John Austin IV (born September 26 1973), better known by his stage name Ras Kass, is an American rapper. He is also a member of underground supergroup The HRSMN along with: Killah Priest, Kurupt, and Canibus.

In 1996 west coast rapper Ras Kass dropped one of the most hyped debut albums in hip-hop history. Even though most hip-hop fans now consider it (especially from a lyrical point of view) to be a classic, Soul on Ice never saw any real commercial success. Two years later he dropped Rasassination , which he himself admitted was intentionally ‘dumbed down’ to reach wider audiences, a strategy which was largely unsuccessful. Recent years have seen Ras Kass engaged in various conflicts with his la