For many, music is just enjoyment, while others use it as therapy – but for reggae artiste Runkus, it’s a “saviour”.
Runkus, who is also son of the late reggae artiste Determine, detailed in his upcoming single A Believer how being a true believer in music, saved his life.
“I had a very hard year last year. I lost my dad who was a veteran in the music industry. This song was one I had a very long time ago and after I did my [2022] album [ Out:Side] I came upon it again and the chorus, ‘ I just want to make you a believe, a believer, a believer. Reggae music nice, reggae save my life,’ stood out to me,” he said.
Runkus said that he rediscovered the lyrics during a moment when he felt like giving up on music.
“Cause yuh lose the person who mek yuh do music in the first place (his dad) and is like what do you do then? Yuh have to believe. Yuh have to believe in supmn weh yuh cyaah touch. It’s just like the Almighty, enuh; yuh believe in music but yuh cyaah touch music,” he said “Belief is the next step to knowing, so that’s where I decided to redo the verses and make it a little more personal to match how I was feeling.”
He added that his deliberate use of the lyrics ” Greater David, greater son, so far to go although it’s so far we’ve come” is a testament to the value and high regards in which he held his dad while understanding that he has a big shoe to fill. A Believer was co-produced by Runkus and Purple Hayzzzz.
Runkus admitted that if he wasn’t doing music, he would “probably be doing something destructive to myself”.
“There are many times, many parties and voices that I didn’t give in to because I was doing music instead. Yuh can call it distracted or anything else but I call it saving my life. That was my salvation – the times I spend doing supm good, positive and ‘upful’ and nutten negative cudda get to me,” he said. He underscored that the one message he wants fans to adopt from this track is to “believe”.
In a light-hearted moment while reminiscing on his dad, Runkus was asked what’s that one thing the Kette Drum singer would say to him now.
“‘Gi it to dem Kush (his father’s nickname for him), yuh ago mad dem Kush!'” he laughed. “That’s how my father is, fi him thing deh pon a different level. But him woulda probably just be proud yuh nuh, and happy seh mi a duh di thing to a higher level.”
He added that there are many great things for which he is grateful.
“But at the end of the day, it also feels like a piece of you is missing. So what do you do with all that gratitude at the same time when yuh feel like yuh can’t fill a hole that’s gone? Yuh just affi believe,” he said.
