"Run Up" is a song by American electronic band

Major Lazer Major Lazer is an American electronic dance music DJ trio, which includes record producer Diplo, and DJs Walshy Fire and Ape Drums. It originates from Kingston, Jamaica, and was founded in 2008 by Diplo and Switch, with Switch leaving after t ...

featuring

PartyNextDoor Jahron Anthony Brathwaite (born July 3, 1993), known professionally as PartyNextDoor (stylized as PARTYNEXTDOOR), is a Canadian singer, songwriter, and record producer. PartyNextDoor was the first artist signed to Drake's OVO Sound record label ...

and

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated flow in her rapping, alter egos and accent ...

. It was released on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...

on January 26, 2017, by

Mad Decent Mad Decent is an American record label founded by Diplo. The label has helped introduce Brazilian baile funk and Angolan kuduro to clubs around the world. Recently, it has popularized moombahton, a genre of electronic dance music created by DJ ...

and

Because Music Because Music is an independent record label with headquarters in Paris and London. Because Music SAS is the main label, with Because Music Ltd handling the British artist roster. Because Music was founded in 2005 by former president of Virgin F ...

, intended to be the second single from

Music Is the Weapon ''Music Is the Weapon'' is the fourth studio album by American electronic band Major Lazer, released on October 23, 2020, via Mad Decent. It is Major lazer's 1st album in five years since Peace Is the Mission (2015). First announced in 2015, m ...

. But it was then confirmed as the second single from

Major Lazer Essentials ''Major Lazer Essentials'' is a compilation album released by American electronic dance music trio Major Lazer. It was initially released on October 19, 2018 through the groups record label Mad Decent Mad Decent is an American record label f ...

. The song was written by primary Major Lazer member

Diplo Thomas Wesley Pentz (born November 10, 1978), known professionally as Diplo, is an American DJ and music producer. He is the co-creator and lead member of the electronic dancehall music project Major Lazer, a member of the supergroup LSD with ...

Stargate ''Stargate'' (often stylized in all caps) is a military science fiction media franchise based on the Stargate (film), film directed by Roland Emmerich, which he co-wrote with producer Dean Devlin. The franchise is based on the idea of an alien E ...

, PartyNextDoor, Minaj, and Phillip Meckseper, while the song's production was handled by Major Lazer, Stargate, and Jr Blender.

Composition

"Run Up" has a length of three minutes and twenty-three seconds. According to the sheet music published by Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc on Musicnotes.com, it's written in the key of

E Major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

set in a time signature at a moderate

tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...

of 108

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

. The vocal range spans from the low note C₃ to the high note C₅, while the music follows the

chord progression In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...

of A–C_m–E–B. Musically, "Run Up" is a

dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2004) "The Rou ...

song. PartyNextDoor and Minaj sing using the

Jamaican Patois Jamaican Patois (; locally rendered Patwah and called Jamaican Creole by linguists) is an English-based creole language with West African influences, spoken primarily in Jamaica and among the Jamaican diaspora. A majority of the non-English wo ...

accent.

Reception

"Run Up" received generally positive reviews from music critics. Reviewing the song, Ryan Reed from ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' described it as "a suave blend of high-pitched vocal samples, warped

guitar chord In music, a guitar chord is a set of notes played on a guitar. A chord's notes are often played simultaneously, but they can be played sequentially in an arpeggio. The implementation of guitar chords depends on the guitar tuning. Most guitars ...

s and a signature

Caribbean music Caribbean music genres are very diverse. They are each synthesis of African, European, Arab, Asian, and Indigenous influences, largely created by descendants of African slaves (see Afro-Caribbean music), along with contributions from other commun ...

groove." Him praised the presence of Minaj and PartyNextDoor on the song, "PartyNextDoor croons smooth come-ons throughout the track, but Minaj amps up the intensity with a reliably boastful verse." Kat Being of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' call it as "a great follow-up to " Cold Water" (2016). Bianca Gracie from

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protect ...

gave a positive review to the song, writing, "Minaj and Party bring their

Trinidadian Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...

and

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

n roots to the track, as the rapstress drops boastful verses laced with swagger, sex appeal and patois." The written also praised the vocal of the singer PartyNextDoor on the song, she wrote: "PartyNextDoor adds his crooning vocals to the opening and

hook A hook is a tool consisting of a length of material, typically metal, that contains a portion that is curved or indented, such that it can be used to grab onto, connect, or otherwise attach itself onto another object. In a number of uses, one e ...

, which is backed by Major Lazer's island-tinged production." ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

s Brian Josephs commented that the song used "

-inspired production that

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals * A male duck People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family name * Drake (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * ...

pimped and

Tory Lanez Daystar Shemuel Shua Peterson (born July 27, 1992), known professionally as Tory Lanez, is a Canadian rapper, singer, songwriter, and convicted felon. He received initial recognition from the mixtape ''Conflicts of My Soul: The 416 Story'', rel ...

bit." He also praised the feature vocalist on the song writing that "PartyNextDoor and Minaj are charismatic enough to make his a summer banger that’s dropped a couple of months early." Dani Schwartz of the site ''HotNewHipHop'' also gave a positive review to the song praising the choice of the singers in the song, she describing its as a "only natural, then, they enlist PartyNextDoor and Nicki Minaj, two artists with Caribbean roots."

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control 2017 singles 2017 songs Major Lazer songs PartyNextDoor songs Nicki Minaj songs Dancehall songs Reggae fusion songs Songs written by Diplo Songs written by Mikkel Storleer Eriksen Songs written by Tor Erik Hermansen Song recordings produced by Diplo Song recordings produced by Stargate (record producers) Songs written by Nicki Minaj Songs written by PartyNextDoor Songs written by Jr Blender