Ras Kass is a California-based rhymer who is one of the most well-respected and critically beloved artists in the genre. He has been wowing rap fans with his dense, complicated, literary lyrics - often packed with historical references - since the mid-1990s. His now-classic debut Soul on Ice was released in 1996, and he has put out a slew of extremely well-regarded solo and collaborative projects since then.
But right along with his talent has been a near-equal amount of record label issues - and occasionally legal ones. Several of his early-aughts albums remain unreleased to this day, and he also spent some time behind bars in 2008-9 for issues relating to a DUI. But all that is behind him, and today Ras is stronger than ever. His latest album is Intellectual Property, and Soul on Ice 2 is coming soon.