“Ruger Reveals Harsh Reality: No True Friends in the Nigerian Music Industry”

Afrobeats sensation, Michael Adebayo Olayinka, better known by his stage name Ruger, has opened up about the lack of genuine friendship within the Nigerian music industry.

In his recent appearance on The Stanley Agu Show, Ruger shared that artists in the music business can only truly count on one or two real friends—at best.

During the conversation, Ruger reflected on his experience and highlighted the transactional nature of relationships in the entertainment scene. He stated:

“One thing I wish I had discovered earlier is that genuine friendships in this [music] industry are extremely rare. If you’re lucky, you might have one or two real friends who stay committed to you, support your growth, and stick with you through hard times, making sure you’re doing okay. That’s honestly all there is to it.”

He emphasized that the music business is highly commercialized and emotionally detached.

“Everything is about business. People don’t really care beyond what you can offer them at a particular moment. When you no longer have anything valuable to offer, many of them will walk away. So, it’s wise to understand from the beginning that this industry operates purely on business terms. You may end up with only one or two friends—or possibly none at all.”

Ruger’s revelations shed light on a harsh reality many artists face behind the scenes, reminding upcoming creatives to manage expectations in professional relationships within the entertainment ecosystem.