| BIOGRAPHY Born as Michael Adams in the city of San Francisco, Ruge (A.K.A. Young Ruge, Young Ruga) was constantly moving back & forth between Oakland and SFC as well as spending time in near-by cities like Concord, Martinez, & Daly City with family and relatives. As a bay area resident growing up in the late 80's early 90's, Ruge found himself in the midst of one of the biggest revolutions to hit the music industry in many years… the growing influence of the Hip-hop culture. As a youngster, Ruge paid special attention to rappers like TuPac Shakur & Get Low Playaz (G.L.P.). He found there words explained much of what was going on in his life. Young & hungry for success, it wasn’t until Ruge grew older & realized that life wasn’t as giving as people say. He knew his choices were to chase the music or chase the grind. One of the first songs Ruge recorded was a dub over the song “I got 5 on it” by the Luniz. With his good friend J-Hustle, they played the beat in the background & recorded the vocals with another boom box that had a microphone hooked up to it. It wasn’t the best way to do things but it was the beginning of a learning process that goes along with any dream. Ruge, “It was hard to record back in the day. We didn’t have any equipment so we’d record anyway we could think of. As long as we got something on tape to show our partners it didn’t matter.” Back in 1998, Ruge met Eli Tirado (a.k.a. Ezel, a.k.a. EZ), then just a barrio boy from the valley who recorded cats as a hobby with fellow associates Maxime Cescau & Pete Nawara. Even though they had time constraints, the two managed to get into the studio on the weekends and pulled off some late nighters in the middle of the week just to get some sort of work done. It got hard sometimes because of personal or technical difficulties, which would delay their progress by months. However, the result was the beginning of a brilliant and phenomenal personal and business relationship that would lead them to begin work on the album that would become known as “The Commencement,” the ending of the old, the beginning of the new. Ruges’ choice of deep personal thoughts overlaid by raw and solid vocals are making peoples’ heads turn. With a dynamic bass kick, an energetic composition of bass lines, strings, and guitars, this music has attracted the ears of many listeners. Most of Ruge’s lyrics come from life in general. He’s able to put into plain words some things others have trouble expressing. From girlfriends, to family, best friends to shady friends, grindin’ to shinin’, life to death, Ruge links these parts of everyday life & associates them with his own. As a dedication to his parents, the song “Still love ya” is a compelling description of his childhood days growing up and the events that overshadowed his upbringing. This isn’t just another rapper, this is a poetic MC, & his multi-talents are revealed on his debut album, “The Commencement,” as he shows his songwriting and musical skills. However, Ruge still posses and displays a hard-hitting, rough side to his persona that it is apparent in a few songs including “Set it off” off the album “The Commencement.” He won’t admit it but Ruge also has a fairly good voice and you can’t tell from the credits on the album but don’t be surprised if the voice singing the chorus sounds familiar. With the microphone in his control, Ruge becomes a unifying force that gave him his nickname. A youngster who put the mic in his hand and became a possessed man, Ruge got his nickname from the quick but forceful, effortless but influential, and the smooth but ruthless way he has come to spit his rhymes. He has felt a special feel for the power of music and a hidden desire to develop a style that would energize any room or scene. New horizons appear in Ruge’s future and he is keeping his eyes towards the future. His countless hours spent in the studio and on stage will soon produce many hits to come. His youth and energy assure that this is only the beginning of a fierce career, and a magnificent contribution to the story & the life of rap & hip-hop. |