{{Short description|American rapper}} {{Use dmy dates|date=December 2019}} {{BLP sources|date=December 2019}} {{Infobox musical artist | name = Big Rube | image = | caption = | image_size = | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1969|9|27}} | origin = [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]], U.S. | genre = {{hlist|[[Spoken word music|Spoken word]]|[[Hip hop music|hip hop]]}} | years_active = 1992–present | label = [[LaFace Records]] | associated_acts = {{hlist|[[Dungeon Family]]|[[Society of Soul]]}} | website = | current_members = | past_members = }}
'''Ruben Bailey''' (born September 27, 1969, [[Atlanta]], [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]), professionally known by his [[stage name]] '''Big Rube''', is an American [[spoken word]] artist, rapper and hip hop producer. He is a first-generation member of the [[Dungeon Family]] and of [[Society of Soul]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ySsEAAAAMBAJ&q=%22Big+Rube%22&pg=PA69|title=Music from the heart|last=Gonzales|first=Michael A.|date=January 1996|work=[[Vibe (magazine)|Vibe]]|page=69|accessdate=10 July 2010}}{{Dead link|date=October 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> He is known for his spoken word intros and interludes on many albums by fellow members and affiliates of the Dungeon Family, including [[Outkast]], [[Goodie Mob]], [[Killer Mike]], [[Future (rapper)|Future]], [[Witchdoctor (rapper)|Witchdoctor]] and [[Bubba Sparxxx]]. He has also contributed his spoken word poetry to ''[[Def Poetry Jam|Russell Simmons' Def Poetry Jam]]'' and the motion picture ''[[ATL (film)|ATL]]''. He appears on the Outkast songs "13th Floor/Growing Old" and "Liberation" as well as the [[CeeLo Green]] song “Scrap Metal”.
In 1996, he appeared on the [[Red Hot Organization]]'s compilation CD, ''[[America Is Dying Slowly]]'', alongside [[Biz Markie]], [[Coolio]] and [[Fat Joe]], among many other prominent hip hop artists. The CD, meant to raise awareness of the AIDS epidemic among African American men, was heralded as "a masterpiece" by ''[[The Source (magazine)|The Source]]'' magazine.
In later years, Big Rube has made a couple of appearances on recent albums by members of the Dungeon Family. He appeared on the song "General Patton" on [[Big Boi]]'s 2010 solo debut ''[[Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty]]'' and on the intro track "The Future Is Now" on [[Future (rapper)|Future]]'s debut ''[[Pluto (Future album)|Pluto]]''. Rube also appeared on the 2013 reunion album from the [[Goodie Mob]], ''[[Age Against the Machine]]''.
On rare occasions, Rube appears on non-Dungeon Family related projects. He has appeared on [[Lina (American singer)|Lina]]'s 2005 album ''[[The Inner Beauty Movement]]'', on [[Rapsody]]'s 2012 debut ''[[The Idea of Beautiful]]'', on [[Denzel Curry]]'s double EP ''[[32 Zel/Planet Shrooms]]'', and on two songs (“Establishing Shot” and “‘Til The Lights Go Out”) from [[Toronto]] rapper The Mighty Rhino's 2018 album ''We Will No Longer Retreat Into Darkness'' (this latter song also featuring Witchdoctor), as well as on albums by [[Truth Hurts (singer)|Truth Hurts]], [[CunninLynguists]], [[Jarren Benton]], and [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]] rap group [[8Ball & MJG|Eightball & MJG]]. Big Rube was featured on [[The Internet (band)|The Internet]]'s record [[Hive Mind (The Internet album)|Hive Mind]], with the track "It Gets Better (With Time)". Most recently, Big Rube appeared on [[Spillage Village]]'s 2020 album ''[[Spilligion]]'' on the tracks "Spill Vill" and "Hapi", and on Grip's 2021 album ''[[I Died for This!?]]'' on the track "Enem3?".
==Discography== * ''[[Brainchild (Society of Soul album)|Brainchild]]'' (1995)
==See also== {{portal|Biography|Georgia (U.S. state)}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
{{Dungeon Family}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Big Rube}} [[Category:African-American male rappers]] [[Category:20th-century American male rappers]] [[Category:20th-century American rappers]] [[Category:Dungeon Family members]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Rappers from Atlanta]] [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:21st-century American rappers]] [[Category:Society of Soul members]]