Is the universe ready for the next Big Bang? Well, ready or not, it's going down, courtesy of Boxcutter Entertainment/Dublin Records supernova Ricky Rude, the dopest cataclysm to hit the music scene since, well, NEVER! In the inevitable evolution of music, genres blend, spin and morph into branches previously unrelated, but ever so compatible. With that in mind, Ricky Rude has created a genre he's entitled "Punk Rap". Ricky breaks new ground with his appropriately titled free album RUDE AWAKENING, 13 hard-hitting tracks that cut a pioneering inroad into punk rap like no other release to date.

The RUDE AWAKENING "hit-tape" (as Ricky calls it, a project that is of better quality than a mixtape and features all original Rude tunes) mirrors the free-wheeling, house partying, hang-loose attitude of today's youth, a generation that's gonna make sure it'll get its fun out of the way before buckling down and taking life seriously. With titles like "Cut Class," "Rock Chick," "Chug," "DTF," and "A.D.D.," old and new fans will see where Ricky Rude is headed from the first note. "F.U.2." exhibits the attitude that, if one is gonna judge another by either his/her appearance or where they come on a negative tip, then Ricky Rude will get right in your face to let you know clearly where he stands. Seems listeners are listening because, from the first day "F.U.2" dropped onto the streets with a simultaneous launch on YouTube and ITunes in May, 2011, downloads have happened at a bristling pace. ITunes experienced an avalanche of over 30,000 MP3 downloads in its first day, while Worldstarhiphop.com received over 3 million views of the video since its debut. Clearly, Ricky Rude was - and is - onto something big musically.

Before you attempt to lump him into a convenient hip-hop/rap label, Ricky Rude sets the record straight: "If I really think way back to why I'm connected to hip-hop music, being a regular white kid, I think it's because I grew up in South Jersey - exposed to the suburbs and to the bad neighborhoods. The "beast coast" is what i named it. Jersey just has a black cloud over it but this area - Jersey and Philly is home to the best lyricists signed or unsigned."

Ricky Rude traces his roots in hip-hop and rap directly to his family: "My family loved rap music, and my mom had the Fugees in our car CD player for like five years! Jersey hip-hop played a huge role. So, hip-hop was my first love from the time I was in the fourth grade, and Biggie and Big Pun were my favorite rappers. I went through this whole hip-hop phase where it was my first love, but grunge and punk started to influence me when I went to school with mostly white kids where they turned me on to the Chili Peppers and Nirvana. There were only a select fewer kids that were hip hop heads, so I started fusing the rock with rap."

Because of his innate ability to absorb whatever environment he happens to be in, Ricky Rude brings a unique perspective to his music. "I'm a chameleon. When I get around people, I don't change me, but I adjust to where they are because I can relate to just about anybody." But growing up wasn't always a walk in the park for Ricky Rude. "When I was in the sixth grade I was a bad-ass kid. I'm the very definition of a poster child with A.D.D. (Attention Deficit Disorder) and divorced parents. My mouth was my instrument, and I was always the slick talker. I have memories of my mom taking me and a friend to Harlem to audition at the Apollo Theater when I was in the sixth grade. Two white kids rappin'! Of course, we didn't make it, but it just shows you how dedicated I was. Just recently I really fused rock with rap, changed my style and the way I dress and became a mixture of punk rock and rap. Rap is definitely my first love, and although I changed my attire to reflect a more punk attitude, I'm still an MC at heart."

Now armed with a serious mixture of punk rock, hip-hop and rap - think early Kid Rock, Beastie Boys, but way more lyrically skilled- Ricky Rude took to the streets of Philadelphia, just down the road from Camden. He participated in high school and local rap battles and routinely crushed whatever competition that got in his way. Already taking over the suburbs of Cherry Hill, NJ and his high school, his reputation spread quickly throughout the city, prompting an invitation from "103 The Beat's Bat Cave," where a classic 10 minute freestyle video is posted on YouTube. The video became an Internet sensation, prompting attention from producers Pop Wansel & Oak who quickly offered to record Ricky. The result was another 2010 viral video smash "She Wants My D#@!." (which is also featured on Rude Awakening). The video garnered more than 1 million views on international websites around the world.

All that attention caught the eye and ear of Dublin Records CEO Tony Martin, who was suitably impressed with Ricky Rude's vision. They worked out a partnership with Rude's Boxcutter Entertainment and proceeded to gather super producers Cool & Dre, Futuristiks, Rockwilder, The Co Stars, J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, 1500 Or Nothin and others to craft RUDE AWAKENING. Alongside "F.U.2," & "A.D.D." Ricky recently shot a video for "Beast," with the help of video maestro Charlie Zwick.

The massive viral success has begun to pay off. Ricky has began touring in every major U.S. city with plans of going over seas to continue to bring RUDE AWAKENING to the masses.

Ricky Rude brings a refreshing sensibility to punk rap that exudes more confidence than braggadocio: "I like the attitude and style of punk rock," he concludes. "Punk was rap before rap even existed. It was in your face, controversial, but new. Everyone wants to talk about it, whether negative or positive. That's punk rap."