Runtown Says African Music Is in Its “Brain-Rot Era.” He Wants to Change That
Nigerian star Runtown talks about entering “phase two” of his career, and why he thinks African music is in its “brain-rot era.”
ByDimas Sanfiorenzo
November 5, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Runtown has one of the biggest Afrobeats songs of all time with “Mad Over You.” After spending years experimenting with his sound, the Nigerian singer is returning to pop, with an EP planned before the end of the year and a full-length album in 2027.
- He previewed his next chapter at Spotify’s inaugural Surround Sound show in Lagos, debuting “Emotional Shit” alongside career favorites, backed by a band blending Nigerian and Ghanaian musical influences.
- Runtown calls today’s relentless demand for new music a “brain-rot era,” urging artists to focus on making lasting songs rather than chasing viral dance challenges.
When talking about the Afrobeats explosion of the 2010s, there are few songs as important as Runtown’s “Mad Over You.” Released in late 2016, the song became a masive hit, dominating radio and reverberating across the globe throughout 2017.
Still, Runtown never stopped evolving. Rather than chasing another massive pop hit, his music took a more experimental turn. He continued releasing projects, including his underrated sophomore album, Signs, and a couple of EPs, moving further away from the pop sound that made him a star in the first place.
But if you ask Runtown, that was only the start.
Now, he’s entering what he calls “phase two,” a period defined by his pursuit of music that feels “transcendent.” The plan is to release an EP before the end of the year, followed by a full-length album in 2027.
The world got its first glimpse of this new era in September, when Runtown headlined Spotify’s inaugural Surround Sound show at Livespot, an unassuming venue in Lagos. Tickets weren’t available for purchase. Instead, Spotify invited some of his most dedicated listeners, giving them an intimate look at the singer’s next chapter.
Complex was in Lagos for the show. The day before the performance, we caught up with Runtown backstage, where he was remarkably calm. Sipping tea between rehearsals, the singer was preparing to introduce his new band, which features musicians from different backgrounds and traditions.
“It’s a cultural mix because some of them are from Ghana, so we’re blending both cultures,” Runtown told Complex. “At first, it was difficult, but with time, we found a common ground.”
For the performance, Runtown took center stage—literally. He performed on an oval-shaped platform, surrounded on all sides by fans. The setlist bridged different eras of his career, from Ghetto University-era favorites like “Lagos to Kampala” and “Gallardo” to more experimental recent releases like “Mood Swings” and “End of Life,” both of which dropped last year. He even debuted a new song, “Emotional Shit,” offering a glimpse of “phase two.”
The performance, now available to watch on Spotify, offered a preview of where Runtown is heading next while also serving as a reminder of the catalog he’s built over the past decade.
We spoke to Runtown about his new era, the state of Afrobeats, why he thinks the genre has become “brain rot,” and what’s next.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
It feels like the last couple of years have been slower for you. How would you describe them?
Since 2019, I didn’t really necessarily take a break. I’ve been paying attention more to my core sound and developing it more because I feel like every music journey has two phases to it and I’m about to launch the second phase now.
And it’s important I learned everything I learned in the past few years. So it was more like a scientist in the lab. But once in a while we still drop music. I’ve been dropping music that’s kind of like the sound I started with. It’s not really underground, but it’s not like pop. Yeah. I left the pop scene for a while.
Do you want to return to that sound?
Yeah, definitely. And that’s the second phase. So it’s very important to also do it in a different way now, do it better too. And I feel like I’m ready.
So I feel like that’s my own definition of consistency: growth. Growth is very key to making it consistent. Anytime we come back, it’s like, “Oh, that’s what he’s been up to. Yeah, we like this version.”
What’s the big lesson you feel like you learned?
First of all, not to overthink it. And the more you spend time creating, the more the universe rewards it. So sometimes we start a new song and just being there in the studio every time, just trying to tweak it, we realize there are other layers to it, three other songs to it. And I feel like I’m in the stage where I’m ready to have fun with the music again. And the fun is the key word because it’s pop. You have to have fun with it.
So then, you put out an EP a couple of months ago. Would you describe that music as fun? As underground?
I’ll say it’s very much from my Afrofusion style. And something people also don’t realize is that before that, I dropped an album called Signs. And Signs was more like the sound playbook for me. It’s more like the resume album for me. And we were so careful that we didn’t put a pop song on it. There was only one song on it, “Things I Know.” And I didn’t realize it was pop. So I shot the video and everything. And when it dropped, I was like, “Oooh.” So we decided not to release the video for that. I wanted it to just be an album in time that people go and just reference in the studio. I wanted music that can also transcend. It doesn’t really have to be popular music. It just transcends. In the studio, you’re lacking inspiration in your life. “What do I listen to? Play me Signs by Runtown.” You just have directions from it.
The reaction to Signs vs. Ghetto University was so different. Is it because the music was less pop?
They were more like unfinished demos. I didn’t really think it was necessary to give it that whole pop sound and oomph to it. I just felt like we should just release it that way. It’s just like a scrapbook which will become a blueprint.
A decade in the game, what’s changed about the scene?
I feel like we’re in—I wouldn’t really say a no-heat era in music, but… we’re in the brain-rot era. You drop a song this week and the fans want another song next week. We have to just have fun with the music. I feel like pop culture is just all about fun. You don’t have to overthink it. I feel like every pop song I’ve ever done, I did 70% of the production of it. Do you understand? Because I’m in there, I’m not overthinking it. It’s just like, “oh, this is the sound coming to my head.” I just put it down. And probably the producer is also there too and contributes. So now we’re just releasing music. So that’s what this new era is about.
Are you optimistic about where Afrobeats is right now?
I don’t really like saying Afrobeats.
Do you prefer Afrofusion?
Yeah. It’s more like Afrofusion. I think we’ve done a lot. Now I go to different places in the world and I just hear songs from Africa just randomly. What we used to consider proper music, more instruments, less singing from the older musicians. That’s what you would hear probably in a restaurant in, let’s say, Portugal. But now you just hear a random song from Ghana, from Nigeria, from different parts of Africa. That sound has done so much. We just need people to be mindful of the transcending character it needs to possess too. We don’t want the songs forgotten 10 years from now. So it has to transcend.
When you say people, are you talking about the artists or the fans?
The artists, for sure.
We have to keep that in mind that it has to transcend. Let it not just be like, “Oh, I want to make a song for a dance challenge.”
I don’t want to put words in your mouth, but it sounds like you’re saying a little bit like the artists need to maybe not focus on trends, but focus on making stuff that could, like…
Take time.
It’s very important. For instance, I feel like my listeners grow every year from what it was even when we did “Mad Over You.” But I just feel like a lot of people just discover the music and stay.
I mean, but “Mad Over You” is a forever song, right? I guess to your point.
So we need more of that.
What are you listening to? What’s kind of got you inspired?
I’ve been listening to a lot of Afro-Cuban music. And I listen to a lot of songs from the Francophone territories because I love melodies. That’s one thing. I’m very big on melodies when I’m writing a song. I focus more on the melodies than the actual things I’m saying. So I listen to a lot of Francophone songs.
Give me your Mount Rushmore of Afrofusion songs.
Am I supposed to put my songs? I’ll put five of them. (Laughs.)
I feel like I’ll go with a lot of older artists just because of what we said before—the transcending thing. I’ll put Majek Fashek’s “Send on the Rain.” I’ll put [Tuface Idibia’s] “African Queen.” I’ll put Steve Monite’s “Only You”. I’ll put [Chief Stephen Osita Osadebe’s] “Osondi Owendi.” I mean, it’s highlife but it’s African music.
