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Event
LyonPride Music Presents The Rugged & Raw Tour Oct 19th feat. Potluck and RA The Rugged Man
LyonPride Music Presents The Rugged & Raw Tour Oct 19th feat. Potluck and RA The Rugged Man and local support from Con-Crete, Dezlooca, Sky Pilot, & KST Blunt Trauma. Venue: The Loch's 4pm-10pm All Ages & 21plus w/ ID
R.A. The Rugged Man
Few artists are ever as controversial as they are influential. New York legend R.A. The Rugged Man has lived up to this billing by combining the authenticity of his undeniably rugged life with lyrical skills feared by nearly all of his hip hop peers. Originally from a broken home in Long Island's Suffolk County, R.A. was raised by a Vietnam veteran/mental patient father whose exposure to Agent Orange left his brother Maxx physically and visually impaired and his sister Dee Ann unable to walk or speak. Finding refuge in hip-hop, R.A. began his whirlwind rap career at the age of 12. His immediate growth as an artist and constantly rising profile soon caught the attention of the major labels, and R.A. found himself at the center of a nine label bidding war. While he eventually signed with Jive, his vile behavior proved too much for the label to handle as they left his career to die without an album in stores to his name. To make matters worse, the rapper's stage shows had become so out of control that he was banned from performing in the United States.
Taking matters into his own hands, R.A. pioneered the indie-rap hustle, pressing his own vinyl singles and racking up one of the most impressive resumes in rap history. From collaborations with Wu-Tang and Mobb Deep to The Notorious B.I.G. and Kool G Rap, not to mention productions from Erick Sermon, DJ Quik and The Alchemist, his discography reads like a Hip-Hop Hall of Fame. This independent hustle led to show-stealing appearances on the three Rawkus Soundbombing collections, as R.A. became one of the most recognizable faces of the "underground" hip-hop movement that began gaining steam in the late 90s and early 2000s. A new generation of fans began discovering the Rugged Man's music in the 2000s, as he was featured on the Platinum-selling WWF Aggression compilation, got awarded the prestigious "Hip-Hop Quotable" by The Source magazine, and inked a deal with indie label Nature Sounds. He dropped his debut studio album Die Rugged Man, Die! in 2004, and followed up with the 2009 compilation Legendary Classics, finally giving fans remastered versions of Rugged Man classics that had never seen the light of day. R.A. has also been acclaimed for his writing, regularly contributing to Vibe, Complex and Mass Appeal magazine, and later landing a book deal with Testify Books. He expanded into film by producing and writing the cult classic Bad Biology, and is currently working on his directorial debut - a documentary based on the life of his father Staff Sgt. John A Thorburn.
Now, two decades after his career began, R.A. has improbably outlasted nearly all of his peers. Having been banned, forgotten, blackballed, and left for dead, the Rugged Man has somehow emerged in 2013 with a thriving career, a nonstop touring schedule, a die-hard fan base, and a new album that is sure to solidify his place as one of the most important figures in underground hip-hop. Featuring A-list guests like Tech N9ne, Hopsin, Talib Kweli, Brother Ali, Krizz Kaliko, Vinnie Paz, Masta Ace, Sadat X, Eamon, and more, Legends Never Die is not only a celebration of R.A.'s illustrious career, but an exciting look at what's still to come. "Honestly, I feel like this is only the beginning," says R.A. After all these years, the fact that the Rugged Man remains an innovator in the art of rhyming is probably the most remarkable aspect of his story. "The only reason I live is to be the best at what I do and I get better at it every day of my life," he says. "I can't wait to unleash it to the world."
POTLUCK
Hip-hop artists often glamorize the lives of drug kingpins, gangsters, and pimps. Unfortunately Pablo Escobar, John Gotti, and Hugh Hefner don't write raps, but Humboldt hip-hop duo Potluck do and have elevated the standard for weed based hip-hop. Born and raised in the endless Marijuana fields of Humboldt County, California, the weed capital of the world, Potluck has lived constantly surrounded by acres of weed plants, thousands of pounds, and the inventors of all the popular strains. Through the power of music, Potluck tells the full story of the only drug business where the hippie is king and peace, love, and happiness reign supreme.
