Runtown Shares Track-By-Track Breakdown Of His Latest EP, ‘Tradition’

A few days ago, Runtown thrilled fans with an early release of his long-awaited project, Tradition. The fantastic six-track EP is a very cohesive body of work, showing Runtown in his element and proving his talents as both a hit-maker and a thoughtful songwriter.

(Photo: Instagram/Runtown)

Runtown initially revealed that his aim for this EP was to make music everyone around the world could enjoy — taking our sound to a global stage. Well, given how engaging and diverse the project turned out to be, it’s clear he wasn’t all talk, and we’re very impressed. 

Speaking to Konbini about which song from the EP is his favourite, Runtown said:

“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.

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’.”

So, to learn how he put the amazing project together, we at Konbini had a chat with Runtown, where he shared with us a track-by-track breakdown of Tradition. In this chat, we discussed some of the songs’ intense lyrics, and how some of the themes came about. 

“Redemption”

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.

“Emotions”

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.

“Tradition”

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.

“Goose Bumps”

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. 

“International Badman Killa”

The title 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.