Richard Andrew Thorburn (born January 10, 1974), better known by his stage name R.A. the Rugged Man, is an American underground hip-hop artist from Suffolk County, Long Island, New York. In 1992, at the age of 18, Thorburn signed with Jive Records, then in the mid-1990s signed with Priority Records/EMI. His contract was later absorbed by Capitol Records but he began recording independently in the early 2000s. He has worked with MC's such as The Notorious B.