I remember vividly publishing a review sometime in April on the release of Rema’s most recent 2021 single titled, “Bounce”, which saw his music-making as creatively damned from his most creative lyrical structuring and a twist, down to his soothing vocal texture, and the manner he grabs and mishandles sonic experiences – it’s all but wonders.
Rema is currently signed to Jonzing World and he is directly under the tutelage of Nigerian Omo Oba, popularly known as D’Prince who’s the manager of the subsidiary record label Rema is making music from, and with the coaching of his Brother who’s the CEO of the parent company (Mavin Records), Don Jazzy, has seen Rema’s talent transit as he has been flourishing since 2019 when he became the most wanted young Nigerian music creator, he became the Headies Next Rated Act, and down the line, he is growing to become unstoppable.
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He is very creative, his lyrical examination always scores an A on my reviews, he is notable, and he is made for this.
Ruger’s coming is the second coming of Rema’s record that samples with the glories from his ardent vocal structure, Ruger is here to capture you with his creative mishaps from his vocals as well as his creative twist lyricism that is so powerful enough to grip and encore you solemnly to his songs till you fall asleep after many appeals.
The first time I heard Ruger was on the radio from Soundcity 96.5 FM Port-Harcourt, and it was an irresistible encore as I quickly googled after getting familiar with the name and track titled, ‘Bounce’, which when I settled later on that evening, I downloaded the record to get the taste complete and see what this Ruger guy had to offer Nigerian music industry and it was when I stumbled on his creative twist, I was revived to believe from his nostalgic creations curated at great ease and passion like Rema.
I enjoyed Ruger, and then I opt for his debut 6-track EP, titled, “Pandemic EP”, which means a lot to me right now.
His creativity is so intricate, it’s a great sign that Ruger would flourish as his label mate.
He has the next rated act’s abilities in him which might boldly secure his place.
He is creatively damned as well as Rema who has a lyrical twist.
His debut single, “One Shirt”, inculcates a great Afro-beats appeal, though it featured his label mate, Rema, and had his label manager, D’Prince as it was released in 2021.
“One Shirt” sees Ruger through self-experiences before the limelight and he made the record so personal that you feel every moment he designs ardently. Ruger released a new track alongside his debut singled entitled, ‘Bounce’, which appeared as the fifth track on his “Pandemic EP” and in that song and the last track on the EP was when I opted to believe it meant the second coming of Rema’s produce from a bunch of similar lyrical twist.
Ruger makes pop music so exquisite, he owns a style that blends in with Jamaican patois, pidgin, slangs, a twist with lyrics that form high or low pitched melodies which crowns him damned and also with a combination of his native dialect, Yoruba.
“Pandemic EP” is made from a myriad collection of Ruger’s thoughts that includes, love, his gratitude, and honor to Jah, self-worth, pleasures, and his great expression which follows by the side. Ruger opens his debut project with his special moniker, “Ruger”, it was the track where he offers us his story about starting and how he is ever born ready to conquer.
He comes in the track with great belief in himself to cause violation and create fire amongst contemporaries.
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His story’s his one eye patch style that he doesn’t give any fvck about shades and calls himself the lockdown and the pandemic in between, he believes he is unstoppable and each delivery he brings to attests his might.
Ruger is a good opener for the project and I feel his power dent to control the beat without slipping off with his eye patch shading his left eye on his art cover which defines him as a captain of his boat, he is in total control.
“Abu Dhabi” was the follow-up track after Ruger that was opened with critical pop mash-ups. “Abu Dhabi” seems like a prayer to the lord requesting his woman to come back to stay by his side because he doesn’t want to go mad.
She drives him recklessly, and he wants her to stocked with him.
Ruger offers to pay her dowry in any amount, any currency whether in Dollars or Cowries as he shows he is in love from this track built around the contagious melodies from his vocal sets, and the instrumental kicks that play out was very properly.
He promises to fly his lover to Abu Dhabi and every other part of the country as well to express and tell her how he loves and cherishes her and it seems like that’s how far he is prepared to get with the love from marrying and enjoying her as “Bow”, the third record lacing his ardent vocals with Jamaican patios, he structures Bow for his detractors as he prays for the steady grace of the lord to see him through nevertheless circumstances, or his sins, and weaknesses as he asks the Lord for forgiveness.
He prays to reap the fruits of his labor at the end and confronts his enemies with Bow.
He understands that the battle to become the act of his dream is fierce and he ready to achieve it, nevertheless, showing his great love to make good music.
Bow is a personal record filled with what he faces. He professes that anywhere his denigrators see him, all of them must bow.
He believes he should be respected. Ruger believes in his capability and that is what he needs to conquer amongst contemporaries with, and making songs like “Monalisa” that is very club-worthy, it is sustenance filled.
“Monalisa” is a tight pop creation that never loosens, Ruger rides on it critically and he made lyrical twist similar to Rema’s creations as he jam packs many forms of lyrics together mixing pidgin, slangs, and his dialect which makes the song Rema’s laid backtrack like “Lady” or “Bounce” which has a confiscated lyrical twist that made me believe Ruger’s capacity as I’ve believed his label mate, long before now.
Ruger sings the chorus to Monalisa ardently as Rema does without lacking the twist in between: “When you hear the beat, jukpa/With you big baka, koroba I want to deplete your ozone layer/Give you tungba-tungba/I dey call you you dey buga/With you big baka koroba”.
He says and it connects deeply describing Monalisa’s sexy body in between as he wants some taste.
He wants her to follow him home and I pray she does because he was very expressive using his lyrical twist that makes him creatively damned like Rema on “Bounce” using slangs, pidgin, and English to direct the ladies to wiggle nonstop.
“Bounce” became the fifth record on this project where he tells his girl to wiggle and grinds for him.
He tells the story about the Caribbean girl that falls for him, he tells her to spread her legs and give them to him without lauding what she receives or would receive perhaps.
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Bounce was pop-driven and it was lyrically built on pleasures and fun as the project almost comes to an end with “Yekpa” that offers and takes hold of another lyrical twist similarly as Rema does.
Yekpa drum rolls instrumentally and that lives you to its interesting sonic sedimentation at its peak. Yekpa is him loving the body of a girl and he couldn’t resist and he shouts yekpa-yekpa! I wonder how the visual would look like, maybe having him open his mouth wide as he looks at the lady that he drips for while he reminds her that he can’t die for her matter because fish plenty for water but yet the confession he makes sounds very realistic and unresisting.
Final Thoughts:
Ruger is a very talented and versatile singer with the abilities of a next-rated star.
His debut project, “Pandemic EP” is a proper set that sets him off and apart though in a way he is the second coming of Rema via his lyrical twist, his ability to implore his vocal and its experience with great melody as it is the major sign that follows new generation Afro-beat creators; they show a great ardency from their creations and make you a record and put you in front on the moments to feel what they experience like Omah Lay’s “Bad Influence”, Joeboy’s “Don’t Call Me Back’ feat. Mayorkun, Oxlade’s “Tables Turn”, Fireboy DML’s “Vibration” and Rema’s “Why”, as they are all talented and in between, Ruger paves his path and defines himself as another star emerging out from the pandemic and is set to lock down the music industry with his music representing the second coming of Rema. He has great music abilities just like Rema.
LISTEN TO Ruger’s Pandemic EP here!
