"Comprised of primary members Sugar Ray and BK, this Killtown (Jersey City) New Jersey outfit ain't no '95 new jacks. In 1992, the duo caught wreck and scored a #1 Billboard Rap Single with the street anthem classic, "Not Gonna Be Able To Do It," creating a new catch phrase in the process. Their acclaimed Big Beat / Atlantic debut album, "Put Ya Boots On," also featured such butter joints as "Ruffneck," "Executive Class," and "The Pure Thing." The buzz created by "Not Gonna..." enabled the group to venture out on a nationwide tour. Sugar Ray and BK have been tight since Double X's original days of "H&R Block" - that is, hustlin' and rappin' in the thick of Killtown." Cont'd below...
"Now in the nine lb., Double X return with their new, 12-cut deep Big Beat / Atlantic album, "RUFF, RUGGED, AND RAW." BK explains the album's title: "That's where we're coming from, that's how our album is broken down. We're not trying to water shit down." The point is made quite apparent on the album's slammin' first single, "Money Talks," produced by Lord Finesse ... the listener should have no problem understanding the theme of this cut ... every hip-hop junkie should be able ta' do it." ... Check out the video for the Lord Finesse-produced "Money Talks" below. (Updated)
A review of Ruff, Rugged & Raw in The Source, June 1995...
