Nigerian Artist Runtown Recalls Clashing With His Label Over DJ Khaled & Nicki Minaj
Eric Many sued Runtown in Nigeria’s Federal High Court over allegations the Ghetto University album creator purposely collected money from shows without the label’s knowledge. The company also filed an injunction preventing the Afropop star from performing until the legal matters are settled.
Runtown then terminated his contract with Eric Many, claiming he did not receive royalty payments and other music related profits. The 26-year-old Enugu native even suggested he was being extorted. He also said at one point Dilly threatened his life by pulling a gun on him.
The Nigerian news platform Pulse spoke with Runtown. The interview included stories of how Eric Many Entertainment supposedly used possible collaborations with U.S. based entertainers DJ Khaled and Nicki Minaj as a way to maintain control over the singer.
On DJ Khaled:
I needed to do some collaborations, like the one I did with DJ Khaled. I was in the states and out of my money, I spent between $40,000 and $50,000, and that’s just the ones I can account for. I spent more than that on the collabo.
I was meant to do the video the next day in New York, I was waiting for Khaled. When they got to New York, I got a call from the label saying that I need to leave New York immediately. I couldn’t even understand what was wrong with what I did. I expected them to tell me, “Well done, I saw what you did with DJ Khaled.” It turned [into] a problem, and they said I need to fly to South Africa for a video shoot.
On Nicki Minaj:
When I was about to drop the video, he called me out of the [blue], that he was going to get Nicki Minaj on the album. I accepted, being that a Nicki Minaj will be good on the album. When we were in the US, he kept on calling and asking if we can get across to Minaj…
He kept on calling about the Nicki Minaj people that he is ready to play. Then he brought a contract extension for another two years stating that if he pays for the Nicki Minaj deal, then he will need a 2-year extension to recoup his investment. I wasn’t around then, so the management handed the contract to a guy we worked with, and dropped it there. Neither I nor my manager, Aneto-Okeke Bugwu, were around. He called me on the phone threatening me that if I don’t extend the contract, he will kill me, and bury my career, and that he isn’t going to release my album.
Runtown released Ghetto University in November 2015 via Eric Many Entertainment. The album featured DJ Khaled on the opening cut “Money Bag.”
Buzzing Nigerian musician Wizkid also appeared on two Ghetto University tracks. The single “Gallardo” with Davido won “Best Collaboration Of The Year” at the 2014 Nigeria Entertainment Awards.
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