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Ras Kass

Lyrical, streetwise, and fearlessly sociopolitcal, MC Ras Kass represents the West Coast with deep collaborative connections far outside his region. He debuted with "Won't Catch Me Runnin'" (1994), a hard-hitting track he co-produced and released on an Atlanta-based independent label. Soul on Ice (1996), his full-length debut for Priority Records, landed amid accolades for his pen game and vocal precision. The follow-up Rasassination (1996) trumped it from a commercial standpoint, landing just outside the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B/hip-hop chart with help from the charting "Ghetto Fabulous," featuring Dr. Dre and Mack 10. Dozens of mixtapes and collaborative projects, including several as part of the HRSMN (with Kurupt, Killah Priest, and Canibus), have followed since then. Soul on Ice 2 (2019) and Quarterly (2022), along with the RJ Payne and Havoc collaboration GUTTR (2024), are among his most noteworthy later releases. John Roland Austin II, otherwise known as Ras Kass, was born in Carson and raised in nearby Watts. A voracious reader throughout his youth, he adopted his stage name in honor of Ethiopian emperor Ras Kassa Mercha. After releasing an independent single, Ras Kass emerged as one of the most highly regarded new rappers at the time, winning particular acclaim for his skills as a lyricist. In the space of six months, he twice earned Rap Pages magazine's Rhyme of the Month award, as well as The Source's Hip Hop Quotable honor. His long-awaited debut LP, Soul on Ice, arrived on Priority Records in 1996. The album included the singles "Ordo Abchao (Order Out of Chaos)" and the seven-minute history lesson "Nature of the Threat," as well as a guest spot from Coolio. His sophomore effort, Rasassination, followed in 1998, landing in the upper half of the Billboard 200 and peaking at number eleven on the R&B/hip-hop chart. The album produced one single, "Ghetto Fabulous," with guests Dr. Dre and Mack 10, as well as the fan favorite "Interview with the Vampire." In addition, Ras was joined by Kurupt, Saafir, Jazze Pha, Xzibit, Twista, and RZA. The release of his follow-up, Van Gogh, was delayed by label mergers and bootlegging, and Ras was forced to shelve the project. Another project, Goldyn Chyld, also failed to materialize. Ras shifted focus to the HRSMN, a rap supergroup formed with Kurupt, Killah Priest, and Canibus. The foursome issued their debut, The Horsemen Project, in 2003. Still embroiled in label disagreements, Ras released the mixtapes Institutionalized (2005); Revenge of the Spit and Eat or Die (2006); and Institutionalized, Vol. 2 (2008). A mixtape project titled The Quarterly was self-issued in 2009 on Ras' website and featured spots by Killah Priest, Mistah F.A.B., and producer Pete Rock. A crowdfunded project, A.D.I.D.A.S. (All Day I Dream About Spittin), was released in 2011. Barmageddon followed in 2013 and featured guests like Too $hort, Ice-T, Monie Love, Yukmouth, Kendrick Lamar, and more. Blasphemy, a collaborative album with producer Apollo Brown, was issued on Mello Music Group in 2014 and recruited Royce da 5'9", Pharoahe Monch, and Xzibit. That same year, Ras released Barmageddon 2.0. In 2016, a flurry of activity resulted in the release of two additional mixtapes and Intellectual Property: SO12, which featured KRS-One, RZA, Bun B, and Onyx on a sprawling 26 tracks. Acknowledging his legacy without nostalgic sentiment, Ras released Soul on Ice 2, the sequel to his 1996 debut, in 2019. As with his Apollo Brown collaboration a few years earlier, the set was issued on Mello Music Group. Immortal Technique joined him on "White Power," while Everlast and Snoop Dogg appeared respectively on "The Long Way" and "LL Cool J." Before the end of the year, Ras offered ChristMESS, an atypical holiday-themed set of original material such as the humorous "The Grinch Who Stole Dubstep" and the pointed "White Christmess." He returned in 2022 with Quarterly, a highly collaborative full-length with guest verses from the likes of Killah Priest, Strong Arm Steady, and Mistah F.A.B. He teamed with RJ Payne and Havoc in 2024 to deliver GUTTR, highlighted by "Roll Call."
© Neil Z. Yeung & Jason Ankeny /TiVo
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