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  3. ^"R.A. the Rugged Man – The People's Champ (prod. Apathy)".2dopeboyz. 2013-02-20.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  4. ^"R.A. The Rugged Man: The People's Champ [prod by Apathy] | The Underground Hip Hop Authority | Hip Hop Music, Videos & Reviews".KevinNottingham.com. Archived fromthe originalon 2017-11-07.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  5. ^"R.A. The Rugged Man -" The People's Champ "".HipHop DX. 2013-04-09.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  6. ^"R.A. The Rugged Man f. Talib Kweli -" Learn Truth "".HipHop DX. 2013-04-29.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  7. ^"R.A. The Rugged Man f. Tech N9ne & Krizz Kaliko -" Holla-Loo-Yuh "".HipHop DX. 2013-06-18.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  8. ^Martinez, Paul (2013-07-18)."R.A. The Rugged Man To Release Limited Edition" Legends Never Die "Cassette".HipHop DX.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  9. ^abSaulGood (2013-05-24)."Legends Never Die Reviews".Metacritic.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  10. ^abDavid Jeffries (2013-04-30)."Legends Never Die - R.A. the Rugged Man".AllMusic.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  11. ^abDavid "Rek" Lee."R.A. The Rugged Man - Legends Never Die".HipHop DX.Retrieved2013-05-06.
  12. ^ab"RA the Rugged Man:: Legends Never Die:: Nature Sounds".Rapreviews.com. 2013-05-21.Retrieved2013-09-16.
  13. ^ab"Record Report: R.A. The Rugged Man's 'Legends Never Die'".TheSource. 2013-05-02.Retrieved2013-05-06.
  14. ^ab"Album Review: R.A. The Rugged Man, Legends Never Die - XXL".Xxlmag.com. 2013-05-01.Retrieved2013-05-06.
  15. ^"LL Cool J Scores 13th Top 10 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums".Billboard.RetrievedMay 30,2013.
  16. ^"R.A. The Rugged Man - Legends Never Die - Audio CD - Underground Hip Hop - Store".Ughh.com.Retrieved2013-04-27.
  17. ^"Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40".Official Charts Company.Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  18. ^abcd"R.A. The Rugged Man Album & Song Chart History".Billboard.Nielsen Business Media.Retrieved2013-05-11.