"We come from Humboldt County, California, where weed is a way of life," says UnderRated. "If you listen to Potluck you will know what it's like to live in the Mecca of Marijuana and how it changes your way of thinking way beyond smoking blunts."
Potluck's unison of a giant African-American and small Jewish white guy, might seem odd but has managed to create one of the best underground hip-hop groups to emerge on the scene in years. The group launched onto the national scene in 2006 with their now classic debut "Straight Outta Humboldt" Potluck's lyrical depth, rapid fire flows and head nodding beats were embraced by hip-hop enthusiasts who were left jonesing for their next fix.
With the release of 2009's "Pipe Dreams", Potluck claimed their position in the upper echelon of the hip-hop underground. The Source Magazine championed the group's sound saying, "There are good vibe undercurrents throughout this 21-cut ode to the high life." The group's sticky musical chemistry has also paved the way to collaborations with Strange Music's Tech N9ne & Krizz Kaliko, Chali 2na from Jurassic 5, The Luniz, Mystik Journeymen, D12, and Bay area hip-hop legend E-40.
Potluck's grinding blue collar work ethic, unwavering perseverance, and grassroots campaign to build a fan base is one of the most impressive stories in hip-hop. UnderRated handles most of the production and has produced tracks for many top 200 billboard albums. They are both multi-talented artists, they are DJ's, rappers, and avid hip-hop junkies. The group has spent the last four years on the road consistently performing for hip-hop diehards all across the globe on tours with Tech N9ne, La Coka Nostra and a recent 40-date tour Co-Headlining with platinum rappers D12.
"We got a whole Potluck movement going on across the country. If someone doesn't know about Potluck they just don't know what's been happening on the underground. We've been doing nationwide tours and selling units by being out on the road and in people's faces." commented 1 Ton. "We out there shaking hands with fans, rocking shows, and campaigning to the masses. We on the grind, and it's paying off."
Now this group of hip-hop hippies is back and ready to light up the airwaves with their new album "Rhymes & Resin". Potluck's greatest musical weapon is their ability to show all sides of their personalities and seamlessly shift between artistic styles. "Rhymes & Resin" is packed with enough diversity to satisfy any hip-hop lover, whether they are professing their love for the genre as an art-form ("3 Minute Miracle", "Microphone Killa", "Hands Up"), smoking out with friends ("Smoke Session", "Light That Sh*t Up"), wearing their heart on their sleeves ("Forbidden Love", "I'm Different"), or fighting for the blue collar working class ("Gonna Be Alright").
To aid them in their quest for hip-hop royalty, Potluck enlisted some of the genre's most potent emcees to unleash the hounds for a hip-hop feeding frenzy. Murs from Living Legends and Mistah FAB join forces with Potluck on "Hands Up" to unite diverse styles for an epic track about thinking for yourself and the freedom to create good music, while La Coka Nostra's Ill Bill and Slaine perform a lyrical murder in "Microphone Killa". Cash Money Records' Glasses Malone joins the group on "Born To Be A Mic King" to create a new West Coast anthem, and King Gordy drops by for a musical smokeout on "Light That Sh*t Up" that will surely delight fans of greener pastures.
"We're music junkies and we listen to all types of hip-hop so that is a definite influence, but what influences our music most is our life and what we go through," says UnderRated. "We hit on so many emotions and vibes on this record that there is something for everybody. We are just two people sharing what we've seen and been through. Our style is unique and we are the only ones who can tell this story. Our records are like diaries, all you have to do is listen and you'll learn about our life."
With the release of their new album, "Rhymes & Resin", Potluck is primed and ready to go from the Marijuana Fields of Humboldt County straight into the mainstream.
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LocationThe Lochs (View)
928 pacific ave
tacoma, WA 98402
United States
Categories
| Kid Friendly: Yes! |
| Dog Friendly: No |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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