Hip-hop in Nigerian has survived for three decades now, with different rappers leading the forth at each phase of its existence.
No matter what phase you examine, it is impossible to exclude the name Ruggedman when telling the tale of Nigerian hip hop music.
In the early 2000s, Nigerian hip-hop witnessed a defining moment after Michael Ugochukwu- better known- as Ruggedman took everyone by surprise after he released a diss track Ehen Pt.1 where he called out his colleagues describing them as wack.
Beyond being a marketing gimmick that worked; the direct hit forced a lot of MCs to sit up and accept the emergence of dope MCs.
All in all, Rugged man pioneered the era of lyrical awakening in Nigerian music. His ability to fuse rap features hitherto synonymous with foreign counterparts that depicted intellectualism with skillfulness that the Nigerian audience could relate to.
Ruggedman’s outspoken nature earned him a few rivals through his reign. Some observers tagged him ‘cocky’ but who could disagree with the man’s viewpoints, even if he didn’t deliver it in a neccessarily friendly manner?
As we celebrate the hiphop legend at 41 and for your reminiscent pleasure; here is a list of three artistes Ruggedman has had a public rift with.
Eedris Abdulkareem
The Ruggedman and Eedris Abdulkareem beef was birthed as a result of Rugged’s Ehen record where he threw direct shots at Eedris- who at the time referred to himself as the best rapper in Africa. The beef however was squashed several years later when Rugged featured on Eedris’ Koleyewon
9ice
The rivalry between Rugged man and 9ice who were erstwhile friends dates back to 2010, when Rugged man was rumoured to have had an affair with 9ice’s ex-wife, Toni Payne. As if to confirm it, 9ice released a controversial single titled Once Bitten and many were quick to say 9ice was referring to Rugged man as the man he said he caught sleeping with his wife. To make matters worse, it was almost after the release of the controversial song that 9ice ended his marriage with Toni Payne.
Of course Rugged man responded to the rumours with a track where spoke about all the things he had done for 9ice. For Ruggedman, music is a tool for expression so instead of trading words, he preferred to speak through his music.
The former friends buried the hatchet and dropped Religion on 2016.
Modenine
Perhaps the most iconic hiphop beef that ever happened in this part of the world. It took diss track after diss track after diss track for Nigerians to choose a winner in this supremacy battle. Modenine’s Talking To You rubbed Rugged the wrong way and he fired back . Although it wasn’t volatile enough to degenerate into physical altercations, the vitriol from both parties had never been seen before in Nigerian hiphop and still remains an iconic moment for the culture.