Ruger, whose real name is Michael Adebayo Olayinka, is a Nigerian singer-songwriter and performing artist born on September 23, 1999, in Lagos, Nigeria.
He hails from the Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State. Ruger’s music career began when he was discovered by D’Prince, who signed him to Jonzing World and Sony Music Entertainment UK in 2021.
Ruger rose to fame with the release of his song “Bounce,” which debuted at number 39 on Nigeria’s Top 50 chart and reached number 2 on Apple Music’s top Afrobeats songs chart. He has since released several successful projects, including the EPs “Pandemic” and “The Second Wave,” and his debut album “Ru the World” in 2023.
In 2024, Ruger left Jonzing World to start his own record label, Blown Boy Entertainment. He has collaborated with other notable artists, such as Rema and Bnxn, and has won several awards, including the Soundcity MVP Award for Best New Artiste in 2023.
Ruger dropped his new album, BlownBoy Ru, on March 28th, including the acclaimed singles “Jay Jay”, “Toma Toma” Ft. Tiwa Savage and the focus single and music video for the party-starting “DuDu”, featuring Jamaican dancehall favourite Kranium.
Ruger’s music style blends Afrobeats, afro-pop, and dancehall genres, and he has been praised for his unique sound and energetic live performances. With a net worth exceeding $1 million, Ruger has established himself as one of the most promising young artists in the Nigerian music industry.
