In early 2021, when the fiery dancehall tune Ruger debuted on airwaves and music platforms, virtually everyone went to search for the artiste who sang the song. What many people did not know was that the song was self-styled after the singer.
Ever since his debut, a lot has changed for the eye patch-wearing Afro-dancehall crooner. His discography has been mind-blowing, scoring several hits within the space of two years. Ruger’s rise to fame has been phenomenal, to the extent that he has garnered so much love from fans from Nigeria and across the world.
His story is one of a kind, however, not many people are aware of his life before his rise to his stardom. As a result, we have detailed an in-depth look into the life of Ruger, the Asiwaju hitmaker.
Table of Content hide 1Ruger biography 2Career 3Ruger’s songs 4Controversy 5Awards 6Ruger’s net worth 7Family 8Ruger AgeRuger biography
Michael Adebayo Olayinka, famously known as “Ruger”, was born on September 23, 1999, in Lagos, Nigeria. He was raised in the middle-class areas of Lagos State, otherwise known as the ‘Mainland‘. However, Ruger originally hails from the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Ruger is 5 feet 7 inches tall and is the only son of his parents. He is currently an afrobeat and dancehall singer, songwriter, and entertainer.
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Career
Ruger began creating music at a very early age. As a teenager, he found himself participating in both his church choir and the music band at his high school. At this point, he started writing songs and performing them live at concerts and school events.
Around 2019 and 2020, he was making several freestyle videos, as well as covers of popular Nigerian songs and uploaded them to Instagram. According to him, he was doing this as a hobby while working at the information and communications technology accessories market in Lagos, popularly known as Computer Village. The singer referenced some of the artists as a source of inspiration for his career choice. Ruger grew up listening to Boyz II Men, Bob Marley, Beyoncé, R. Kelly, Rihanna, and more.
Things changed for the better for him when he caught the attention of D’Prince, who took him under his wing and signed him to his Jonzing world imprint. He has acknowledged in interviews that D’Prince gave him the moniker “Ruger“. He signed a record deal in 2021 with D’Prince (“Jonzing World Records”) for a publishing and distribution deal with Columbia Records, and Sony Music Entertainment, U.K. division.
With the release of “One Shirt,” D’Prince showcased Ruger to the public alongside Rema, another signee to the Jonzing World/Mavin Record label. On February 19, 2021, Ruger released his debut single, Ruger, a self-titled single. He subsequently released his debut EP project, “Pandemic“, a six-track extended play released on March 4, 2021, which achieved major success, especially with his hit song, Bounce.
Bounce was one of the biggest songs of 2021, reaching the top spot on both the Nigerian and international Apple Music charts. It has amassed over 54 million views on YouTube, as of the time of writing this article. “Pandemic” was certified platinum in Sub-Saharan Africa.
He released a sophomore EP the following year called “The Second Wave“. The four-track EP comprised the following songs: Champion, Snapchat, Dior, and Useless. The most popular track of the EP was Dior, which peaked at number one in Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Madagascar, Kenya, the Gambia, and Sierra Leone. The Second Wave Deluxe Edition, which included three additional tracks, was released following his sophomore album’s commercial success.
Ruger has enjoyed immense success in his music career, scoring even more hits to this day. His most recent single, Asiwaju, became the number-one song in Nigeria and currently has 17 million YouTube views. He recently began “Rugged Tour“, an international tour that takes him to many countries across the world. He performed in Las Vegas, Dallas, and Houston. Additionally, the singer’s concerts in Cyprus, Australia, and the Netherlands were sold out.
Ruger’s songs
- Ruger (2021)
- Abu Dhabi (2021)
- Bow (2021)
- Bounce (2021)
- Monalisa (2021)
- Yekpa (2021)
- Dior (2021)
- Champion (2021)
- Snapchat (2021)
- Useless (2021)
- Girlfriend (2022)
- WeWe (2022)
- Warning (2022)
- Red Flags (2022)
- Asiwaju (2022)
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Controversy
In his short career span, Ruger has been involved in some controversies. During a show at the Hard Rock Café in Lagos in 2022, an overly fired-up female fan sexually assaulted Ruger while the singer was performing on stage. She forcibly grabbed him by the crotch, prompting the singer to leave the stage mid-performance to show his disapproval of the act.
Later in 2022, Ruger and his fellow singer, BNXN, engaged in a Twitter feud over who had the best music. BNXN had posted a snapshot of his conversation with rapper Olamide, which included some words from the song they were co-writing. Ruger next published a conversation he had with a buddy who had praised him after sending him some lyrics from an unfinished song.
Ruger, however, retorted after a supporter of BNXN suggested that BNXN was a better musician than he is.
“Lol, Bnxn is better than you, and there’s nothing you can do about it, you this low-budget Samuel L. Jackson,” the fan wrote.
Ruger responded in a subsequent tweet, writing: “I love Buju, he’s good but he’s not better than me. Everything I’ve done since the beginning was only RUGER. All my hits are just RUGER. I’m always proud going on stage around the world with my own hits and everyone is singing along. You see the difference?”
His comment elected varied reactions from online users. The back and forth continued for a while and subsided, only to be reignited again on August 25, 2022.
It all began when BNXN uploaded a link to his new project along with a screenshot of his song with Wizkid and a photo of his most recent album, which was ranked number one on Apple Music’s Nigerian album list, along with the statement: “What if I? What if I? What if I?COOOKKKK??? #BadSince97?“
In response, Ruger cited a tweet that said “Get a solo hit then talk to me, fatty bum bum”, to which Buju fired back on Twitter, saying: “Project #1 and I didn’t have to whine my waist?”
A screenshot showing Ruger’s EPs, “Pandemic EP” and “The Second Wave (Deluxe Edition)”, at numbers 64 and 33, respectively, in the Apple Music album charts was also showcased by BNXN. He followed that with another tweet which read: “Man had to body shame? ?? hurt him deeeeep?”
Awards
- “Best New Comer” – 2021 AFRIMMA awards
- “Best Male West Africa” – 2023 AFRIMMA awards
- “Best New Artiste” – 2023 Soundcity MVP
Ruger’s net worth
Ruger has had a pretty impressive career thus far, with several chart-topping hits and countless party rockers. Also, he has found success outside the shores of Nigeria, making good earnings from music sales and tours, as well as endorsement deals.
His exact net worth is not confirmed officially. However, reports suggest that his estimated net worth might be within the range of N15 million-N30 million.
Family
Ruger was born into the family of Mr and Mrs Olayinka, who are practising Christians. He is the only son in his family and is said to have female siblings. His father is a Lagos-based entrepreneur who has been supportive of his son’s career, as well as his mother.
Ruger Age
Ruger was born on September 24, 1999. He is currently 23 years old and would turn 24 in September 2023.
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