RUNXGUN

Toronto artist blog.

RUNXGUN have been making waves over the past few years. RUNXGUN is a group made up of two members. Gudini, and J.O. Mairs. These two have an amazing chemistry that feels like they are the rap brothers we have been looking for. It’s been a while since we saw some hard hitting bars delivered by a successful group duo in Toronto. So RUNXGUN has a lot of potential in making themselves well known to the city and having a very interesting position to take. They have a more lyrical conscious rap sound that to some may feel like its the past but, I and like a lot of other know how important that sound really it. It’s the core of what rap it. These guys do just that but they also deliver some of the best beat and instrumental selection in the entire scene. “NOTHING LIKE IT” and “NAME YOUR PRICE” have some of my favourite instrumentals to date. They bring different genres of sound into their instrumentals with a simple beat that drives the energy of their music. This is something that can be overlooked especially since most conscious rappers are of an older age, and this is even seen with the younger ones being stuck in that mind set of “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” mentality, which will never help revitalize the genre and style to the general youth. RUNXGUN is bring that style to the forefront of the rap scene in Toronto and bring a fun and more modern spin to it. Their discography dates back to 2020 with their first release being the an EP. This EP is actually what had brought them together and was what formed the group. This EP is titled “Contra.” This 6 track project delivers that raw energy and grit I love to see from underground artists. The hunger in their voices is serious and they sound like they have so much to prove. Everything from the beat selection, mixing mastering, to the delivery of everything was just great. This is the perfect example of two struggling artists being in the right place at the right time and getting together to make something special. Art is about conquering the bad times and making the best out of the situation and this it the perfect example of that. Some of the highlights of the project were “Free,” “Stretch Four,” and “Don’t Be Mad.” This project would be the only thing to come out in 2020.

2021 would be a much bigger, more impactful year. We would get “HUSTLE FLIP,” “ALL YOU NEED,” which started to showcase a much deeper sense of skill in their delivery and flow. “GAME OVER,” and “NOTHING LIKE IT” would be the perfect example of what the duo really have to offer. These two are still some of my favorite tracks of theirs. The beat selection here went to a different level. The production quality really went up with these two and the sound design was a nice touch. Even the cover art was very well made, it almost gave them a look and an aesthetic that people could identify them with. “NOTHING LIKE IT” is just a masterpiece. The energy behind this track is just immeasurable. It gives me a feeling of a movie soundtrack. It’s perfect as movie soundtrack actually. That level of improvement in less than a year really showcased where these two were going. This became even more evident in 2022. This would be a big year for them. They released a total of 3 singles and 3 full length EPs. They would continue the momentum and sound from “NOTHING LIKE IT” with “WINNING,” “EARTH, WIND & FIRE,” and “NO LOVE LOST” which features Kid Kold. Their consistency and confidence were clearly evident. “NO LOVE LOST” featuring Kid Kold was a great track that introduced us to a frequent collaborator of theirs named Kid Kold. The Chemistry between the three felt natural, and everyone delivered an amazing performance on “NO LOVE LOST.” This would spark a collab tape titled “RISEXFALL” featuring Kid Kold on all 5 songs. This project was great from top to bottom. The lyrical play, beat selection and flow changes would just continue to get better and better. This project is definitely one of their best and Kid Kold showed his own on it. Their next project titled “SUPER C” would be the project that exposed me to them. This is probably their greatest work to date. It’s a very well put together project with a host of hits. The project has no features and brings back their gameboy 80s arcade sound design and cover aesthetic.

This feels like something they should continue to adopt actually. It’s such a fresh idea, especially when we are talking about conscious rap. This would help not only separate them from any others, but also tap in with the youth more. The production value on this project reached industry level quality and their sound feels full now. It feels like they really came into their own here. This project has some of my personal favorites from their entire discography. “PURPLE DEVIL EMOJI,” “TWO FACE,” “PLAY THE GAME,” “NOTHING LIKE IT,” and “OUTRO (CAM JOINT). The project opens up with the classic “NOTHING LIKE IT” bringing that movie soundtrack energy to open things up. The grand opening felt perfect for this project. The sound was kept consistent across the entire EP keeping the same level of energy throughout. The beat selection like I mentioned before just continues to amaze me. I love the aesthetic choice and dedication to keeping it throughout the entire project. The EP ends with an Outro track titled “OUTRO (CAM JOINT) which was a graceful way to end the project. This release would bring a new number of eyes to them including myself and if you give this project a listen you will understand why. They gave a style of rap that is dying each year a new and improved touch that has revitalized my excitement for it. But they still have more to come after “SUPER C.” Their next release would be titled “RXGSZN” which just continued to improve on everything they have been doing. They are really feeding the fans with all this music. Their latest release titled “NAME YOUR FACE” is the more memorable in recent memory with its unique rock inspired and sampled instrumental and their higher more aggressive cadence and delivery. it’s bringing back that 2000s hiphop rock mesh that feels nostalgic but also fresh at the same time. These guys have done some amazing things over such a short amount of time they been in this duo. I’m truly excited to see where they go next, and what their full length album will entail.

Written by Maxim Bayarsky