Despite being severely underappreciated, Ruger’s debut album was a masterpiece that aptly showcased the full range of his artistry.
Ru The World was mostly a victim of its own release schedule. Dropping only a week after Burna Boy’s 7th studio album and a few weeks before the tragedy of the Mohbad’s death engulfed the industry, it never really got the sort of elaborate marketing campaign it deserved to attain reasonable success. Ruger is of course aware of this and revealed it to this writer, that he was basically handicapped and couldn’t promote the album properly. With his brand new album though, he intends that this effort will get its moment in the sun and it only made sense to double down on the formular that defined the underrated predecessor.
African Dancehall as Ruger likes to call it, or more appropriatelyβAfro-Bashment/Swing is the fusion of Afrobeats with Dancehall and Reggae influences. Ruger’s sonic profile is a unique one that allows him navigate said terrain with such finesse and grace, blurring the lines between R&B fusion through soulful melodies and Hip-Hop delivery cadences. Whilst his debut album is a masterful display of all these colorful genres, this writer fears that his sophomore effort, while good, pales in comparison as Ruger struggles to reach the dynamic heights he touched on his first outing.
Album opener, REintroduction works as a great outro and it features Ruger’s trademark melodic rapping cadences and some memorable lines, but sadly the production of the song does little to elevate his delivery. The trap fusion beat doesn’t have complimentary chords that pair nicely with Ruger’s vocals, which is also found lacking in melodies too. But it’s only an intro and it would be unfair to judge it through the lens of a complete song, and not the statement it’s trying to be.
Muah (Soulmates) has better production and more potent melodies, but there is nothing trailblazing about this track that stands out and merits it at such early placement. For Ruger’s standards, the writing on the song is also a bit forgettable. On his best R&B cuts, Ruger always had the sort of jarring, treacherous lines that stuck and reminded you of the fact that there aren’t many smoother Casanovas around. There is nothing wrong, if he’s graduated from his playboy headspace but he fails to match the writing prowess of the past in his present headspace, and Muah ends up being another good R&B cut that could have been released by anyone.
Giveaway ft. Zlatan is a drill track that kicks up the tempo of the album and arrives very timely. Zlatan’s presence is very justified and he is definitely the best guest appearance on the LP, with the sort of dexterous flows that reminds you the gulp in delivery class between a pop singer and a rapper. However, Ruger is not just any average pop star and has eaten up a drill beat harder than most rappers on the intro track of his debut album, Tour so this writer can’t help but feel he only put in minimal effort here. The electric guitar at the ending is a nice touch and ending to an overall decent song.
Jay Jay is the sort of old school dancehall Afro fusion, with a production style reminiscent of the early 2010s from pioneers like Timaya and African China and Ruger puts his imprint on it. This is another song that would have benefited from Ruger’s mastery in finding pockets of beats that aren’t surface level, but he does nothing out of the box and the song remains what it is. Dudu suffers from the same problem, except it has an even more excruciatingly repetitive chorus that is the farthest thing from creative. Kranium’s verse fits into the beat like a glove and he salvages it to an extent.
Rub Minds is one of the brightest spots on the album. It’s a mid-tempo pop song, and Ruger deplores some of his best flows on the album on it and he glides over the beat, like a seasoned surfer. It’s almost like he remembers on the song that he’s renowned for his dynamic deliveries and goes into his bag. On the impressive delivery on the song though, Ruger narrates an old encounter that left an indelible mark and how he would go above and beyond to relive that magic once again.
Toma Toma remains the brilliant Brazilian funk, Afrobeats and dancehall fusion it was since it was released last year. Unlike the guest artists on preceding tracks who stole the show from Ruger, on Toma Toma, Ruger is absolutely the star of the show and eats up the beat with the sort of elastic flows that elite rappers would struggle to pull off on the same beat.
Wish You Well ft. Valiant heads back into deep territory of R&B, featuring a beat rumbling with piano notes and wailing like a siren, that’s a bit derivative of JAE5’s Sugarmami beat. The verses here are competent and Ruger alludes to a past lover, who has apparently moved on with a new man and iterates on the chorus that he wishes her well, although there is anger and resentment in his verse for the better part of the song.
Toro is perhaps the most vulnerable Ruger song you’ll ever find and it fires on all cylinders. Soulful melodies, heartfelt lyrics about opening up and becoming a better man. The chorus uses the same formulaic repetitive formular that the album is replete with, but it works better here. When 99 comes around, the album desperately needs a jolt to bring it back to life, as the production gets monotonous but it never happens. Ruger carries his weight and sings about everything from about being promiscuous to being respectful of his love interest’s time and not wasting her time.
On Runway, sex is a conquest and Ruger is intent on winning and beating his opponent and love interest. Haile’s vocal texture is a nice contract against his and brings a much needed feminine touch on an album, that has sensual vibes. Both artists shine on the beat, which isn’t sure what it’s trying to be with it’s mid-tempo pace and stacked log drums. Hell Cat epitomizes the sentiment of the album’s title and Ruger makes it explicitly clear that he’s far gone and doesn’t fuck anymore with his detractors who doubted him. Like most songs on this album, this is a good song that would have fared better with a more maximalist approach to production.
The curtains fall on Blown Boy Anthem which sums up the album in a nutshell. Like the intro, the production on this track doesn’t elevate the song and it sounds quite dated. The Kukbeatz x Ruger synergy is one that has thrived on multiple projects, but seems to have run out of legs on this new album. Ruger needs to work with new producers that will inject new, refreshing life into his artistry. Of course, there are other producers on the album but they mostly tailor their production to fit into the predominant sonic direction established by Kukbeatz.
Blown Boy Ru features similar elements to his debut album, but as a result of a myriad of reasons like the production quality falling short, his writing lacking that personality that set him apart from his peers and less dynamic deliveries, this album pales in comparison to his debut. Nonetheless, it’s a good album in itself and has enough quality to justify a listen.
Final Verdict:
Sonic Cohesion & Transitions: 1.5/2
Expansive Production: 1.1/2
Songwriting: 1.3/2
Delivery: 1.3/2
Optimal Track Sequencing: 1.3/2
Total: 6.5/10
