A portrait of a rising singer-songwriter’s transformation into a coveted star, and elegantly depicted by the album artwork, Blown Boy Ru houses the fun, trials, romance and triumph associated with exponential growth. Ruger (born Michael Adebayo Olayinka) makes a fiery statement on chest-thumping opener “REIntroduction” before “Muah (Soulmates)” contains the lines, “Are you happy with your man or you want to switch lanes?/Baby don’t you ever let your man block you from your soulmate”, a reference to his cheeky concert antics. To that sensuality, add bravado (“Give Away”), revelry (“Jay Jay”) and vulnerability (“Toro”) as this sure-footed sophomore album fleshes Ruger’s Afro-dancehall out with explorations of amapiano, trap, R&B and Brazilian funk. These soundscapes are largely fashioned by Kukbeatz and depict expansion—of both Ruger’s persona and into the varied worlds of Zlatan, Kranium, Haile, Valiant and Tiwa Savage. Like the voyages through these sonic spaces, Blown Boy Ru captures the different experiences Ruger has accrued across his literal and figurative life travels.