SameOldShawn: You had one of your best-known songs, "Stanley Kubrick," basically remade by Alchemist

R.A. the Rugged Man: Yeah, that was weird

SOS: How'd you feel when you first heard that? Do you remember the moment of first hearing "I'm the King"?

RA: Alchemist played me the beat before he sold it! He said, "Oh, yo, check out this beat I made." He played it for me at his little apartment. Evidence had come over the next day or whatever. They were both on the come-up. He played me the beat. He said, "Yo, I heard your song on Stretch Armstrong and I got inspired." I said, oh shit, it sounds like the same thing

Then I guess Royce heard it and bought it or whatever. It had some good PR behind it, and it did well. He sold it to this video game. So I was just kidding around with Al. When I said, "Al, you're my little buddy. You stole that beat," I was just making a little joke

The real producer of that beat is Capital the Crime Lord, out in Long Island. He was a big rapper, one of the better rappers in my neighborhood growing up. A little white, Italian and Puerto Rican kid. He rapped on Biz Markie's album, his name's Capital T. He rapped on I Need a Haircut, he rapped on Diamond Shell's album. He was a really, really good rapper/producer, you know?