Popular Nigerian singer Michael Olayinka, better known as Ruger, has revealed his struggles after his record label exit and the cancel culture battle.
In a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, the Asiwaju crooner opened up about the emotional and professional toll his controversial exit from former label Jonzing World took on his career
Ruger revealed that he faced an unexpected wave of backlash, not just from fans but from fellow artistes and music industry insiders. Ruger said:
“After leaving the label, there were a lot of comments about it. Some people were saying, ‘This is the last year you’re going to tour,’ ‘You’re finished,’ and so on,”
He explained that leaving a label in Nigeria often attracts negative sentiment, with many assuming the artiste is ungrateful or difficult to work with. That perception, he claims, led to isolation and subtle blacklisting from within the industry. Ruger continued:
“Not everybody was willing to help me because the public sentiment, once you leave a label in Nigeria, is that you are ungrateful. Many people don’t want to associate with you. It happens.”
Ruger officially parted ways with Jonzing World in 2024, following an alleged fallout with label boss D’Prince. Since then, he has been building his independent label, Blown Boy Entertainment, from the ground up. He has described the process as draining but necessary. He shared:
“It was just like starting everything over again. But because I was strong inside. I was also down, but I was still strong. I triumphed.”
Despite the setbacks, Ruger seems to be regaining his momentum, proving that cancel culture isn’t always permanent when talent, resilience, and a bit of rebranding come into play.
Similarly, Nigerian singer, Ahmed Ololade, popularly known as Asake, has seemingly confirmed his exit from YBNL Nation.
There were speculations that Asake had parted ways with Olamide’s YBNL in a controversial manner. Asake got signed to YBNL Nation in February 2022.
Asake confirmed his exit from YBNL by releasing his latest song, ‘Why Love’ under his own imprint, Giran Republic on Wednesday, February 12, 2025
