Meet Rising Star Ola Runt

Ola Runt (Credit Sam Conant)

Ola Runt, an exciting rising artist from the Zone 6 neighborhood of Edgewood, Atlanta, and has quickly generated buzz in his city and beyond. He began developing his distinctive sound and lyricism during his early teens in the studio which his father built to get him off the streets, honing his craft for nearly two years before releasing any music. His inspirations include Gucci Mane, Boosie Badazz, and NBA YoungBoy.

Ola’s musical growth soon began gaining him attention from his neighborhood and local peers with stellar tracks like “Brazy Story” Remix, “Monkey Bars” and “Feel Like Guwop,” which picked up organic airplay from local DJs. As the rest of Atlanta took notice, he continued building excitement with collaborations from Young Nudy and 645AR, while working on his debut EP. On March 13, 2020, Ola released his first body of work entitled Mama Tried, featuring standout production from Bankroll Gotit, Yung Tago and Yung Lando, to name a few. The lead single, “Feel Like Guwop,” earned him co-signs from Lil Baby, 21 Savage, Meek Mill, and Southside. The music video for Feel Like Guwop pays homage to the legacy of an Atlanta music scene innovator, Gucci Mane. After hearing the track, Gucci took Ola under his wing as ‘The New 1017’ and included Ola as a featured artist on his upcoming compilation album.

Ola made another big splash with the release of his Beggin 4 a Body [Front Street/Cinematic Music Group] mixtape, executive produced by Gucci Mane. This only his second project features Gucci heavily…solidifying his status as an artist to watch and a serious disrupter!

We wanted to know more about this young lion so The Hype Magazine got Ola to weigh in on a few things

From the outside looking in, who is the artist Ola Runt?

I’m an artist from Zone 6 on the eastside of Atlanta. A lot of stuff goes on where I’m from and it be hard to make it out. It’s tough if you don’t really got no help or nobody to really put you in the right spot. But it’s been a blessing that I’ve been able to come out to New York for a little and get up outta’ my hood for a minute.

What brought you to the music industry?

I grew up in Atlanta with all these rappers around and a lot of ‘em was from my neighborhood. I used to always see the benefits of becoming a rapper–how they took care of their family. I knew for a fact that rappers get money and I could really get paid off this. The spotlight was on my city at the time so I thought, why not take rapping seriously? People always told me I was good at it so I wanted to show that I could actually fuck with makin’ music and see where it took me.

What do you want people to get from your music?

I hope people listen to what I’m really sayin’ because I have a real message. I don’t write down most of my music…what I’m thinkin’ just comes straight out my mind in the booth. Some people get caught up on tryna’ compare me to other artists instead of listening to what I’m saying and taking away the message.

Tell us about your current Beggin For a Body project and what it means for you?

I just dropped my second project, Beggin For a Body, in May. On my first project, Mama Tried, I had no features so for this new mixtape I have some features on there to let people know that other artists really do fuck with me. I did a feature with Nefew from Atlanta…When I did the first verse for “No Drop,” I just heard his voice on the second verse so I sent him the song and he sent it right back to me the same day. And Young Scooter pulled up on me at the studio in Atlanta right after I had put a hook and verse on the song “War,” produced by Picasso. Young Scooter was actually supposed to be on another song but ended up hearing “War” and he went right in and did the second verse. Me and Trouble got the Atlanta streets goin’ crazy with the “Big Rank” track–it’s one of the hottest songs on my tape. And I got a feature with Gucci Mane. He remixed my song “Feel Like Guwop” and of course his name is Guwop. It just came naturally, and we shot the video for it in Miami. I separated myself from a lot of other rappers with this tape. I really just let people know I’m comin’ and I’m here to stay.

How does it feel to have the industry open their arms for you the way they have?

It feels good. Shout out to my city. I love my city, I love Atlanta. If you ain’t talkin’ bout nothin’ Atlanta ain’t fuckin’ with you for real.

What’s the best advice you’ve been given since making your entry into the mainstream?

Don’t be quick to sign paper with just anybody. Whenever that person comes who’s for you, you gonna’ know. And also to stay in the studio no matter what. Keep recording and just keep goin’.

For new listeners, what song of yours would you pick as an introduction to you as an artist?

Probably “Shoot or Die,” one of my new songs I just dropped. It ain’t got no hook on it. It’s just me talkin’. It shows me as an artist, Ola Runt.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.