November - 2016
SCRAPP! FIGHT MAGAZINE
24
get to work on immediately. In
the midst of his work, his pre-
vious management represen-
tation at the time had voiced
their displeasure to Rukus of
the fact that they were nei-
ther brought in nor involved.
They had brought up the fact
that they were the ones who
reached out to him for the ini-
tial theme song that would be
created for WSOF in March on
2015, eluding to a “I scratched
your back, you scratch ours”
scenario. Being the loyal per-
son he is, in November 2015,
as the film was picked up by a
distributor, Rukus allowed his
management to represent him,
bringing them into the mix to
help forge a relationship where
Rukus could focus on other
projects that were coming
down the pipe, all the while
giving the professional appear-
ance that typically comes with
having management represen-
tation.
Over the next 6months,
talks with the film’s distribu-
tor and Rukus’ management
would become secretive. At
this time, Mikey’s wife, Christy,
had already lost her job due to
having issues with her back,
excruciating pain that would
leave her lying in the floor, un-
able to move. As he focused on
caring for her, things between
management and himself
seemed to be going well, that
is until he would ask questions
regarding the film’s soundtrack.
Rukus was expecting feedback
and adjustment notes on what
was turned in, as he had done
with all of his previous clients.
Forward one month to
December 2015, with the Fight
Valley soundtrack looming in
the background, management
presented Mikey with an of-
fer to sign a record deal with
one of the largest indie record
labels in the world. He would
end 2015 on a high note, but
was cautiously optimistic, as
he had made it to this point
so many times before. At this
point, numbers were being
thrown around, to which he
felt weren’t exactly what he
was looking for, but in the end
he wanted to finally get signed
to a legitimate record label, as
he had signed with indie labels
in the past and ended up sitting
on the shelf. As 2016 arrived,
Mike was doing everything he
could to keep his home afloat,
as he was pulling side jobs
along as he waited to find out
what was happening with the
record deal, even going back
into retail, stocking shelves. He
made sure to divide time to be
able to care for his now bedrid-
den wife, helping her in every
aspect of her life. Every move
she made brought about ex-
cruciating pain. It would bring
her to tears and Mikey to his
knees. It gutted him to see his
wife this way. The pain was too
much for her, and with no an-
swers from doctors as to the
root issue, hopelessness began
to set in.
As February 216 rolled
around, doctors would reveal
that Christy had a tumor the
size of a sausage that had tak-
en up the entire lower section
of her spinal cord. Thankfully,
it was benign, but required sur-
gery for it to be treated. In the
midst of this, Rukus’ manage-
ment would touch base every
now and then, assuring him
the contract was on its way...
then it arrived. The 60 page
document that would give
Mikey Rukus the credibility he
longed for in terms of the mu-
sic scene. The letterhead was
legit, the wording was legit,
this contract was legit. But as
Rukus began to deep dive into
the wording, he became less
and less enthused. The num-
bers were nowhere near what
had been previously discussed.
He thought “well maybe this is
just the beginning”, he handed
the contract to his wife, who
had been with him every step
of the way, waiting, hoping,
rooting for her husband that
this was his shot. The man
that she’s seen work for count-
less hours into the night, who
would grind like no other hu-
man being she’s known, finally
get his due. As she read, tears
will fill her eyes, then leave to
stream down her face. This
was not the one for him.
The feeling of hope
for both of them had sunk
once again. Rukus would try
to negotiate with a counter of-
fer, which would come back a
bit higher but not enough for
him to focus 100% on writing
music that was indicative and
what was required in the con-
tract. Christy’s surgery came,
and that night as she slept,
Mikey knew he had a deadline
to sign. This was his crossroads
moment. Does he sign? Even
