While the rap beef continues to make headlines, Afropop stars Ruger and BNXN have squashed their beef and are coming together on a new album. RnB.
The two were gunning for each other at X in August 2022. “In Nigeria, the extreme disruption is real. If you like an artist or feel like an artist is your favorite, you'll pretty much go to any length to prove it—even if it means fighting someone else who says otherwise. That was the primary reason,” explains BNXN in an interview with Billboard News. “I think someone came [Ruger], and then replied to the person. The response had me all in, and I'm like… is that 50 Cent meme where he's like, “Me?” That little ego clash had a lot to do with it.”
But looking back, the “GWAGWALADA” singer thinks the whole thing was “unnecessary” and “blown out of proportion”.
Ruger also believed that their fans played a role, not just online, but in real life as well. “At the same time we blew up right, you see. We were going to the same shows at the time, you see, and our fans were there. So if one comes out, another one comes out, the fans will be like, 'Ayo!' and I punch the other guy,” he says Advertising signTetris Kelly. “Music is all we have. we have to fight for it.”
But when the two finally decided to bury the hatchet, fate brought them together. BNXN was sitting on a plane, waiting for his flight to London to take off, and Ruger tapped him on the shoulder. “Is it fight or flight?” BNXN recalls with a laugh.
But the 'Asiwaju' artiste breaks down why it was easier to fight online than in real life. “The reason why most of us fight online [is] because we don't have time to meet. But when we meet, we see the kind of person we are, we only deal with music. It's not really about bad blood like that,” says Ruger.
Ruger and BNXN proved they're really into music when they released their joint album RnB (means Ruger and Benson) on Thursday (April 18), which features previous singles “Romeo Must Die (RMD)” and “POE.” “Romeo Must Die (RMD)” reached No. 11 Advertising signMap of US Afrobeats songs. Ruger reveals that it only took him and BNXN three days to put together the seven-piece project.
“When two artists like us get together, we send a message to everyone around the industry, whether it's in Nigeria, America, London, wherever,” says Ruger. “Collaboration actually pushes the sound further. Just like for Afrobeats right now, a lot of us don't really collaborate. The world does not allow such joint works. But this project actually takes us to another level, whether you like it or not.”
BNXN adds that the construction RnB together it was a “seamless” experience. “We wanted a collaborative effort, something that felt genuine and at the same time fit each other's personalities,” he adds. “The producers—shout out to Blaise[beatz] and Cook[beats] — we've worked with producers individually in the past. Kuk was more of a Ruger producer and Blaise used to work with me a lot. So, okay, we're going to share ideas of what we've already done with these producers and see what we can connect with, what songs we can connect with. We bounce off each other's actions.”
Watch the entire Ruger and BNXN Billboard News interview above.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/ruger-bnxn-online-beef-rnb-album-interview-1235661273/