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Almost nothing was known about Michael ‘Ruger’ Adebayo Olayinka before the 2020 pandemic.
Was he training in an elite superstar academy learning the ways of being a Cassanova and being Chris Brown simultaneously? Or perhaps he was finding refuge in a fashion house, putting the finishing touches to his pink-haired pirate look? Whatever the case, only a handful of artists, can be praised for having seized the opportunity of the COVID lockdown as he did.
His debut EP, wryly named “Pandemic”, was the perfect companion for millions of Nigerians just getting out of an otherwise sordid period. Its lead single “Bounce” blew up to epic proportions, crossing national borders to gain international recognition.
At a time when the local market is saturated with upcoming music artists all seeking to make it big in the Nigerian music scene, record label executives have their work cut out to brand their artists and provide them with a unique identity. Ruger, however, does not face this problem. His eye patch and pink hair are his visual markers, while his larger-than-life cockiness and dauntless personality are characteristics that set him apart from the competition. Where most other upcoming acts appear timid and unsure, Ruger’s confidence, stemming from a place that seems far beyond his 22 years, allows him to face challenges head-on in his march for global stardom.
The most readily available evidence of these attributes is in “Ruger”, his self-named album opener off the Pandemic EP. In the song, he is declarative and daring: “The all a demma sanitise before they come near me/ Nothing fit stop me/ Redbull gimme wings to the sky” are his proclamations. With his numbers on this first project, one can easily see where the confidence comes from. The rest of the EP swings along with a similar spring, and songs like “Bow” and “Abu Dhabi” display a similar self-assuredness, even though they see a subject change into more mundane topics.
Where most artists would have rushed to quickly release a set of new singles to solidify the gains of a successful EP, Ruger plays the long game, giving his audience time to enjoy and assimilate his first project before taking them on another adventure. His newer EP, “The Second Wave”, quickly dispersed doubts that Ruger might have been a one-hit-wonder, as it reached a similar, if not higher quality of music than his first body of work. More importantly, it revealed an ability to stay true to a music style while managing to produce fresh music every time. Too often, we’ve seen artists discover a particular genre and never leave there, continuing to release more similar songs until its novelty wears off and it becomes boring. Ruger avoids this pitfall smartly.
“Champion” is the song that opens this EP and is the spiritual successor to “Ruger” from his previous work. Here, he’s more celebratory than defiant; he’s proved his mettle with his first EP, and now he basks in the glory of his adoring fans. “Dior” is the biggest hit here; although it didn’t attain the commercial success of “Bounce”, it is a good step forward for the young artiste.
Ruger has recently been in the news for the deluxe version of “The Second Wave”. While some initial doubts may have been raised over the wisdom of adding to an EP that was perfectly fine on its own, songs like “WeWe” and “Girlfriend” prove to be fine additions, helping to raise the quality of the project a notch higher. Throw in the added benefit of driving up streams for the original tracks of the EP, and it becomes a solid artistic and business decision for the youngster.
As Ruger revels in the success of his latest “The second wave Deluxe”, he must also be planning for the next stage of his career on national and international fronts. Being one of the best young talents of a generation is fine, but actual achievements will come when he can break into the top level of Nigerian music and challenge the likes of Wizkid, Davido and Burna Boy —the big three. Is this achievable? Only time will tell. For now, we can only hope Ruger’s next project is packed with enough hits to stamp his name properly in the upper echelon of Nigerian music.
The post Ruger: A Master At Putting The Best Foot Forward-By Patrick Ezema appeared first on Nigerian Entertainment Today.
Source: TheNet
