June 23, 1998: Ras Kass releases “Rasassination”

[DoomzdayzV]

I like a bunch of cuts off this. I would much sooner listen to this album than Soul on Ice. Ice Age, Conceited b*stard, Wild Pitch, H20 Proof, I Aint fukkin Wit You, Ohh Wee, The End >>>>

edit: the cut with Twista too....and the one over the ALexander Oneil sample

 

[BuddahMAC]

Ras was still in prime form then. The real travesty is the Van Gogh debacle/fall out with Alchemists and not making those 2-3 tracks he got from him official.

I think that track Game Over was supposed to be on there also.

I'm still waiting for a Kay Slay-less version of this to drop:

 

[wizworld]

Ras always seemed like that "smart, waste of potential cat that doesn't give a fukk and does his own thing" that everyone knows, so I don't doubt his personality on his radio attempts being more true to himself that the nature of the threat type ish.

I've said it before and I felt this way back then too, but Ras to me was in the same vein as Big L and Jay for me back in 96-98. mind you this is before Jay blew up and became a star with Hard Knock Life but those three were in the same tier for me and all had that ill conceited, clever braggadocious style that they spit so well that you believed all the slick shyt they said and they were at least on wax, charismatic as hell. back then I never thought that any of them would become big rap stars, although Jay obviously as the most likely given his history and the way he was trying to gravitate towards the shiny suit era style that was making puffy and mase stars. Sadly L was never given that chance, but I don't think he woulda blew up like Jay, cause I think he woulda kept his shyt a little too street to pop like that. Ras was always a victim of being a rapper born on the wrong coast, dude needed to be in NY working with DITC, Primo, Pete Rock and them from the beginning. He always seemed to try to distance himself from the acclaim that the Soul On Ice Remix brought him and wanted to stay west coast and carson for life instead of embracing the obvious chemistry and how dope he sounded on gutter NY beats...shyt is a shame.

he didn't have to stay underground though either and he did deserve more than that but he coulda easily carved out his little lane like mos def did with the underground becoming more mainstream with rawkus branching out right around the time he was working on Van Gogh. it's just fukked up that xzibit had more success than him and they were in the same crew.

Jay is an interesting comparison, I wonder if a guy like Jay-Z didn't make the transition would Ras have kept trying to make commercial records? Actually we can ask this question for Ras, Big L and OC. If Jay didn't blow, would these guys have been comfortable just being known as underground lyricists and having their niche audiences? I'm sure they all ciphered with Jay at one time or another before he blew, and probably looked at him as "nice on the low" as opposed "the next big rap star".

 

[wizworld]

I'm still waiting for a Kay Slay-less version of this to drop:

There's another version of this on a different beat. I like the Alchemist beat version better though.

I'm like the Holy Quran rapped in a Penthouse magazine cover,
Ghetto Farrakhan, an archaeologist and a polygamist,
Cause I be getting more ass than a proctologist
But I acknowledge it ock, you the opposite

I think this was one of the last of Ras real barbaric lyrical efforts, he seemed to lose a step lyrically shortly thereafter

 

[BuddahMAC]

There's another version of this on a different beat. I like the Alchemist beat version better though.

I'm like the Holy Quran rapped in a Penthouse magazine cover,
Ghetto Farrakhan, an archaeologist and a polygamist,
Cause I be getting more ass than a proctologist
But I acknowledge it ock, you the opposite

I think this was one of the last of Ras real barbaric lyrical efforts, he seemed to lose a step lyrically shortly thereafter

yeah, same hook (but by Eastwood) but completely different lyrics & laid back beat...I prefer the Alchemist version too

 

[KingsOfKings]

Don't really care for a majority of the album, but Interview With A Vampire is .



39

word

 

[mobbinfms]

@2meo

 

[Capo Dei Capi]

I really liked this album but haven't listened for a while. A lot of people were disappointed and I kinda was too given how perfect an album Soul On Ice was but I think Interview With A Vampire alone makes up for its shortcomings.

to the poster who mentioned The Seance too I remember being hyped as hell the first time I found that

 

[TheKang]

Being a Ras Stan was like rooting for Mateen or Khalid El Amin :/



I wish he stayed locked up instead of going from on the run to hiiiiii gaymeeeeeee

 

[big bun]

The waterproof MC/you can't wet me/you need to stop Rappin' and start robbin' banks like Steady B

 

[oO J Smooth Oo]

Coo story bruh, but what u think of Rasassaination though?

Dope but not as great as soul on ice

 

[Big Mel]

Trash album. A handful of serviceable jernts. The Rza shyt & Jaz O stuff was dope. Ras Kass is a herb.

 

[Soon]

Nice album, tried to go the Nas route and be more catchy/pop, he should have went the Ghostface Killah/Xzibit route and keep it grimey.

This is was the 90's, he would have sold.

 

[LevelUp]

 

[TheMailMan]

I only bought this cuz it had a Twista feature and I liked the song Miami life from the substitute soundtrack. Didn't remember it being that good tho... Wish him, Xz, and saafir could of got the Golden State Warriors Poppin back in the day