Last week, Runtown threated his fans with a surprise release of his new musical project, ‘Tradition’ when he dropped the EP ahead of the initial scheduled date. Instantly, the compilation of songs rose to become fans favourite and emerged number one in Nigeria on music streaming platform, iTunes.
Accolades have been in order for Runtown since he released the 6-tracker EP, although, against his teammates’ wish. Speaking to Konbini about the project, the Soundgod Music Group artiste gave insight into what each track of the EP means.
“This is an unfair question. You are asking a father to tell you which child he prefers. Even if he had a favourite, he wouldn’t want the public to know,” Runtown said when asked about his favourite song off the new EP.
“I’ll say this though, when I wake up every day, I have a new favourite. Yesterday it was ‘International Bad Man Killa’, and today I am gravitating towards ‘Emotions’,” he added.
Love takes the center stage in Runtown’s latest art, this he vibrantly showcased on ‘Redemption’. The amazing singer said; “The running theme and inspiration for “Redemption” is loyalty and love. If you notice, I ask “are you gonna ride for me” very often. I was singing about the desire to find someone that is not only going to love you, but stand by you even if everything seems out of place.
“The EP is very big on love, and that’s reflective of the space I am in right now. Love is great, but loyalty is greater.”
For those struggling to express their feelings to the ones they love, Runtown made ‘Emotions’ for them; “This song definitely showcases the power of combining an infectious beat with lyrics that resonate. On ‘Emotions’, I was singing about letting your guard down and expressing love to a person without minding how it makes you look.
“Vulnerability is rare – not because we don’t feel it, but because we don’t always allow ourselves to express it. I guess it’s resonating with people because it speaks to their inner emotions, and of course, Spellz came through with the perfect instrumental that makes you want to turn up,” he said of the track.
On ‘Tradition’, Runtown soft-pedals his campaign on love to ruminate on his childhood. “Donnell Jones’ “This Luv” was the ultimate R&B love song in the early 2000s. It’s actually a bit ironic that I used that sample on “Tradition” — a song that isn’t so much about love. I used it because it’s reminiscent of my childhood, and of course, Ellputo flipped the sample in a way that I couldn’t help but jump on it.”
Runtown returns to echo love and perseverance on ‘Goose Bumps’, he explained, “on the surface, it might seem like it’s mostly about love, but in between, I was talking about my come-up journey, so it’s like a two-in-one situation. So basically, I was trying to say that if through hard work and persistence, I can achieve this level of success, then with that same persistence I can get the woman I desire.”
The last track emits powerful message with a suggestive title, ‘International Badman Killa’, which may be interpreted to give different meanings, however, on this track, Runtown wasn’t about killing anybody, and instead, he embraced the positive side of life, love and kindness.
In his words, “The title (International Badman Killa) is evocative, but I’m not really talking about killing anybody oh. I was talking about my lifestyle, and how I manage to not allow negativity derail me.
“I guess the message of the song is for people to realise that no matter what you do, there are people who will seek to dim your light. You don’t have to respond to them with viciousness, your only duty is to continue to deploy love and kill them with kindness.”
‘Tradition’ EP is a follow-up to Runtown’s 2015 debut album, ‘Ghetto University’ which was released to wide acclaim. The album saw him rise from a promising act to an African international pop star, topping charts across the globe, and by extension, led him to headline an array of massive gigs from Lagos to Kampala, London, South Africa, Zanzibar, Trinidad, New York and more recently, Paris. Armed with utter focus and peace of mind, with this new EP, the singer is ready to raise the bar beyond familiar boundaries.