Nigerian singer Michael Olayinka, popularly known as Ruger, has opened up about the backlash he faced after parting ways with his former record label, Jonzing World, in what he described as a controversial exit.
Speaking on the latest episode of the Afrobeats Intelligence podcast, Ruger revealed that his departure triggered widespread criticism from both fans and fellow industry professionals. According to the singer, many people distanced themselves from him, and some even predicted the end of his music career.
“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,’” Ruger shared. “Not everybody was willing to help me because the public sentiment in Nigeria when you leave a label is that you’re ungrateful. It’s a stigma.”
The Asiwaju hitmaker also recounted his struggle with cancel culture, revealing that he had to work tirelessly to rebuild relationships and restart his career almost from scratch.
“I had to meet a lot of people and reintroduce myself. It was stressful, I’m not going to lie. It’s not easy to leave a label. You have to build your own system. It was like starting everything over again,” he explained. “But because I was strong inside—even though I was down—I triumphed.”
Ruger officially exited Jonzing World in 2024 following a reported fallout with label boss D’Prince, and went on to launch his own independent label, Blown Boy Entertainment.