The 9ice-Ruggedman Serious Fight and Issues

So it wasn’t a title tattle after all. MTV and Mobo Awards winning Nigerian singer 9ice is having a go at multiple award winning rapper, Ruggedman. The same rapper he endorsed as the pillar of Nigerian Hip-Hop music in the hook he sang for Ruggedman’s track ‘Ruggedy Baba’. The same 9ice, who lent his vocals to the Award winning track with which Ruggedman introduced his attack on purported American rapper wannabes, is currently presenting himself as the rapper’s archenemy.

It became clear there was no more love lost between both musicians (at least not from 9ice’s end) after 9ice posted ‘Talk! I am Listening’ a Ruggedman disparaging number on the popular online music portal, Notjustok.com.

When Ruggedman released his lead single, ‘Ruggedy Baba’ featuring 9ice from the same titled sophomore album in 2007, it delivered a ‘quid pro quo’ kind of alliance. While many believed it was 9ice’s vocals that gave the irresistible taste to the track, Ruggedman also received the credit for helping bring the talented singer (who before then was pretty much in obscurity) to the fore. His appearance on Ruggedman’s track gave him the final opening he needed to back his talent up.

So having shared the spotlight on ‘Ruggedy Baba’ it became a roller coaster comfy ride for 9ice whose old songs including ‘Little Money’ and ‘Ganja Man’ were brought back and gained prominence. He will later go ahead to win the Music of Black Origin (MOBO) Awards and perform at Mandela’s 90th birthday concert in London in 2008.

Wind of discord

Although not much can be said of the state of both artists’ rapport shortly after ‘Ruggedy Baba’ it was assumed to be good as it was believed it was the rapper who introduced the singer to his now erstwhile wife, Toni Payne, whom he married in July 2008. The party, however, ended early for the couple who separated in January 2010 barely a month after 9ice dropped his third studio album Tradition.

On ‘Tradition’ is the track ‘One Bitten Twice Shy’ where 9ice accused his lover of infidel acts with his close friend, inevitably birthing the infamous story of Payne and Ruggedman being the subject of the song. It didn’t end there, in a desperate move to clear his name, Ruggedman made public a recorded private telephone conversation he had with 9ice on the issue. The aftermath of Ruggedman’s act saw 9ice recording a diss track and also encouraging a protégé identified as Seriki, to rhyme disapprovingly about the multiple award-winning Ruggedman.

And that, folks, is the genesis of ‘Talk! I am Listening’.

Mixed feelings

While many are torn between justifying both musicians’ actions, X3M music rapper Over Dose rightly questions the type of friendship they share in the first place and believes Ruggedman had it coming.

“I don’t know if they are like friends that go way back or they just worked together on that track they did together as professionals,” the ‘Alujo’ rapper said.

“They are both grown men and Ruggedman should know the implications of making public his private conversation with 9ice. If your conscience is clear, who cares what the next man thinks? People are always going to talk; there is always going to be three sides to a story; your side, my side, and the truth,” justifying the diss track in a manner of speaking.

Hip-Hop World Award winning rapper, Terry Tha Rapman seemed to concur with Over Dose but also pointed out how 9ice could have averted the bitter feelings had he taken an official position when the rumour broke.

“First of all, there are two things morally wrong here; recording a conversation with a friend without telling him and posting it on a public forum is really terrible,” Terry said without mincing words. “Yes I know people were attacking him about it, he should have ignored the rumour and let it blow over just the way the Tuface ‘baby mama drama’ went away eventually. Nobody will enjoy hearing things they say in private get into the public; I think it was wrong and I wouldn’t do that to my friend. Also 9ice should have just cleared the air and it would have been the end; although maybe he has his own reason for keeping quiet. The person that is really going to surfer this the most is unfortunately Payne,” he added.

Soundcity Awards winner, Illbliss believes both parties have not acted in a manner that is in their best interest.

“What I think is really tacky about this is they should have kept that conversation private; this is something as sensitive as 9ice’s wife, whether it went down or not, they should have managed it a little better,” he said.

“It doesn’t help your album sell more; this is not ‘Yankee’ where controversies help you sell records.They both are now looking tacky with a question mark over Payne’s head. I don’t support the way they handled it. 9ice should have cleared the air immediately the rumour started if not for anybody but for the sake of your baby’s mama it’s your wife for crying out loud, that’s the mother of your child!”

With Ruggedman ready to release an album in a couple of days, the animosity between the two stars seems to only grow worse.

They both flop,but nice is the worst.

The last has not been heard of the battle between 9ice and his estranged wife, Toni Payne, as both of them decided to take their battle to a social networking site, Twitter, last week.

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9ice and Toni

Payne started the war by tweeting, "I've been through so much this year. If not for God, I would have gone mental. Yet, dude sat back n (and) watched me get slack for something I didn't do."

And on and on she went, updating her status on Twitter, hitting 9ice and saying, "I should get a flipping bloody award for the most patient woman in flipping Lagos. Another chick would have gone buck wild on dude. Instead of apologising for the pain and drama, dude's PR team started, they are busy dragging the issue further instead of letting it die a natural death."

That is not all. Payne went on to tweet, "All that bloody energy spent on recording a stupid diss track for someone who helped you along d way could have been spent telling the bloody truth! Yeah, it will sell the album, but consider it blood money for every insult I've got, for every tear I've shed, for every pain I've felt. Consider every unit sold a tear drop from me. What sort of dude doesn't consider his child or the woman (who) had him?"

Payne wasn't done yet. She went on to tweet how she was soaring high and achieving great things no matter what she has been through.

She tweeted, "Y'all couldn't kill what's inside me! God didn't let y'all. I shut my mouth and took it all for the love I had for my son, for the love I had for him. Now it's being pissed on in the d most ridiculous way! Release that diss track for Rugged and I will officially know you don't know or fear God. Let that fake manager of yours push you till you can't move. That day, I will fully understand the type of person I said 'I do' to."

9ice, who all along, didn't interfere with Payne's tweets, waited until she was done before he began his own 'war'.

He said, "Since you have decided to address me on a public forum, I'll leave the facts out there. I'm going to address the things you have said. The fact that you are my child's mother is what gave you immunity in the first place! You have decided to throw that away by coming at me and in public too. So I will respond to you! Ask how respectable parents behave for you have no idea."

He was not done yet. "I'd like to know d people sending you messages to beg you to get back together with me because definitely that isn't me. If u say it is me I dare u to put d message out here on Twitter too and I will respond to that."

Concerning the soon-to-be-released diss track targeted at Ruggedman, 9ice tweeted, "I will use d medium I have to address any wrong doing to me. That I will release a song is not even questionable. I'm Abolore Adegbola Adigun Alapomeji Akande."

Ruggedman, on his own part, is not bothered that 9ice is releasing the alleged track on his (Rugged's) birthday on Sept. 20.

Life and Beat gathered that he is looking forward to 9ice's birthday 'gift'.