Runtown
| Runtown | |
|---|---|
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Runtown in 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Douglas Jack Agu |
| Born | 19 August 1989[1] |
| Origin | Enugu State, Nigeria |
| Genres | R&B, hip hop, reggae |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter |
| Instruments | Vocals |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Labels |
Current
Former
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| Associated acts | |
Douglas Jack Agu (born 19 August 1989), better known by his stage name Runtown, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter and producer with a diverse musical style mix of hip-hop, R&B, reggae and rap.[2] After moving to Lagos from Enugu State with Phyno in 2007, he started doing underground collaborations with artists like J-Martins and Timaya. In 2008, he partnered with Phyno to form a record label called Penthauz during which he released his first two singles "Party Like It’s 1980" and "Activity Pikin".[3] He collaborated with Davido on his song "Gallardo" which brought him more attention. Few months later, he signed a multi-million Naira contract with Eric-Manny Entertainment owned by Prince Okwudili Umenyiora, the C.E.O of Dilly Motors.[4]
Growing up
Runtown was born on 19 August 1989 in Enugu but grew up partly in Abuja 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. While growing up, he had the aim of being a professional basketball player. In 2005, he relocated to Enugu after his mother developed interest in politics; he went on to finish his secondary school education in Enugu State.[5]
Runtown is currently studying Fashion Management at a fashion school in New York.[6]
Life and music career
Yeah, next year 2015; the album the whole world has been waiting for. I’m thinking of putting like 20 tracks in the album[7]
Runtown released his first single titled "Runtown" which was produced by Soge in 2007. His 2010 single titled "Forever" had a video directed by IvanEdd films.[8]
In 2012, Jamaican/American singer Laza Morgan featured Runtown on a song titled "High on You" which did big on the Caribbean charts. J. Martins featured Runtown on a song off his Elevation album titled "Tonight"; he also worked with Phyno on a song titled "Anam-Achi Vers-Achi" which was produced by WizzyPro. In an interview with NotJustOk.com, he said he acquired his musical inspirations from Sean Kingston, Bob Marley and Kanye West.
On 29 January 2014, Runtown collaborated with Davido to release a song produced by T-Spize titled "Gallardo" which won the Best Collaboration of The Year award at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.[9] He later released the video which got over 418,000 views on YouTube in its first 2 months. The video features cameos from Patoranking, Skales and Phyno; it was shot in Nigeria and directed by Clarence Peters.[10]
Runtown's career took a huge step after he signed a recording contract with Eric-Manny Entertainment through his friend, releasing "Successful" and "Domot" which received frequent airplay.[11]
Runtown was featured on WizzyPro's "Emergency" song which also featured Skales and Patoranking. The song was produced by WizzyPro and released on 2 November 2014.[12] The music video for "Emergency" which was directed by Patrick Elis was released on 19 January 2014.[13]
On November 23, 2015, Runtown released his debut studio album titled Ghetto University. Ghetto University featured appearances from DJ Khaled, Phyno, Wizkid, Uhuru and Anatii. The album made him listed in the "Top 5 Most Streamed Artist" in Nigeria, generating over N35 million turn over on MTN Music Plus.[14]
Controversy
In 2014, there were reports in the media that Runtown wrote "Aye". In an interview with The Nigerian Tribune, 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".[15]
Discography
Singles
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Studio albums
| Album Title | Album Details |
|---|---|
| Ghetto University |
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Awards and nominations
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
| Year | Award ceremony | Prize | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Collaboration of The Year | Won[16] |
| The Headies 2014 | Next Rated Act | Nominated[17] | |
| 2015 | 2015 Nigeria Entertainment Awards | Best Pop Artiste | Nominated[18] |
| 2015 City People Entertainment Awards | Artiste of The Year | Nominated[19] |
See also
References
- ↑ "Runtown". notJustOk.
- ↑ "BOOK ARTIST - Runtown". One Nation Entertainment. 2 July 2014.
- ↑ RunTown: How Contact with Timaya Changed My Life
- ↑ "Runtown Signs Record Deal with Eric-manny Entertainment". tooXCLUSIVE. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
- ↑ "RunTown: How Contact with Timaya Changed My Life". ThisDay News. 2 August 2014. Retrieved 5 October 2014.
- ↑ Damilola Sholola (12 December 2014). "Runtown dreams of marrying Rihanna". Vanguard Nigeria. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ↑ "Runtown dreams of marrying Rihanna". Vanguard Nigeria. 12 December 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
- ↑ New Music: RunTown – Are You Not Entertained + Activity Pikin
- ↑ "RunTown wins NEA Awards Best Collaboration of The Year 2014". Scoop NG. 22 September 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2015.
- ↑ Runtown Bags International Collaboration
- ↑ "I can’t date a celebrity –Run Town". SunNews Online. 17 August 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
- ↑ "WizzyPro – Emergency ft. Runtown, Skales, Patoranking". notJustOk. 2 November 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ↑ VIDEO: WizzyPro – Emergency f. Runtown, Skales & Patoranking
- ↑ Oghene, Michael (6 April 2016). "RUNTOWN: The Rising Profile of Africa’s Next ‘BIG THING’". 360Nobs. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ↑ "It’s nobody’s business if I sold Aye to Davido —Runtown". Nigerian Tribune. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ↑ "Runtown Wins NEA Awards". ThisDay Live. 27 September 2014. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
- ↑ Micheal Abimboye (30 September 2014). "Orezi, Patoranking, RunTown, Skales up for Next Rated at Headies Awards". Premium Times. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
- ↑ "Nigerian Entertainment Awards Unveils 2015 Nominees". Daily Independent. 12 June 2015. Retrieved 2015-07-25.
- ↑ "City People Awards 2015 Nominees List – tooXclusive, Lil Kesh, Others Nominated…". tooXclusive. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
External links
| Awards and achievements | ||
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| Preceded by Olamide & Phyno (2013) |
Best Collaboration 2014 |
Succeeded by Mr 2Kay featuring Seyi Shay & Cynthia Morgan (2015) |
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