Douglas Jack Agu (born 19 August 1989), better known by his stage name Runtown, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer.

Biography

Runtown was born on 19 August 1989 in

Enugu Enugu ( ; ) is the capital city of Enugu State in Nigeria. It is located in southeastern part of Nigeria. The city had a population of 820,000 according to the 2022 Nigerian census. The name ''Enugu'' is derived from the two Igbo words ''Énú ...

but grew up partly in

Abuja Abuja () is the capital and eighth most populous city of Nigeria. Situated at the centre of the country within the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), it is a planned city built mainly in the 1980s based on a master plan by International Plann ...

and Lagos, where he finished his primary education. After the death of his father, he moved to Abuja with his mother, who was working in the Ministry of Health. In 2014 he released " Gallardo", a song which features

vocal The human voice consists of sound made by a human being using the vocal tract, including talking, singing, laughing, crying, screaming, shouting, humming or yelling. The human voice frequency is specifically a part of human sound production i ...

s from

Davido David Adedeji Adeleke (born November 21, 1992), popularly known by his stage name Davido, is an American-Nigerian singer, songwriter and record producer. His music blends traditional African elements with global mainstream pop. Davido is widel ...

and was released as the first single off his debut studio album ''

Ghetto University ''Ghetto University'' is the debut studio album by Nigerian singer Runtown. It was released on November 23, 2015, by Eric Many Entertainment. The album was supported by four singles: " Gallardo", "The Banger", "Bend Down Pause" and "Walahi". It f ...

''. Gallardo went on to win "Best Collaboration of the Year" at the 2014 edition of the

Nigeria Entertainment Awards The Nigerian Entertainment Awards were established in New York City in January 2006. The awards recognize the contributions of African entertainers with a special focus on Nigerians. Ceremonies * 2006 Nigeria Entertainment Awards * 2007 Nigeria ...

. On 23 November 2015, Runtown released his debut studio album titled ''Ghetto University'' via MTN Music Plus through Eric Many Entertainment. The album generated over ₦35million on the music portal thus earning him a spot in the list of "Top 5 Most Streamed Artist". On 4 November 2016, Runtown released the ballad "

Mad Over You "Mad Over You" is a song by Nigerian singer Runtown, released on November 4, 2016. It was primarily produced by Del B, along with production assistance from Runtown and T-Spize. Described as a love-themed ballad, "Mad Over You" is a blend of Ghana ...

", which charted at number 38 on the ''Billboard'' Twitter Top Tracks chart. Joey Akan from ''Pulse Nigeria'' described the song as a "self-produced track that draws inspiration from the Ghanaian Alkayida sound". Runtown told ''

The Fader ''The Fader'' (stylized as ''FADER'') is a magazine based in New York City that was launched in 1999 by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen. The magazine covers music, style and culture. It was the first print publication to be released on iTunes. It is o ...

'' magazine that the song was inspired by African beauty. On December 16, 2022, Runtown released the 'Signs' album, which Deborah Jayeoba from ''African Folder'' described as a "sign for Runtown to have a grip on his career because this recent taste of him doesn’t please the music palate".

Controversies

Ownership of "Aye"

In 2014, there were reports in the media that Runtown wrote "

Aye Aye or AYE may refer to: * Aye (yes), a word for expressing the affirmative * Aye (village), a village in Belgium * ''Aye'' (album), by Martyn Bennett, 2012 * "Aye" (song), by Davido, 2014 Abbreviations and acronyms * Africa's Young Entreprene ...

". In an interview with the ''

Nigerian Tribune The ''Nigerian Tribune'' is an English-language newspaper published in Ibadan, Nigeria. It was established in 1949 by Obafemi Awolowo and is the oldest running private Nigerian newspaper. In the colonial era, the newspaper served as the mouthpie ...

'', Runtown said, "A lot of people have been asking me that question. Davido has had a number of interviews where he addressed how the song came about. So if you want to learn more about Aye ask David or read his interviews".

Release of Kini Issue

In September 2020, He released his 2nd song since the pandemic called "Kini Issue". The song is from his forthcoming album Soundgod Fest Reloaded.

Exit from Eric Manny Entertainment

Runtown's contract with Eric Manny Entertainment expired in June 2018. He subsequently started his own label, Soundgod Music Group.

Discography

*''

'' (2015) *''Tradition'' (2020) *''Signs'' (2022)

Awards and nominations

References

{{Authority control Living people 1989 births End SARS activists Musicians from Enugu Nigerian male singer-songwriters 21st-century Nigerian male singers Nigerian hip hop musicians Igbo singers Rappers from Enugu