Ruff Kid has been in the Zambian music industry for a decade and keeps moving from strength to strength. With a vibrant and quirky stage presence; his unique approach to the music and entertainment industry is what sets him apart from all Zambian and soon to be African Hip Hop artists.
Raised in the humble beginnings of a small town in the Copperbelt in Zambia. His artistry and delivery of his mu
sic reflects his background in his quirky approach to his lyrics and charisma on screen. With influences such as Tupac Shakur when growing up, Masautso Nkhoma became Ruff Kid, depicting where he came from and the struggles he had encountered growing up.
Ruff Kid started rapping at a young age as a means of escaping the life he was living and the level of poverty he was faced with on a daily basis. It was in the year 2000 when he met one of Zambia’s pioneers in the new era of Zambian music Mainza Chipenzi and recorded ‘Wekatemwikwa’ a song that became his first hit record and later opened a lot of doors to his career as a hip hop artist. ‘Wekatemwikwa’ went to number one on the African music charts including Channel O TV, The Urban Massive show. His first album “All 4 U” was released by Dream Records and was distributed by Zambia Angola Malawi Music Organisation (ZAMMO).
After the success of his first album, Ruff Kid was signed by Joe Chibanga for the release of his second album titled “Matured”. The album earned him a Southern African tour performing alongside great artists such as Kabelo, Oliver Mutukuzi, Yvone Chakachaka, Jozi, Zola, and many more.
Later in 2006 Ruff Kid released his third album titled “Most Wanted” which had hits like ‘Chita’, ‘Bwete’, ‘Mwechilibwe’, and the infamous ‘Chikalalila’.
The hard work started to pay off as Ruff Kid received recognition from industry heads and was nominated and won the Born and Bred Award for Best Hip-hop video, CBC Music video Award, and Radio Awards. As an individual that most young people in Zambia can relate to Ruff Kid quickly won people’s hearts with his countless hits, and went on to form his own Record label KANG’ONO ENTERTAINMENT.
To-Date Ruff Kid has had the privilege of performing in Namibia, Malawi, South Africa and several other African countries. He has a CV filled with collaborations with various well known Zambian artists and is now crossing borders with collaborations with artists on the international scene ranging from South Africa to Nigeria to the UK.
Ruff kid is working on a compilation album for his greatest hits which will be followed by his fourth album. With a newly found international platform, he has embarked on a journey that will take his his music to the masses worldwide.
