Ruff Kid

Ruff Kid (real name Masautso Nkhoma) is a music artist from Lusaka, Zambia. Raised in Copperbelt, Zambia, his unique approach to the music and entertainment industry is what sets him apart from other hip-hop artists. He sings Afro-pop and hip-hop music. His music reflects his background in his quirky approach to his lyrics and charisma on screen. His passion for music was influenced by Tupac Shakur. He decided to call himself Ruff Kid, depicting where he came from and the struggles he had encountered while 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 faced on a daily basis. In 2000, he met Mainza Chipenzi, one of Zambia’s pioneers in the new era of Zambian music 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, 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, he 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, he released his third album titled ‘Most Wanted’ which had hits like ‘Chita’, ‘Bwete’, ‘Mwechilibwe’ and ‘Chikalalila’. In 2012, he released his fourth long awaited album titled ‘Point Blank’.

His music earned him a household name and he was nominated and won the Born and Bred Award for Best hip-hop video, CBC Music video Award, and Radio Awards. His recognition saw him establishing a record label called Kang'ono Entertainment.

To date, he has performed in Namibia, Malawi, South Africa and several other African countries. He is currently signed to Effycom Productions in the UK.