He's worked with the greats: Dr Dre to Dj Premiere, The Rza to Kanye West; from Apollo Brown, The Alchemist to multiple Grammy award winning funk producer Jack Splash. and collaborated with elite rappers members Kendrick Lamar, Nipsey Hussle, Jay Z, 2Chainz, The Lox, Ice T, Too Short, Talib Kweli and too many more to name born in Watts, California on September 26 as John R. Austin IV. In 1996 he had twin sons (Ras and Taj) with R&B and soul singer-songwriter Teedra Moses.The twins are now in an up&coming group called Coast Contra. His sister Tiffany Austin is a lauded Jazz Singer. BMF Entertainment artist Barima "Bleu DaVinci" McKnight is his cousin.

Ras Kass sent waves through the hip-hop world with his debut independent single release "Remain Anonymous,” earning him a Hip-Hop Quotable in The Source Magazine. Before his signing with Priority/EMI Records,

His first album, Soul on Ice, was released in 1996. Taking its name from a book by Eldridge Cleaver, Ras addressed racial relations in the same manner, most notably on the Diamond D produced "Soul On Ice" remix, and "Nature of the Threat." The album was released on Priority Records, as was the follow-up, Rasassination. "Nature Of The Threat" is a groundbreaking song from Ras Kass first album used in University History classes around the world as it challenges the dogma of traditional western history taught in American class rooms and presents the historical context and facts to support an opposing point of view from the perspective of a modern revolutionary.

Most recently he executive produced the long awaited HRSMN album whose members include Kurupt (Dogg Pound), Killah Priest (WuTang), and Canibus. And currently slated to drop multiple projects in 2023 - including GUTTR a group with Havoc of Mobb Deep.