R.A. The Rugged Man has always pushed boundaries with his music, sounding just as comfortable over a vintage Buckwild soul loop as he does on a frenetic, uptempto Tech N9ne collaboration, or even a Miley Cyrus remix. The Rugged Man‘s latest track finds him crafting an unexpected (but surprisingly natural) union of hip-hop lyricism and sultry swing music. “I was in a lounge in NYC and these insane vocalists came on the radio, so I had someone Shazam it for me and the name The Puppini Sisters came up,” he explains. “I researched them and found out they were one of the leading new school swing groups of the modern era.” An English vocal trio known for channelling the stylings of music from the 1930s to the 1950s, The Puppini Sisters have appeared on numerous British television shows, released a gold-selling album, and performed alongside Michael Bublé on his 2011 NBC special A Michael Bublé Christmas.
“I thought these girls were incredible vocally, so I tracked them down when I was in the UK,” says R.A. “Then one of my favorite producers, Mr. Green, randomly sent me a swing type of beat, and I thought it would be perfect for Marcella Puppini (the lead vocalist and founder of The Puppini Sisters). So I sent it to her, she loved it, and we made the song for her upcoming solo EP.” The result is “The Greatest,” a genre-bending ode to the femme fatale. “It’s different than what people are used to from me, but I’m really proud of this one,” R.A. explains. “It’s like Film Noir mixed with hip-hop and swing. I call it Hip Hop Noir. Classy and hard at the same time.”
R.A. The Rugged Man‘s critically-acclaimed album Legends Never Die features appearances from Tech N9ne, Talib Kweli, Brother Ali, Hopsin, Vinnie Paz, Krizz Kaliko, Masta Ace, Eamon, and more. Legends Never Die is now available from Nature Sounds, iTunes, Amazon, and in stores worldwide.
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