How RuggedMan and 9ice elevated Afrobeat

10 years ago, after Tuface Idibia had blessed the world with African Queen, two (2) Nigerian Music legends, Ruggedman and 9ice released a popular joint that would change the history of African music in the world forever.

The smashing hit song, titled ‘’Ruggedy Baba’’ was the turning point for afrobeats music, not only in Nigeria, but in Africa as a whole. As you may have known, Nigeria is the heart of Africa and where ever Nigeria goes, the rest of Africa follows.

Ruggedy Baba was a song that espoused, bolstered and propagandized the concept of mother tongue in hip hop music, transposing the myth of rappers who often claimed that only those who rap in English like Americans are truly hip hop heads.

The boastful ‘’Ruggedy Baba’’synthesized hip hop music with traditional tune that was not very popular at the time and produce a masterpiece of Afrobeats music that would go on to inspire confidence in the younger generation of African artists and embolden them to confidently incorporate indigenous language into their music.



‘’Atewo mo bala (I spread my palm and see lines), A o mo eni to ko (I don't know who wrote them), that was the first line being chanted by 9ice in the chorus, before he added another line that said, ‘We spit in pigin awon kan n wuko (we spit in pigin and some are unhappy), you better show where you belong’’.

Beyond the sweet tune and local flavour of the track, the central message is a clear call on the people of Africa to jettison the culture of imitating foreign products, particularly music,‘’ Wetin go make them know where your music come from in the long run Na the fussion of grammar, your slang and your mother tongue’’ rapped ruggedman.

The legendary Ruggedman argued that, for a music to be respected in the long run, it has to be in your mother tongue and coming from an artist considered as one of the best rappers at the time, a lot of younger artists craving for fame and identity were forced to listen and act on his wise counsel. This has actually paid off today.

Apart from artists who switched from hardcore to indigenous rap music like Olamide, the CEO of YBNL records, Ruggedy baba also helped increase the confidence of indigenous artist who were always being looked down upon at the time.

In verse 2 of the track, rugged man rap, ‘’I'm tired of so called hip-hop heads whispering that I am not holding it down’’ ‘’Say I don change from the way I be before’’ ‘’Say now I dey spit for pidjin’’, ‘’Dem prefer me when I been be hard core’’ ‘’ Our elders mock our shit, Cos of our too much metaphorical out of space type shit, When some rap, Dem no know where we dey come from, Back then two rappers on stage was like seven throwing a tantrum, We need to change that and put a face to our music, Let the world know where we come from, Let no one abuse it’’.

Ruggedman was very conscious of his message and the intention was to force a change in our perception and priority. He wanted us to change from wanting to sing and sound like Americans, he also wanted us to embrace our local flavor and put a face to our music for the purpose of having our stamp on it for easy recognition.

Ruggedman hold dear, the importance of origin. He actually proposed that ‘’ We need to change and put a face to our music’’. This is basically what afrobeats is all about. Africa existing in its own music and taking ownership of it with confidence.
Having addressed the subject of grammar in the first 2 verses of the track, ruggedman dived into another subject of ‘keeping it real’.

He raps, ‘’ Look my guy, I no fit shout, I go only ask what's keeping it real?

Explaining the meaning of keeping it real, Ruggedman rapped, Is it singing or rapping like Oyibo or doing what you and your own people can feel?

In his view, singing and rapping like Americans doesn’t mean you are keeping it real, it simply means that you are trying to be someone else. So, he concluded by stating the rules, ‘’spit in whatever language but make sense’’.

This rule, as espoused by Ruggedman is what many afrobeat artist have taken to heart ever since and it has elevated afrobeat, from just being a local music to a global and highly sorted tune.

As ruggedman stated, ‘’ Wetin go make them know where your music come from in the long run Na the fussion of grammar, your slang and your mother tongue’’