Long John Silver in Treasure Island and Beric Dondarrion in Game of Thrones will never be mentioned in a book-length Ruger biography. Still, those fictional characters have something in common with the pink-haired musician – the eyepatch.
The common theory with pirates is that they wore eyepatches to cover a defective eye that was lost in battle. But according to a new theory, pirates wore eye patches to enhance their night vision.
And with Ruger, the question has always been: Why does Ruger wear an eyepatch? Some don’t even leave room for subtlety and ask bluntly: Is Ruger blind?
We serve you the answer to this and many other things you have always wanted to know about the up-and-coming musician in this mini biography.
Ruger Birth and Background
A General History of the Pirates by Daniel Defoe, wasn’t in the Lagos home of Mr. and Mrs. Olayinka when their son, Michael Adebayo Olayinka, was born on September 23rd. But mystically, eyepatch and Ruger were united in this top-five book on pirates written in 1999, the year of his birth.
Michael’s parents are Mr. and Mrs. Olayinka, but nothing else is known about them. Though a public figure, Ruger’s family and most parts of his personal life remain confidential.
Raised in the Centre of Excellence but originally from Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Michael is the only son of his parents. However, he has other siblings who are females. We don’t know their exact number, but to say he’s blessed amongst women won’t be off the mark!
He spent his formative years absorbing various sounds of music like fuji, which his parents loved because of their Yoruba background. His sisters were into R&B, with Brandy, Mariah Carey, and Boyz II Men their favorites.
As he grew older, he discovered more sounds outside the home while he honed his skills in his church’s choir and school band.
“I’d assimilated a lot of vibes unconsciously by the virtue of growing up in that space where all music lives. By the time I was in high school, I already knew music is what I wanted to do and here we are,” he said.
Ruger Education
We don’t know the names of the elementary schools he attended, but it’s safe to say he went to primary and secondary schools in Lagos, the city he spent most of his time. Currently, he’s combining music and studies as he’s said to be enrolled in one of the private universities in the southwest.
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Ruger Music Career
It wasn’t a smooth transition from completing his senior secondary school exams to gaining university admission. To kill time, in order to avoid being a trainee in the devil’s workshop, he took to an apprenticeship in phone repairs at Computer Village, a popular ICT hub in Ikeja, Lagos.
In his spare time, he used social media platforms to showcase his musical talent, hoping to walk in the footsteps of hitherto anonymous musicians like Justin Bieber, Dave, and Megan Thee Stallion, who started their careers that way.
Despite getting attention online, the big break didn’t come until many months later when D’Prince, the younger brother of Don Jazzy and head of Jonzing World, got interested.
“I was going to audition at a talent show the day he called for us to meet. Of course, I ditched the talent show to meet with him,” he said.
And that was how his music career took flight!
But before ‘boarding’ the airplane, he needed rebranding prior to ‘takeoff’. And his name was the first ‘casualty.’ D’Prince started calling him Ruger when he saw how his recruit did while recording.
“I make this gesture with my hand like I’m aiming at something,” he said.
“At first, I didn’t own up to the name, but as time passed and my sound grew secretly – in hotel rooms, in my room, in private studios – I eventually owned up to it.”
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Ruger Record Label
Ruger’s record label is Jonzing World, owned by the man who discovered him, D’Prince. The recording artiste established the company on March 22nd, 2019. Their range of services includes branding, management, music recording, and audiovisual content. Rema, another on-the-up-and-up musician, has a contract with the record label.
Ruger Music Career Timeline
January 2021 – D’Prince announced the signing of Ruger to Jonzing World and Sony Music Entertainment UK in a joint venture with Columbia Records
February 19th, 2021 – released Ruger, a self-titled single off his first EP project, Pandemic
March 4th, 2021 – released his debut EP Pandemic
2021 – Bounce, a track from Pandemic EP, debuted at number 39 on the Top 50 chart and at number 20 on the TurnTable End of the Year chart
2021 – Bounce became the number 2 most streamed song of the year in Nigeria and the number 3 Apple music top song. Ruger peaked as the number 1 top rising musician on Boomplay
2021 –nominated for Best Newcomer by AFRIMMA (African Muzik Magazine Awards); recommended for Most Outstanding Artiste, Duo or Group in African Reggae, Ragga or Dancehall and Most Promising African Artiste of the year by AFRIMA (All Africa Music Awards); put forward for Best New Artist and Best Reggae or Dancehall Act of the year award by AEAUSA (African Entertainment Awards USA); listed among the 22 Musicians Set to Rule 2022 by Vogue Magazine UK
August 2021 – signed an Entertainment Residency Endorsement deal with the Eko Hotel
August 27th, 2021 – thrilled an audience of 20,000 attendees at the 02 Arena with Burna Boy as the headline
November 19th, 2021 – released his second EP, The Second Wave
2022 – Dior, a track from the EP, was the first to peak at number 1 in Nigeria and other African countries like the Gambia, Kenya, Uganda, Sierra Leone, and Madagascar
2022 – Dior peaked at number 32 on the Top 50 chart, and number 15 on the UK Afrobeat Singles Chart
March 2022 – was unveiled as brand ambassador for Tiger Beer
June 17th, 2022 – added three songs, Girlfriend, WeWe, and Warning to The Second Wave Deluxe, produced by Kukbeatz
January 2nd, 2023 – Bounce has over 51 million views on YouTube
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Ruger Music Style
As a fan of music, Ruger listened to all kinds of songs, but when he started doing his own, he had to embrace what suited him.
