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BIOGRAPHY | BEEFS | INTERVIEWS | ARTICLES
THE HORSEMEN | CLOAK 'N DAGGA
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Born John Austin, September 26, in Watts, California.
Ras Kass released his debut album Soul On Ice in 1996 after building up considerable hype through the release of several independent singles, including "High IQ" and "Won't Catch Me Runnin". Soul On Ice saw little commercial success but was adored by the hip hop underground, who appreciated both his sharp battle raps and his militant Afrocentricity. The latter also caused controversy due to the songs "Ordo Abchao" and "Nature Of The Threat" which were radical tracks detailing the history of white-on-black racism. Many argued that their extremism in fact amounted to racism in the opposite direction, particularly due to their reliance in many cases on unsubstantiated conspiracy theories.
Ras Kass made a big push to make sure his second album Rasassination was commercially successful. As well as securing guest appearances from Xzibit and the Wu-Tang Clan's RZA, he received considerable assistance from superstar West Coast producer Dr. Dre, who provided beats for the album and rapped on the lead single "Ghetto Fabulous" which was supported by an extravagant video shot on a luxury yacht. Though this single became easily Ras' most commercially successful release, many of the hip hop enthusiasts who had adored his debut album were dismayed that an artist who they saw as distinctive and original seemed to be blatantly watering down his musical style in order to gain commercial success. Though to be fair, Ras' rapping style had not changed enormously, and the album in fact contained some of his most intellectual material to date ("Interview With A Vampire", a theological and spiritual exploration that featured Ras rapping from the perspectives of God, himself and the Devil) and occasionally addressed very personal subject matter ("It Is What It Is", concerning his relationship with his mother). However, despite all the effort, the album did not sell as well as expected.
Ras Kass' third album Van Gogh was originally intended for release in 2001. However, the nearly-finished album was leaked onto the internet months before the release date; it received excellent reviews from fans and the hip hop media, but the bootlegging caused Priority Records to push the release date back twice before the record was eventually shelved indefinitely. This further worsened the relationship between the label and Ras Kass, which was already strained due to disputes over many things including the level of promotion Ras was being given, and the label supposedly blocking the release on Columbia of the debut album from the supergroup Golden State Warriors (which features Ras, Xzibit and Saafir). The bootleg Van Gogh album even featured the lyrics "Fuck Priority Records, like Prince I'm writing SLAVE on my cheek". The relationship between Ras and Priority reached breaking point when the label also shelved the intended Van Gogh replacement Goldyn Chyld, an album which featured tracks from Van Gogh as well as new material. The "indefinite postponement" was due to a dispute over the lead single: Ras wanted the DJ Premier-produced title track, Priority wanted a Dr. Dre-produced track against the wishes of both Ras and Dre. This prompted Ras to launch a "Free Ras Kass" campaign (supported by an on-line petition and T-shirts) to gain his release from the label.
In 2002, Ras Kass was incarcerated under California's "3 strikes" rule for DUI convictions. While incarcerated, he organized the independent release of a mixtape titled Re-Up which featured himself and other artists. Priority Records unsuccessfully attempted to block this release. In May 2004, Ras filed a lawsuit against Priority Records, Capitol Records and EMI Records in protest at his treatment by the label and in order to gain release from his contract.
In 2005 Ras released the album Institutionalized.
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