Nigerian singer Michael Olayinka, widely known as Ruger, has opened up about the challenges he faced after parting ways with Jonzing World, revealing that both fans and industry insiders distanced themselves from him during the period.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, Ruger recalled the backlash that followed his exit from the label. He explained that many who once supported him turned cold, while colleagues in the music space became hesitant to associate with him.
“After leaving the label [Jonzing World], there were a lot of comments about it. Some people were saying, ‘This is the last year you’re going to tour’, ‘This is the end’, ‘You’re finished’, this and that,” Ruger said.
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He added that in Nigeria, artists who leave record labels are often tagged as ungrateful, which makes others in the industry wary of working with them.
“Not everybody were 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 that person, even those in the same industry. It happens,” he shared.
Despite facing what he described as a wave of rejection and a brush with cancel culture, Ruger said he remained focused on rebuilding his career. He noted that it took a lot of effort to restart from the ground up and reestablish connections.
“I was battling cancel culture. I had to meet a lot of people and reintroduce myself. I was doing a lot of things from the scratch. It’s stressful, I’m not going to lie. It’s not easy to leave a label. You have to build your own system. It was just like starting everything over again,” he said.
He acknowledged that the journey wasn’t easy, admitting that although he was emotionally affected, his inner strength kept him going.
“But because I was strong inside — I was also down but I was still strong — I triumphed,” Ruger added.
The singer officially ended his relationship with Jonzing World in 2024 after a reported fallout with the label’s founder, D’Prince. Following his departure, he launched his independent platform, Blown Boy Entertainment, in a bid to take full control of his music career.
Ruger’s revelation sheds light on the pressures artists face when stepping out on their own in a music industry where label loyalty is often prioritized.
