Nigerian singer Ruger, whose real name is Michael Adebayo Olayinka, wants to be seen as a threat by his fellow musicians. He talked about this goal on the Afrobeats Podcast hosted by Adesope Olajide. Ruger explained that his hit song, Asiwaju, has a deep personal meaning for him. He also mentioned that he has realized that only a few people in the music industry truly accept him for who he is.
In his words
It [‘Asiwaju’] is everything. It’s a viby song. It’s also a personal message because I don’t want anyone to look at me as not dangerous.
When people don’t see you as a threat, it’s bad. There are a lot of artists that are in that category. Sorry and it’s bad, honestly. When you are about to release music and nobody is shaking; you announced a single/project release date and nobody is bothered. It’s really bad.
You’ve to make yourself a threat. People have to anticipate your release whether it’s good or bad. That’s the level I’m on right now. It’s deliberate. I want my colleagues to see me as a threat. You can’t be a softy. You either be a monster or you be food. Many people are foods right now. The music business taught be to be hard. It’s not all love, mehn. I can’t lie to you. Just follow your own pace and be that monster.”
