I came across Ed E Ruger while living in Charlotte in 2009. His grind was unmatched, and his talent was prominent. Years later, the vet emcee is still at it.
How long have you been doing music?
Professionally, I have been paid from my music since 2007. I have been into music for as long as I can remember though.
What’s been your biggest accomplishment in music?
Too many to name just 1. I have been able to collab with some of the legends I grew up listening to. Like Method Man, Xzibit, Akon, Bun B, etc but I’ve also been able to collab with artists like Jelly Roll, Merkules & Wax who ran in the same music circles as me. To see the successful path those guys have made and continue to make for themselves and the artist, such as myself, is amazing! As far as concerts go, sharing a stage with Juicy J & Da Baby in front of 3500 people screaming the lyrics to my songs was 1 of the top moments of my career. My album release for Guerilla Grind pt 2 had people traveling from 8 states and 10+ cities in NC to pack out the venue with over 500 fans. That was my biggest headlining show and I’ll never forget those shows and what led up to them or what it led to after those insane moments Launching my clothing line, Guerilla Grind, was a huge and very important moment in rebranding during the pandemic. Another moment I can’t overlook is being able to move into the custom music business. Writing theme songs has allowed me to work with some amazing wrestlers. Such as, Swerve Strickland, Platinum Max Caster and close to 50 more wrestlers. who I got do write theme songs for.
What’s been your biggest challenge?
Working through the pandemic was by far the biggest hurdle of my career. I’ve always stayed busy, but that killed all e momentum in the entire scene and honestly the whole industry here. I launched a clothing line, did online shows and dropped tons of music to stay consistent and it paid off! It took a lot or ambition, inspiration & consistency to pull it off but it had definitely worked!
Coming out of the Carolinas, what do you think is keeping artists from getting more notoriety? (DJs, non support, lack of resources, etc)
I’m not one of the people who think that we don’t get notoriety. We have quite a few artists who have been very successful. We have Grammy winners, movie stars, managers , models, etc who have all been b very successful. we sellout shows with just the artists from here. we do all of the same things that you can do at a hip hop show in other cities. The issue is the artists think they have to go other places, then realize it’s the same in those places too. So once you realize that. You focus on the right things. With everything digital now, location doesn’t matter, work ethic and opportunities do.
What about the Carolinas music makes it stand out from the rest?
It’s a melting pot of every style and culture in the world. We have a ton of colleges. Everyone has family in NC. So our unique style comes from blending the Carolina’s own diversity with everything else that has become part of the culture due to everyone moving here haha
Any advice for other artists starting their career?
Stay focused on you. Numbers don’t matter, fans do. The ones in real life. If you think something can work! Show the world! No one sees your vision until you show them.