Ruggedman denies involvement in 9ice/wife breakup

Its been about four months
since ethnic singer 9ice dropped
his third album ‘Tradition’; just a
month before he separated
from wife, Toni Payne for
unresolved disputes. A recent
publication on the cause of the
break-up is stirring exchange of
e-mails and phone calls in the
media and music circuit.
Rapper Ruggedman has been
named culprit and neither Toni
nor Michael (Ruggedman ’s real
name) is taking this any kindly.
In a swift reaction, Ruggedman
released a statement to the
media absolving himself of any
complicity in the separation
while also condemning
publications that have gone to
town with the story.
“ I have been hearing rumours
that the reason 9ice’s marriage
broke up was because his wife
and I were or are having a
secret affair. I laughed when I
first heard it ”, he wrote. “I could
not reach 9ice but got the wife
and we laughed over it ”.
The story making the rounds is
that one of the tracks in 9ice ’s
Tradition is dedicated to telling
the singer ’s betrayal story by
very close friend, Ruggedman.
The track is titled “Once Bitten,
Twice Shy”. The track is allegedly
interpreted to imply that 9ice
once walked in on his wife
giving best friend Ruggedman a
blow job.
“It is a shame that some soft sell
magazines do not respect their
code of journalism to confirm
what they hear instead of
printing unconfirmed rumours
that could be the idea of ill
meaning people and thereby
further spreading false
rumours ”, he lambasted.
“I want to tell my loyal fans,
fans of 9ice, friends and
customers of Tony Payne that I
was never and I ’m not having
any secret affair with 9ice’s
wife. What ever led to their
break up is only known to the
couple so until they say
something please do not assume
for them or spread evil rumours
that could affect any of the
parties negatively”.
Although 9ice and Toni have
kept quiet about their broken
relationship, 9ice gets to see son
Zion- the only fruit of the 20-
month broken marriage, from
time to time. Toni who ’s thrown
herself into running her talent
management company, Tony
Payne Concepts, is reportedly in
the process of suing the soft sell
magazine that blamed her
broken marriage to an extra-
marital affair with Ruggedman.
Presently working on his final
album and hosting StarQuest
2010, Ruggedman claims to
have introduced the separated
lovers in 2006 at Gbenga
Adeyinka ’s 10th anniversary in
Motherland, Opebi, Lagos, where
the couple hit it off.
Now in his thirties, the rapper
was until last year an item with
model and Tv host, Isio
Wanogho in a very publicised
romance which later hit the
rocks.
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denies involvement in 9ice/wife
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