Ruggedman, in his hey days, was the rapper every other rapper and singer looked up to. With hit songs like ‘Ehen’ and ‘Baraje’, Ruggedman had little to prove to anyone, he was talented.
Nearly two decades down the line, the rapper seems to have put music aside and makes the news more for his activism than for rap, but in an interview with Punch Newspaper, he sets the record straight.
Ruggedman said, “Everybody has his or her time. If people say I have not been ‘buzzing’ like I used to when I first came out, I would tell them that it is almost impossible for anybody to stay on top of the industry for such a long time. We all have our times to shine and it’s important to use it well. It is wrong for anybody to say I have not been consistent. I’m doing music and working with trending artistes; that is consistency. I have had songs with top artistes such as Wande Coal over the years,”
He added, “My originality is one of the things that have kept me for so long; the gift is inborn. All I have to do is apply it to whatever I’m doing. I am into a lot of things and I always apply my heart to them. I have my music career, clothing line, gaming brand, activism, among other things. I am always involved in something that would add value to lives. That is the way I’ve stayed relevant. It’s not just about music. It’s not about putting songs out there every second but applying yourself to the right things”.
On the state of rap music in the industry, Ruggedman said, “Right now, rap music is struggling because everybody is singing. I don’t blame rappers who are now singing because it is what the people want. Radio stations would rather play more of singing tracks than rap songs. The hip hop culture is not very strong. Have you ever heard of a rap show in the country? Most companies that sponsor shows want artistes who are the raves of the moment, and most times, they are singers.”
