The ‘stubborn head’ generation will not agree that oversharing on social media invites the hungry American Pit Bull Terrier to your doorstep. They will not agree because social media has redefined human communication and our humanity.

We will actually go straight to the point and argue that Ruger should be apologising for calling out the producer, but thank God he did not share the producer’s details.

In case you are lost, Nigerian singer, Michael Adebayo Olayinka, known as Ruger, asked how he should respond to a producer he had reached out to earlier to work with on free terms, who said no to him. The same producer is now reaching out to him, Ruger, to work with him.

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He wrote, “I remember back in 2019, I reached out to a producer, I told him I don’t have money but he should please just hear me out, baba no gree oo. Now Hin Dey my DM Dey yarn dust. Please my people how should I reply him. Please help me.“

I remember back in 2019, I reached out to a producer, I told him I don’t have money but he should pls just hear me out baba no gree oo . Now Hin Dey my DM Dey yarn dust. Pls my people how should I reply him Pls help me

— da Ruger gon screw u (@rugerofficial) January 20, 2022

Ruger should have taken the question to a mentor or someone he listens to. You can understand the tweet to mean Ruger did not have any hidden agenda and simply wants to read what people think – especially with the emojis all over the place. However, he uses phrases like ‘yarn dust’ and that defeats sincerity in the question.

The producer definitely has his reason(s) for saying no. He probably has worked with a lot of other up and coming singers whose destiny did not include becoming famous. Or, he may have looked at the resources he will have to expend to work with Ruger and decided against it. Whichever way, it is unlikely he was certain Ruger will stay in the shadows in the music industry. Unless he literally said that. Besides, Ruger may not have shown talent at the time.

‘Free’ tends to be a destructive word in the sense of ‘Business’. And, if you are in the business of entertainment, business mindedness is not negotiable – even if you blow.

However, the producer may have considered the fact that talent leads to endless opportunities. Maybe he should have produced one or two with Ruger and understands where to go from there. At least, we know the entertainment industry thrives on partnerships like that.

While working for free is never recommended, some say it’s a reality of creative industries and the conversation around ‘exposure’. Taking on work to further your own name, art, or music, in order to secure potential paid work in the future, has been discussed many times in many different ways. There are limits though. Exposure without income does not pay the bills.

So, Dear Ruger, do not continue the cycle of ignoring people because you think they cannot blow. If we borrow words, “nobody stays latent forever. Up-and-coming go arrive one day.” Hear the person out first. Maybe work with the person too, if you can. We should eliminate the cycle of leaving talents on the fringes citing unresearched doubts and busyness.