This album is Ruyonga’s first one. His tracks on this project hold simple, smooth beats so that his lyrics are the focus. His main desire is to tell a story and inform, whether it be about his roots, his struggles, getting girls, or love.
At first the simplicity of his music bothered me a little, but then I remembered an article I read that said he was influenced by the old school hip hop artists who, as well, wanted to tell stories without their tracks taking away from them. He has a very chill tempo that gets you really listening to what’s being said.
Ruyonga who at the time was called Krukid didn’t use another language other than English in this album, but in the Intro, he did speak with an accent and with slang. From this album, I can feel how badly he wanted to leave Uganda and go to America. This need came from the idea that America is where his dreams could be fed and come alive.
Ruyonga wanting to leave didn’t mean that he didn’t like where he came from, but it’s clear from his lyrics that being in Uganda put a lot of doubt in himself and his dreams. He wanted to get out and be able to thrive.
One of the most interesting song was “African American, American African” because with no matter which one you feel you identify with more, you face the same social and political struggles. He felt trapped in who he was not only because he was an immigrant with the African stereotypes such as wearing no shoes, coming from nothing, but also because the stereotypes of African Americans was also placed on him.
He had to deal with two negatives of being who he is and trying to make it irrelevant so he could push through. In “If There Was” he talks about this fear of the easiness of heading back to the streets. This ties in with his past in Uganda and him trying to not go back to that in America.
This album was intended for an audience that maybe is a little scared of their dreams or stuck in how to obtain them. He mentioned how nobody should have that fear no matter what problems you’re facing personally or what’s going on around you.
Overall, it was a good album to listen to, and I feel a great introduction to who Ruu is as an artist. I wish he spoke more about Uganda and his transition to fame. I also felt like the tracks needed to blend a little more topic wise.
