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

Legends Never Die is the second studio album from New York City hip hop artist R.A. the Rugged Man. The album was released on April 30, 2013, by Nature Sounds. It is the follow up to 2004's Die, Rugged Man, Die. The album features guest appearances from Talib Kweli, Krizz Kaliko, Masta Ace, Brother Ali, Tech N9ne, Hopsin, Vinnie Paz, Eamon, Sadat X among others.[2] The album's production was handled by Buckwild, Ayatollah, Apathy and Marco Polo among others.

Legends Never Die
Studio album by R.A. the Rugged Man
Released	April 30, 2013
Recorded	2009-2013[1]
Genre	Hip hop
Length	57:05
Label	Nature Sounds
Producer	Apathy, Buckwild, C-Lance, Dev-1, Jussi Jaakola, Marc Niles, Mr. Green, Shuko, Vherbal, Will Tell
R.A. the Rugged Man chronology
Legendary Classics Vol. 1 (2009) Legends Never Die (2013) All My Heroes Are Dead (2020)
Singles from Legends Never Die
"The People's Champ" Released: February 20, 2013 "Learn Truth" Released: March 26, 2013

Background

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" featuring Talib Kweli.[6] On June 18, 2013, the music video was released for "Holla-Loo-Yuh" featuring Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko.[7] In July 2013 Nature Sounds announced that a limited edition cassette version of the album would be released.[8]

Critical response

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	84/100[9]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[10]
HipHopDX	[11]
RapReviews	8/10[12]
The Source	(positive)[13]
XXL	(XL)[14]

Legends Never Die was met with rave reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 84, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 4 reviews.[9] David Jeffries of AllMusic gave 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 of The Source gave 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 think Legends Never Die rivals 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 of HipHopDX gave the album four out of five stars, saying "Legends Never Die isn'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 of XXL gave the album an XL, saying "With the exception of a few fillers, Legends Never Die is 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

The album debuted at number 1 on the US Billboard Heatseekers Albums chart, number 17 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and at number 131 on the Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 4,000 copies in the United States.[15]

Track listing

No.	Title	Producer(s)[16]	Length
1.	"Still Diggin Wit Buck (Legends Intro)"	Buckwild	1:34
2.	"The People's Champ"	Apathy	3:55
3.	"Definition of a Rap Flow" (featuring Amalie Bruun)	Dev-1, Marc Niles	3:29
4.	"Learn Truth" (featuring Talib Kweli)	Mr. Green	3:16
5.	"Bang Boogie"	Jussi Jaakola	1:55
6.	"Tom Thum"	Will Tell	3:12
7.	"Holla-Loo-Yuh" (featuring Tech N9ne and Krizz Kaliko)	C-Lance	3:12
8.	"Media Midgets"	Buckwild	3:43
9.	"Shoot Me in the Head"	Marco Polo	3:54
10.	"Legends Never Die (Daddy's Halo)"	Mr. Green	3:21
11.	"The Dangerous Three" (featuring Brother Ali and Masta Ace)	Mr. Green	3:58
12.	"Luv to Fuk" (featuring Eamon)	Shuko	4:19
13.	"Underground Hitz" (featuring Hopsin)	Will Tell	2:49
14.	"Laugh, Clown, Laugh"	Vherbal	2:55
15.	"Sam Peckinpah" (featuring Vinnie Paz and Sadat X)	C-Lance	3:18
16.	"Outro"	Shuko	0:32
17.	"Still Get Through The Day" (featuring Eamon)	Ayatollah	3:36

Bonus Track

No.	Title	Producer	Length
18.	"Make You Famous" (featuring Block McCloud)	Vherbal	4:07

Deluxe Edition Bonus Track

No.	Title	Length
19.	"Complex Superiority" (Available via download card as MP3 only.)	3:27

Cassette Edition Bonus Track

No.	Title	Producer	Length
20.	"It's Gone"	DJ Noize	4:10

Charts

Chart (2013)	Peak position
UK R&B Albums (OCC)[17]	36
US Billboard 200[18]	131
US Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums[18]	17
US Billboard Top Rap Albums[18]	12
US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[18]	1

References

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