# Ruff Kid > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruff_Kid > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Ruff_Kid.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruff_Kid > Source revision: 1355103770 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Masautso Nkhoma** (born March 17, 1986) known professionally as **Ruff Kid** is a [Zambian](/source/Zambian) rapper and songwriter.[1] He debuted in 2004 with his single *Wekatemwikwa*. Because of the rough childhood he went through, he decide to name himself Ruff Kid,[2] a name that will always depict of his hard life growing up. In 2012 he won a BEFFTA award in the category of best international act beating other African music heavy weights such as [Zahara](/source/Zahara_(South_African_musician)), [Camp Mulla](/source/Camp_Mulla), Cover Driver, [D’banj](/source/D%E2%80%99banj) and Grace Galaxy[3] ## Early life Masautso Nkhoma was born in 1986 in [Kitwe](/source/Kitwe). He was raised in Cha cha cha, township of Kitwe. Ruff Kid was raised by a single parent, his mother, Getrude Nkhoma. He attended Machona Primary School, grades 1-4, and then later attended Nyanje Basic, grades 4-7. His family moved to Lusaka where he was enrolled at Lusaka Boys Secondary School[4] for grades 8-9. He completed his high school at Chongwe Secondary School. In third grade, the music of [Tu-pac Shakur](/source/Tupac_Shakur) influenced him to get into rap. In 2000 he met Mainza who helped him record his first single "Wekatemwika" [1] ## Music career ### 2004–2011: Early years Ruff Kid's music career started in 2000. His first single, Wekatemwika, was released in 2004. The song was an immediate success earning him the number 1 spot on the African international music charts on [Channel O](/source/Channel_O) and the Urban Massive show. The same year Dream records released his debut album "All 4 U". His second studio album *Matured* was released the following year with Joe Chibungu as his producer.[citation needed] Ruff Kid's second album gave him the opportunity to tour [Southern Africa](/source/Southern_Africa). He performed with some of the industry's greats such as [Kabelo Mabalane](/source/Kabelo_Mabalane), [Oliver Mtukudzi](/source/Oliver_Mtukudzi), [Yvonne Chaka Chaka](/source/Yvonne_Chaka_Chaka), [Jozi](/source/Jozi) and [Zola](/source/Zola_(South_African_musician)).[citation needed] He then released his third album “Most Wanted” in 2006. The album had some controversial hits such as Chikalalila. Chikalalila caused some controversy not only in [Zambia](/source/Zambia), but also in other neighbouring countries. The song seemed to reveal truths about a number of artists' private lives.[citation needed] In 2007 Ruff kid won multiple awards namely the Born N'Bred Award(s) (in the category of Best Hip-hop video), CBC Music video Award and Radio Awards.[1] ### 2012-20 In 2012 he added the [BEFFTA Awards](/source/BEFFTA_Awards) to his list of achievements in the category, best international act, beating other [African](/source/Africa) music heavy weights such as [Zahara](/source/Zahara_(South_African_musician)), [Camp Mulla](/source/Camp_Mulla), Cover Driver, [D’banj](/source/D%E2%80%99banj) and Grace Galaxy.[3] In late 2013 Ruff Kid released his fourth studio album titled the [Naked Truth](/source/Naked_Truth_(Ruff_Kid_album)). The album was criticised for its controversial album cover.[5][6] After a successful album release, he toured the USA and released a number of singles which was Mwaiseni, Lesa Wamaka and Hule that featured [Chef 187](/source/Chef_187). He described Lesa Wamaka as a "testimony of God's Grace on his life". The song got a lot of public praise as it resonated with the masses.[7] ### 2021-Present In 2021, he released his much acclaimed Trap anthem "Banja" (Which means "family" in the Zambian native language). The song featured [South African](/source/South_African_people) rapper [Emtee](/source/Emtee), with whom he continued his international footprint. Critics described the song as "a perfect blend of the genre".[8] In 2022, he was nominated for the South African Hip Hop Awards in the category of Best International Act, along with other big hip hop names like [Kendrick Lamar](/source/Kendrick_Lamar), [Dax](/source/Dax_(rapper)) and others.[9] ## Discography ### Studio albums - *All 4 U All* - 2004[1] - *Matured* - 2006[1] - *Most Wanted* - 2007[1] - *[Naked Truth](/source/Naked_Truth_(Ruff_Kid_album))* - 2013[6] ## References 1. ["Interview with Ruff Kid"](https://www.lusakatimes.com/2012/03/15/interview-ruff-kid/). lusakatimes.com. 15 March 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2018. 1. ["Biography: Ruff Kaida"](https://www.zedhypemag.net/artist-profile-ruff-kaida/). zedhypemag.net. 9 November 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2018. 1. ["Ruff Kid wins award"](https://www.lusakatimes.com/2012/10/28/ruff-kid-wins-beffta-award/). lusakatimes.com. 28 October 2012. Retrieved January 15, 2018. 1. ["Lusaka Boys Secondary School"](https://www.our-schools.social/schools?a=Lusaka%20Boys%20Secondary%20School&e=ZMS499&i=5e657bb2af055f002acffd3e). our-schools.socialaccessdate=January 15, 2018. 1. ["Ruff Kaida to launch his "Naked Truth" Album"](https://www.lusakatimes.com/2014/05/22/ruff-kaida-launch-naked-truth-album/). lusakatimes.com. 22 May 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2018. 1. ["I am deeper than all of them – Ruff Kid"](http://lusakastar.com/entertainment/i-am-deeper-all-them-ruff-kid). lusakastar.com. 27 November 2013. Retrieved January 15, 2018. 1. ["lesa wamakah - Ruff Kid"](https://www.zambianmusicpromos.co/download-ruff-kid-lesa-wamaka-mp3/). zambianmusicpromos.co. 15 September 2021. Retrieved October 2, 2022. 1. Abraham (X-duey) (September 17, 2021). ["Ruff Kid ft. Emtee- "Banja" (Family) (Official Video)"](https://www.zedhypemag.net/ruff-kid-ft-emtee-banja-family-official-video/). zedhypemag.net. Retrieved October 2, 2022. 1. ["Hip Hop Awards"](http://www.sahiphopawards.com/nominations.html/). *sahiphopawards.com*. December 6, 2022. Retrieved December 6, 2022. --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ruff Kid](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruff_Kid) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruff_Kid?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.