Ruffcoin Talks All Things Culture, Growing up in Aba, and the Future of Igbo Music | Igbo Nwere Mmadu Ep. 1

Ndi Igbo, this one is for us.

In this powerful premiere of Igbo Nwere Mmadu — a Convos with Chichi flagship series — I sit down with Nigerian highlife legend Ruffcoin Nwaba to talk all things culture, hustle, and legacy.

🎤 From growing up in Aba to pioneering a sound that honors our Igbo roots, Ruffcoin shares his honest take on whether Igbo music is being left behind — and what we need to do to keep it alive.

💬 This episode blends Igbo and English, but don’t worry — there’s a full transcript linked below if you'd like to follow along.

Whether you’re in Lagos, London, or Los Angeles, if you love our music, our language, and our story — this one’s for you.

🔗 Transcript: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gCXnNPZJeSpAE0Ccmaf5T_lKMb_-2jKV/view?usp=drive_link

 🎶 Be sure to listen to Ruffcoin’s EP Tradomedical Vol. 2 

💛 Andd, if this moved you, be sure to follow, rate, and share. Let’s keep our culture global — one story at a time!

🔔 New episodes every other Thursday
🎧 Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube
💌 Have a story or guest idea? Email us at: inquiries@convoswithchichi.com
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✨ Convos with Chichi is a podcast rooted in culture, connection, and legacy — amplifying African voices and diaspora stories, one conversation at a time.

Transcript

Hi everyone! 

Welcome back to my YouTube channel!

It's Maryclare here again

We're starting a new series today 

Called "Igbo Nwere Mmadu"

I am so excited to introduce

our very first guest to the series

Ruffcoin!!!!!!!!!

Thank you so much for being here today

I really appreciate it

So because it is for Igbo Advancement 

And you know, Igbo Preservation

I'm like why don't we just try

 To do this interview in our language

you know you know

My Igbo is not that good because I was born here

but I'm gonna try I'm gonna try 

If I'm saying something wrong, please correct me

So that it's an Igbo lesson

Alright, Alright 

Ruffcoin, thank you for this opportunity 

Please tell the viewers who you are

Yeah okay

My name is Ruffcoin Nwaba

My real name is Fortune Muruako Emelogu 

I am from Owoahiafo Obingwa in Abia State 

And yea that's pretty much it

Nice Nice

I didn't know you were from Ngwa

I went to an Ngwa convention last year

It was so good

The Ngwa culture is so rich

That's awesome!

You said that you're "Nwa Aba", correct? 

Yes, I'm an Aba boy

Were you born in Aba?

Yes, I was born in Aba and you know

Aba is Ngwa, you get?

So even my village is 10 minutes away from Aba 

You're a real and true Nwa Aba

That's awesome

It's like a lot of celebrities

Like many musicians and other notable Igbo celebrities 

Came out from Aba, is that true?

Mmm it's not many

It's not many? Really?

It's just a few actors

Like Aki and Paw Paw 

They're from Abia then they grew up in Aba

So yea, Aki and Paw Paw, then Uche Jombo 

Rita Dominic

That's a lot na, you said they weren't many 

I'm talking about people from Aba precisely  

Okay Okay Okay Wow

I went to Aba once but I wasn't there for too long 

I just visited and left but it was very interesting 

How long did you stay? 

Maybe um two to three days 

Yeah very very little

I have an aunty that lives in Aba 

Yeah so we visited her but it was really nice

Did you go inside the market in Aba? 

Yes, I went inside the market but

Okay so which market? 

Which market did you go to? 

I don't know 

 It's where they took me that I went 

but you should have asked questions

okay okay okay

Is this one "ariaria"?

Is this one "ahia ohuru"

I was 12 at the time

 so you know I wasn't really like

Oh its been a while

Yes its been a while

But I will ask them when I go back home

And you will try to come again 

Yes, definitely 

Everytime I hear "Aba, Aba, Aba" 

It's like Aba people are very ambitious  

You all work very hard 

Very industrious 

You guys are hustlers, you know? 

Do you think growing up in Aba really 

impacted your music career?

And how you developed in the industry?

The things I learned in Aba

The way we grew up

And the way of life

really shaped my music 

I went to the village churches 

Apostolic Church 

Qua Iboe Church you know

so now I got that flow 

I remember the first time I heard your song Eriwa

I was like "Oooo this song. It's sweet"

It was good! It was a good song

Do you want to sing a little bit of it for us? 

Currently Singing the Song: "Eriwa" by Ruffcoin 

Yay!!!!!!! That was so good!

That song, was it influenced by

 the music you grew up with? 

