Meet Rugged N Raw

We had the good fortune of connecting with Rugged N Raw and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Rugged N Raw, why did you pursue a creative career?
I always wanted to have an outlet to display my more dynamic side. I have a lot to say and have a lot of energy, but I am really quiet. Making music helped to bring out the best in me. Being creative is very therapeutic. Whenever I had something I wanted to say, the pen and notebook were my go-to. I learned a lot of transferrable skills that have helped me out in life. For example, making an album has a lot of steps involved. There is time management, organization and promotion that are vital to success as an artist. Booking a show or a tour is even harder, because you will often have to hear rejection if you are working with venues or other talent.

Performing is on the short list of my favorite things to do. I love to write, but I do admit there is nothing like being on stage and having the crowd reacting to one of my lines that gets me going. I naturally have a ton of energy and a loud voice, so it helps me to stand out. I rehearse a lot and I do calisthenics on a regular basis, so that my breath control can keep up with me.

Although I am not at a point yet where my music pays all the bills, I am fortunate for the times it was able to pay a bill, a month’s rent, or even get me on the road on someone else’s dime. I have also at times got myself to other cities, but I always made it worth my while and hustled merch to have a little profit.

Lastly, I love how being creative has giving me some adjacent skills. I have learned to make my own beats, record and mix my own music as well as shoot and edit my own videos, I am still in pursuit of this, though the interesting part is embracing needing to evolve as a person while still wanting to appeal to a decent amount of people. At the end of the day, I want to go as far as I can while maintaining my artistic integrity.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
I’ve always had a unique perspective, even about the most abstract things. One of the things I like to do is make the uninteresting interesting. It’s a cool feeling when I write a song about something people may not think about too much or a topic that many people wouldn’t feel comfortable exposing. There’s a fine line of not wanting to take yourself too seriously, but at the same time not wanting to look like a clown. I like adding humor to some songs, and while those are the songs I perform the most often, I actually write way more introspective music than I am known for.

The creative process is sometimes very challenging, but it is absolutely the most fun part of the process. I got to where I am at with a lot of hard work. I would find any stage I could and rock it, no matter how bad the sound was, how small the location or how inattentive the crowd was. It taught me a lot about how to project my voice and to ensure that what I was saying was interesting enough for people to want to listen to. I overcame challenges by just continually giving myself new ones and strengthening my weaknesses. I used to be really bad at engaging crowds in between songs. I would just go into the songs with all this energy but didn’t think I was very personable. Watching people I admired showed me that having energy and great songs alone doesn’t make a great stage show. It took me some time, but I got way more comfortable doing that.

The biggest lesson I learned along the way is to not take the highs too high or the lows too low. I’ve done some incredible things in my career, including making an NY Emmy winning commercial, being featured in Entertainment Weekly, appearing on Sway’s morning show for winning a contest that he and RZA put together, and a whole lot more. I used to get down on myself if a big opportunity wasn’t followed up with immediate fame and my life changing, but it was a reminder to always appreciate the many opportunities I have received, because very few are fortunate enough to get them.

Quite simply, my brand is that I am always myself through every lyric and every beat I create. Over time, I want my music to adapt to who I am becoming, and because of that it sometimes takes a little longer to create because I am trying to live through my new reality before putting it to paper, then eventually a track.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
It depends on where we are talking about. I am a native to New York City, although I moved to Boston a few years ago. If we are talking about NYC, we’re getting as far away from Times Square as possible. First stop is to get the best pizza in town, which is Sal & Carmine’s on 101st and Broadway. As far as the week goes, I’m a pretty simple guy, so we’d go to a couple of venues that have some quality events, walk through Riverside Park (less crowded than Central Park) and if we did go downtown, I would have us people watch.

If it’s Boston, we’re getting sandwiches from Al’s, especially their steak & cheese or chicken salad, or going to James Hook for lobster rolls. I would do a lot of things by the water, it’s really chill to hang out in that area, or even going to Cambridge, particularly by Central Square, there is a lot that is going on there most nights. The energy can be similar to certain parts of New York, but not really. It’s hard to explain.

I am not one who likes doing touristy things, so for me it’s about giving people a day in the life kind of experience, or what can’t you do back wherever you live. I’m really simple in that regard, but I’m more fun to hang out with than I seem!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
There are so many people that I want to give a ton of credit to. I want to give a quick list of the pillars in my journey.

My brother Jonathan – My best friend in life. Couldn’t imagine my life without him. He is the definition of awesome. He has seen every iteration of me and I still want to impress him.

I.mpaq – Though we are not blood relatives, he is big bro. He put the battery in my back and gave me a lot of confidence to be the monster I have been for years. He was the other half of my first rap group Raw Impaq. We met in Lehman College at the school’s radio station WHLC.

Hasan Salaam – Also a brother to me. One of the most loyal, stand up people I have ever met. He helped me get to an even higher level with my music and I looked up to him with how to navigate through so many things in the indie scene. I am so proud of how talented he is and how free he is with making music that is truthful to him. I wouldn’t be who I am without his positive influence.

FredOnes – The 1st entrepreneur I ever knew. We recorded at his studio (TME Studios) for many years, but along the way he became one of my best friends and served as a mentor to me in some ways.

DJ Static – The most talented producer I ever met, but more importantly, he set an incredible example in exuding quiet confidence and showed how preparation always is the key to excellence.

Phase One – My 1st rap hero. I learned so much from him about performing and writing. I strive to be as good as him one day.

Danny – My best friend since the 6th grade. Not many people relate to me how he does. We’ve seen a lot together and I am so lucky to know such a quality human.

My wife Serita – I only put her last because she did not see a lot of my musical journey, but she is always so encouraging of me and I still want to show her I still get better! She puts up with hearing some of my not so stellar songs and beats that the world never gets to hear.

Website: https://www.ruggednraw.com

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Image Credits
@ntnorthwest
@beautiful_tragedy3
@_thegenerousone