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Ruggedman

Ruggedman is one of Nigeriaโ€™s most celebrated hip-hop artists. Born Michael Ugochukwu Stevens, he was fourth in a line of five children and moved to Lagos in his early years, which brought its own challenges. But family has always been first for him.

At age 11 he got hooked on musical TV shows like SoulTrain and Top of The Pops., which was just the beginning of what was to become the journey of a lifetime.

โ€œMy uncle Jonathan Okeke would come from America with VHS tapes of Yo!, MTV Raps with Ed Lover & Dr Dre., Rap City with Fab Five Freddie. I would spend hours watching them at his house. Then borrow like 5, return 3. Borrow another 6 tapes and return 2โ€ฆlol!โ€ โ€“ Ruggedman

He started writing down rap lyrics and testing out his skills. Soon after, Ruggedman was scouting local studios and with the help of DJs, got to record instrumental loops. And while he was influenced by some of the hip-hop greats, Ruggedmanโ€™s music remains original.

โ€œMy music is heavily influenced by some of the greatest hit-makers that ever lived. NWA (Dr Dre, Eazy E, Ice Cube, D.O.C, DjYella & Mc Ren), Public Enemy, 2pac, Jay Z, LL Cool, Mc Hammer, Chubb Rock, Wu Tang Clan, Queen Latifah, Snoop Dog, Nas, 50 Cent and Eminem top the listโ€- Ruggedman

It may have seemed a bit odd at the time, seeing as most other people showed up to make music of their own. For Ruggedman, not so much.

โ€œI started trying to rap the lyrics I had written out to their beats. Then I started writing my own lyrics to the beatsโ€ โ€“ Ruggedman

He started recording his own music with a tape deck due to a lack of access to a professional recording studio. While the technology and method was rudimentary, it was enough for Ruggedman to record his ideas.

โ€œI would put my face between both tape recorders and start rappingโ€ฆcatching both the beat and my voice onto the empty tapeโ€ โ€“ Ruggedman

Ruggedman was hitting the studios again, recording his own lines on tapes straight from a mic. He made the list of artists alongside Abounce recording music for Diamond Ring, a Tade Ogidan film. This was followed by a collaboration with Freestyle and Swave on the Hilda Dokubo filmโ€A Campus Taleโ€. The collaboration was assisted by producer Paul Play Dairo and the late studio engineer Tony Tonero.

He went on to record his first ever track with Paul Play Dairo called โ€œWhat Ifโ€, which lead to a chance meeting with the late OJB Jezreel. With access to professional recording studios, his journey in music went from strength to strength. If there was any doubt about his influence on Nigerian contemporary music, the numerous awards Ruggedman has received speak volumes.

 

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