Yes yes exactly, 

yeah the music I grew up listening to 

the sound 

yeah and at that time

 there weren't people doing that kind of

 music like among my peers

so it was like an experiment that worked

okay that's good

you know a couple of people now got influenced  

So it's safe to say that you're a pioneer 

Yes yes that one is true

I'm a pioneer now

 wow wow amazing

amazing amazing

yeah I'm a pioneer okay

Even I thought about it the other day

after the likes of you know

the legends 

Oliver De Coque 

Osadebe

That used to give shout outs

call names of people in songs

yeah I think after them 

you know that group of people 

After them, I think I'm the next person 

cause Nwaba came with those names

after a while

Duncan Mighty did Port Harcourt Boy

Okay so you started making music

 before Duncan Mighty?

no no no okay

Duncan Mighty did music before 

Duncan Mighty had his first album already

But after Nwaba is when he made his second album 

The one that has Port Harcourt Boy

Duncan Mighty himself told me 

that this is how he got inspired

I am Nwaba, he's a Port Harcourt Boy

Aww okay okay I understand

Awww that's cute!

 That's very very cute

So, you said that you are one of

 the pioneers of this new Igbo era

 you know, influence of music, things of that sort 

Okay so I want to ask you right

How do you see this genre of Igbo influenced music

How do you see it going in the next 10 to 15 years?

Do you see anything that you think 

might change or continue?

 Uhm, I just see it as um

You know how sometimes they say 

animals are an endangered species? 

So I think it’s endangered at the moment

Because I feel the people doing it at the moment 

are not getting as much support 

Chai it’s true it’s true

 unlike you know, yes I agree

 So that makes those who are growing in the industry

 not want to make Igbo music

They want to make other things

 that are not Igbo music 

So that they can go farther

Because sometimes it can feel as if making 

Igbo music is limiting you

Because there will be some people 

that will tell you “Man Leave that Thing”

Because you need to blow and expand

But if it was a different language, 

I don’t want to call the name

They can make music in their language 

and it will go everywhere

So that’s why the things we’re doing, 

we need to continue it 

So that we can encourage those coming after us

 It’s not supposed to reach our turn and then die, 

you get me?  

Because of grandfathers in music

Oliver De Coque

Sir Warrior and His Band

They did it and inspired us

We are the ones that took the torch 

We are the ones that have the baton 

And are going forward, and we will leave it with the others, 

so it’s not supposed to die

So that’s why I’m calling on my fellow Igbo people

Because some are quick to say, 

that artists don’t help themselves out, and this and that

But it’s when you’re in their shoes that you’ll understand

Then they’ll understand what these artists are seeing

So they themselves have support that

 they’re supposed to be giving but are not

So I’m calling everyone, not just artists

And I like what you all did yesterday

The culture here is big

So things like that shows that our people 

are really rooting for the culture

They’re not lost and it makes us want to do it more

Chai who’s cutting onions? 

Aww that was so touching but it’s true you know, 

that’s something that I think about a lot

And that’s why I actually wanted to make this series 

Because the Igbo culture is so beautiful, 

you know we have so much to share

and I really want to encourage us

Because even if it feels like nobody will understand, 

or you feel like you’re limiting yourself 

By narrowing in your culture, like no

You never know who’s looking for that inspiration, 

and you know stuff like that so 

I just hope that our culture and our music stays alive

Same here, thank you thank you!

We’re doing our little part, that’s all we can do 

Small small, it will prolong in Jesus name, amen! 

I think you have an EP coming out right?

Okay so go ahead and tell us...

what we can expect?

That EP...I called it Tradomedical 

I've made the first one, 

that's the Volume 1 

That was last year so this is 

the Volume 2 coming up 

and you know, it's my style of music, 

highlife music, Igbo music, for the culture 

Igbo nwere mmadu, that kind of vibe

That's my vibe, that's my vibe

so I'm pretty sure you'll like it

So it will come out at the end of this month 

We are doing a few finishing touches

Okay okay, we are ready!

I'm going to email them all to you so that 

you can tell me the ones you like 

I know that all the songs, I'll like them so far as

 it's you that made it, I'll like it

So tell us a bit about the creative process

Like when you are writing your songs,

 you know, walk us through it 

Some songs, well everything, 

it happens in the head 

You're talented, that's a gift

Yeah it happens in the head

If I have an idea, the idea could be from something 

you said or something I heard from somone

And it's just become a song in my head

and you know, before you know it

I'll have some melodies that 

you know I'm battling with 

Then I'd record them on my phone 

It's like a puzzle so you keep fixing it in your head 

even before I go to the studio

Sometimes I hear a beat and in two hours

 we're done with the song

Sometimes some songs 

take me a very long time

Some songs even take me 

two years to make one yeah

it doesn't mean like yeah

In that two years I might have made plenty other songs

But this one you know, it's just small small 

yeah that's what they say

you can't rush the creativity

you have to just let it okay

yeah I just go with the flow 

okay that's good

You do give me very like 

go with the flow vibes like

you know like

 you don't give trouble, you just vibe

That's cool, that's cool

You know that joke right? That they say that like

Most African parents when it comes 

to things of the creative sector

Whether it's fashion or music

you know sometimes they're like

Mmm are you sure you 

don't want to be a doctor?