“I chose reggae, dancehall, and Fuji. I get a lot of inspiration from Sean Paul and Popcaan, and still listen to King Wasiu Ayinde a lot. So, I just try to infuse all that while making music.
“I like to call my signature style Afro-dancehall, where I blend Afrobeat, dancehall, my patois, and Pidgin English. It’s not exactly a new genre because many people, from General Pype to Patoranking, have been doing it for a long time, so I’m not exactly trying to create a new genre.
“I’m only coming in with a different, more modern, and confrontational flavour. As one who listens to his own records as a fan, I daresay it slaps.”
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Is Ruger blind?
Like the pirates, Ruger is not blind. Unlike the pirates, though, his eyepatch is not meant to aid night vision.
“The eyepatch is a symbol,” he said.
“As you know, I’m called Ruger. Ruger is a name of a gun. So, this is me sniping because a sniper closes one eye to make his target.”
With the eyepatch and gun in place, what remains is a baggy white shirt, striped trousers, a vest, and possibly a bandana to cover his hair, and the image of Ruger the Pirate is complete!
Feuds
If an online feud were an Olympic sport, Ruger would represent Nigeria and compete in the final with Kanye West! No point talking about who will win, but let’s talk about how Ruger got to that stage.
In the African ‘qualifier’, Ruger squared up with BNXN. The encounter began when a fan claimed BNXN was better than Ruger. Silence is the best answer for… you know who, but the page where the word is has been ripped off in Ruger’s dictionary. He wasted no time throwing a sucker punch.
“I am something,” he said.
“For years now, I have forced my songs down people’s throats, whether e sweet abi e no sweet either by too many ads or by paying every influencer to make a noise about a song they don’t even like. Or by speeding my song on TikTok. What am I?”
In all fairness, he did not mention anyone’s name, but the post didn’t auger well with BNXN.
“All of you fakes will be exposed one by one, and you will do it yourselves,” he said.
“There are streaming farms in Nigeria now. A room where label bosses pay money to get your songs up by automation, with no genuine fans, no real people, just a facade. Y’all make the people who really work for this bleed, and your day is coming.”
A truce was called, but it was short-lived as the duo resumed their heated war of words on Twitter.
Portable joined the fray from nowhere, but he aimed his dig against Ruger and BNXN.
“Tell Ruger and Buju to learn music from Dr Zeh,” he said.
“They don’t know how to sing. Their lyrics are not audible. It’s not that we don’t understand English. Their wordings are not audible enough. It’s not just about singing about women and earning all the awards.
“Can’t you praise God? You can’t talk about real things? Can’t you say wise wordings? Are you mad or something? Later, they end up with all the awards.
“All the downloads Ruger gets, who downloads it? Is it not all lies? You guys kill other people’s careers. There are artists who are far better than you guys. You use fake life to kill other people’s careers. Music is business, and it’s competitive. But you guys use the money to buy out awards.”
This time, however, Ruger and BNXN used silence as a weapon. They kept mute but resumed hostility against each other. Maybe they are now friends, but who knows?
Ruger Girlfriend
Susan Pwajok is reported to be Ruger’s girlfriend. An actress, model, and social media influencer, the Plateau state indigene, was nominated for Best Actress in a Comedy Series at the 2017 AMVCA Awards, which she won.
Ruger Net worth
Ruger’s net worth is estimated to be between $300,000 and $400,000. His music, endorsements, investments, etc., have bolstered his earnings in a relatively young career.
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Ruger Cars
He’s reported to own two cars, but we’ve seen him in more.
Ruger House
In October 2022, Ruger bought a luxury house in Lagos. In a video, he flaunted the plush and expensive-looking interior of the property. Here’s a glimpse.
Conclusion
Ruger is a fast-rising musician with an appealing outlook. With his pink hair, left eyepatch, and lyrics, Ruger’s biography still has several unwritten pages.
