Rugged-N-Raw
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Album Summary
Now, Parrish Smith — the man they called PMD — stepped out from the shadow of one of rap's most formidable duos and said, 'Watch me work.' Released in 1996 on Chaos Records, 'Rugged-N-Raw' was PMD's first major solo statement, arriving during EPMD's hiatus and landing square in the heart of mid-1990s East Coast hip-hop. The album was produced primarily by the immensely talented Diamond D, a man who knew how to make beats breathe and knock in equal measure, cementing a creative bond that stretched back through PMD's years running with Erick Sermon in EPMD. This record was PMD planting his flag in the soil, letting the streets know that half of one of the greatest duos in hip-hop history had plenty more to say on his own terms.
Reception
- The album found its footing on the Billboard 200, signaling that PMD carried real commercial weight as a solo performer and was not merely riding the coattails of his EPMD legacy.
- Within hip-hop circles, critics embraced the record's uncompromising lyricism and its unapologetically raw production aesthetic, treating it as a natural extension of the East Coast sound PMD had helped pioneer.
- The album's street-level authenticity struck a chord with both underground devotees and mainstream listeners who appreciated the gritty, no-frills approach that defined the best New York rap of that era.
Significance
- 'Rugged-N-Raw' stands as a testament to the vitality of mid-1990s East Coast hip-hop, with PMD channeling the boom-bap tradition he helped build with EPMD into a solo vision that was all his own — rugged in spirit and raw in execution.
- The album proved that the members of EPMD carried individual artistic identities powerful enough to sustain solo careers, with PMD's work here helping maintain the duo's cultural gravity during their time apart.
- By leaning into the grimy, sample-driven production style that Diamond D brought to the sessions, PMD helped reinforce the aesthetic values of street-oriented New York rap at a moment when the genre's regional sounds were fiercely competing for dominance.
Tracklist
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A1 Rugged-N-Raw (Original) —
4:06
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A2 Rugged-N-Raw (Remix) —
3:50
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A3 Rugged-N-Raw (Original Instrumental) —
3:48
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B1 Leave Your Style Cramped 84
1:55
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B2 Rugged-N-Raw (Solid Sheme Remix) —
3:50
Artist Details
PMD, born Parrish Matthew Smith, emerged from the streets of Brentwood, Long Island as one half of the legendary duo EPMD alongside Erick Sermon, laying down some of the smoothest, most methodical flows the game had ever witnessed in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. When EPMD temporarily disbanded, this brother didn't miss a beat, stepping out as a solo force with his 1994 debut *Shade Business*, proving to the world that his pen game and presence were strong enough to carry a full project on his own. A true architect of that slow-burning, laid-back East Coast sound, PMD remains a respected figure whose contribution to hip-hop's golden era deserves nothing but the highest reverence.