Are you sure you don't 

want to be an engineer?

What was that like for you?

Uhm it was almost the same

Along the line, they were like "If this is what 

you want to do, go on, let's do it"

Especially my mom, 

she's like my Number 1 fan 

like where she is now she might be on 

YouTube searching for my new song

that's so cute that's so cute

 yeah she's cool like that

but yea, my family has 

been very supportive

oh that's good that's good

Do you have siblings? 

Yes, we are nine

Nine?? WOW 

so you guess where I fall 

Okay okay uhm...

I think that you are... you're not the last born 

but you're close to the end

Am I close? Ehm almost 

Almost? You're the last born? 

*Cue dramatic meltdown for being wrong* 

I was gonna guess it, I was gonna guess it!!!

I knew it because you know, I have a joke that last ones and the moms are like this

I was seeing it! The way he was like "I love my mom" 

I was like mmm, it's giving last born 

but I was like let me

 just assume he's second to last

Oh you're last born?

Yea the last child of the nine

Five boys four girls 

Awww shoutout to the family

You make music so when you're not making music, 

what do you do with your free time? 

I could be swimming, I like to swim

Really? Wow I'm jealous

I play table tennis

I also play FIFA

Then, I could just be chilling with friends, just vibing

Okay so which football club do you support? 

I'm not so big on football

 like I watch football, I play football 

you play but you're not like "AHHH" 

okay okay I understand

so we're gonna play a quick game

I suck at games

It's not a game like that

It's more like a game for me dont worry

You are nwaba

I am from Imo state

Where in Imo state? 

Njaba LGA in Orlu Zone

Have you gone before?

Have I gone to Orlu before?

Yeah yeah, I know Orlu

Oh okay cool!

I have friends there

nice nice nice

I want you to teach me Aba slangs

so that when I go, I'll blend in

So maybe you say something and maybe I tell you how an Aba person would say it

So if I want to say...

"Oh how are you?" in Aba

It's the same thing

Oh okay, just "How Far?"

Yeah "How far"/"Olee way"

*Testing out the slang*

Okay so if someone says "Olee Way"

What will you say in response? 

"Udo/Odinma"

*Testing out the slang*

If you want to say 

"This babe is muah, she's a spec"

There's a lot of ways you can say it

Go ahead, teach me teach me

You can say

 "Nwa wu machine"/"Nwa di nma"

Nwa wu machine??? 

Can you believe that?

Okay "Nwa wu machine"

"Nwa wu ite"

okay okay okay

If want to say "you're hungry"

 or something you know?

"Achorom iwabu"

Iwabu is to eat

Really?????

Boy, k'anyi ga iwabu

let's go eat

Are you kidding me? If someone told me that 

I wouldn't even understand

*Testing out the slang*

and that's only for food 

or could that be for enjoyment too?

No that's food, 

iwabu is for food specifically

To ask someone to party...

"Boy k'anyi ga kuo"/"K'anyi kuo ati

Are there any insults? 

Like Aba specific insults

"Ogbo aragbakwala gi o"

*Testing out the insult*

"Gbara ogwu gi" 

Okay there's one more I wanted to learn

you know like if someone is looking like cool

You know how they say "Steeze",

"Aura" and the rest of them

you know like someone is looking sharp

It could be "Idi ocha"

okay so we're about to wrap it up here

I just want to ask one more question

What advice do you have for Igbo youth growing up in the diaspora to make sure they stay connected to their roots?

They should be like you

*Chai see me blushing ooo*

you guys you should be like me

 subscribe just kidding

Yeah you know, 

trying to identify with the culture 

Identifying with different groups 

about the Igbo community

I think that's about it 

Going online to look up Igbo history 

and just try to be involved

Ruffcoin, thank you! 

God bless you!

okay everyone so that concludes this

 first episode of "Igbo Nwere Mmadu"

Thank you so much once again

Be sure to like, comment, subscribe

Listen to his EP dropping November 29th

Tradomedical Volume 2

Alright everyone till next time!

See you later, bye!

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