The Inevitable Rise of Ruger, The Swaggering Superstar
Ruger is simply unstoppable. After the release of three EPs, the singer is well on his way to taking over the world. He has everything he needs to become a global star.
You probably didn’t expect to receive any mail from me today. I don’t have any excuses for not keeping up but sometimes you find yourself unwilling to do the very things that you enjoy doing. That has been my story for a while. Nevertheless, I found the energy to write about one of my favourite artists. So, here we go.
Music binds us together and keeps us afloat the ocean of pain that is our reality in Nigeria. One thing that remains increasingly true for me on every waking day is that I cannot but gravitate towards music that brings forth inexplicable emotions in me. I find myself humming a tune that is stuck somewhere in my brain and it’s undeniable proof that I have developed a connection with the song.
These days, I consider myself lucky if I listen to a song or tape that makes me feel alive. I’m no longer as excited as I used to be some years back whenever I discover a new artist. My radar used to function better in those days, and discovering new artists was one of the things that brought me unadulterated joy. Regardless, I am drawn towards art that is genuine. Hopefully, I will get my mojo back. And if I ever did, I would dance naked on a beach under the night sky.
Afrobeats continues to sling itself towards massive global appeal and the genre hasn’t been more successful than it currently is. It is a marker of the palatability of the genre and the uniqueness of the sounds emerging from this part of the world. When D’Prince announced the signing of a new artist after Rema, I wasn’t particularly confident that he would become the superstar that he is today.
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t hating. Not in the slightest. I still maintain the stand that Jonzing World made a terrible mistake by releasing One Shirt as Ruger’s debut single. Looking at that moment in Afropop, the songs that were dominating the mainstream were simply better. But when Ruger released an eponymous single, all doubts were erased from the minds of sceptical listeners, myself included.
I remember writing a review of Ruger’s debut EP Pandemic, hammering on the fact that Ruger was unquestionably a superb songwriter and that his melodies had a richness to them. I sincerely hoped at that time that one of the songs on the tape would register in the minds of the general audience. That it would demolish the walls of mainstream. Scoring a hit song is invariably the route to establishing yourself as a staple in an industry that’s heavily guarded.
And Ruger did get a hit song. From the Pandemic tape, Bounce took off with so much momentum that it crested at the number one position in different African countries. The Pandemic EP sprung Ruger from obscurity to wide acclaim. When something like that happens, the audience starts paying attention to you and back then in 2021, you could see conversations about Ruger’s eye patch on Twitter: an indication that he has wormed his way into the hearts of listeners.
As an avid observer of the Nigerian music industry, and as someone who works closely with artistes, I tend to watch out for the longevity of artiste’s careers. It has become second nature to me and it’s something I catch myself doing often. When I listened to the EP I was confident that Ruger’s career would blossom. The other songs on the EP like Abu Dhabi and Bow were a confirmation, at least for me.
It’s been a year since the release of the Pandemic EP and we can all agree, to an extent, that Ruger has proven himself beyond reasonable doubt, sealing his name in the celestial book of Afropop. If Pandemic EP conveyed him to the entrance of the mainstream, his sophomore EP, titled The Second Wave, ushered him into the enviable state of superstardom. As listeners and critics, we all had our favourite songs on the EP, some of us clamouring for Snapchat while a larger part of the audience nudged towards Dior.
The intro track on The Second Wave, titled Champion, took us on a journey through his experiences a struggling upcoming artist. It is a story that is way too common among many upcoming artists in Nigeria. Music is first a means of escape from their unpleasant realities. Ruger is no different and on Champion, he narrates it all. He goes full dancehall on the second track, Useless, with effusive flows. The Second Wave shows how well-rounded Ruger is and how uniquely different his style is.
Another thing that is salient in Ruger’s artistry is his songwriting. For some reason, Ruger doesn’t get enough credit for his songwriting. His lines might not be the most poetic, but they usually carry weight. When he’s not crooning about his desire to be on a girl’s private story on Snapchat, he’s singing about dripping the designers.
Throughout his career, Ruger has only worked with one producer, Kuk Beats. They share a deep chemistry which is rather conspicuous when listening to any of Ruger’s songs. They seemed to have both perfected their dancehall-influenced sound. Typically, working with one producer comes with implications but Ruger appears to be an anomaly. And whatever they have working for them is most likely not running out of steam anytime soon.
Everything happening in Ruger’s career is ostensibly a pointer to how big his music is going to be. His growth as an artiste is utterly fascinating. He performed at the O2 Arena at Burna Boy’s concert last year. Over the past few weeks, videos of his performances have been strewn all over the internet. In countries like Uganda, Australia, Ruger’s music is gargantuan, so much that his female fans have more than once harassed him on stage.
Ruger released the deluxe version of The Second Wave last month. Before the release, he shared snippets of some of the newly-added songs on his Twitter and Instagram. He even started a Tiktok trend with one of the songs, enticing his fans with a video where he showcased a certain dance style. People quickly jumped on the trend and Ruger posted several videos where fans tried to do the dance to the song.
Three new songs were added in the deluxe version, making it a total of 7 songs. My personal favourite is Wewe, where Ruger’s lyrical strength revealed itself, seasoned with sweet-sounding melodies. Girlfriend is undoubtedly the fan favourite on the EP, currently occupying the number 2 position on the Top 100 Nigeria on Apple Music. On the last song, Warning, Ruger glossed over memories of listening to greats like Tuface, Sound Sultan, Wizkid, Lucky Dube, while also attributing his success to God.
I’m seriously rooting for Ruger. I want to see him perform on bigger stages like the Madison Square Garden. I mean, why not? The music is quality enough. He has a contagious personality. He is an exceptional performer. It’s safe to say he’s D’Prince’s biggest asset. I know Ruger is currently signed under Sony Music UK (through Jonzing World) but I have a hunch that there are bigger deals on the table. I trust D’Prince to make the best decision in that aspect.
I like where Afrobeats is headed. The sounds are so dynamic that you can listen to two contemporary acts and they would sound totally different. I should mention that Ruger hasn’t collaborated with many artists (only artist he has publicly worked with is Rema). It would be refreshing to hear Ruger on a feature. It’s possibly in the pipeline.
What’s next for Ruger? An album, I suppose. He’s ripe to release a studio album. Although there has been no mention of an album, I would guess that he’s already working on it. I’m willing to bet that Ruger is incapable of dropping an album that would flop. That material is too quality for such to happen.