Amid a national tour, Ciara linked with From the Block to perform her new single “Run It Up.”
Outfitted in all-black leisurewear, Ciara and her troupe delivered a spirited performance of the bass-heavy banger.
Ciara released “Run It Up,” featuring BossMan Dlow, on Aug. 9 via her label Beauty Marks Entertainment.
“‘Run It Up’ is about staying focused on the hustle and grind to achieve your dreams while remaining unbothered and blessed,” she explained.
BossMan Dlow commented, “She’s the greatest, run that sack up crazy.”
Prior to its release, Ciara had been previewing “Run It Up” during her set on Missy Elliott’s Out of This World Tour, which wraps up Aug. 23 in Rosemont, Illinois.
“Run It Up” was produced by J.R. Rotem, who also worked on her 2018 double-platinum hit “Level Up.” The former song is Ciara’s first official release since her EP, CiCi, which dropped Aug. 18, 2023.
Regarding the EP, which was titled after her nickname, Ciara told Rated R&B, “I wanted to curate and set the tone of my next music chapter with this EP. This project is the start of really exciting things to come, but most importantly, I want my fans to know that the Ci Ci they have always loved is in her R&B bag.”
CiCi included the lead single “How We Roll” featuring Chris Brown. While the two first collaborated in 2009 on Ciara’s “Turntables” — from the highly underrated Fantasy Ride album — “How We Roll” marked their first music video together. The dance-heavy visual was filmed while Ciara was pregnant with her fourth child.
“It was so much fun working with Breezy because we have been wanting to work together for some time. We are so proud of what we made together and, most importantly, the growth we have had as artists,” Ciara told Rated R&B.
She added, “Even down to sharing laughs over us both having kids now, which was even funnier because I was pregnant on the video set. It’s been so sweet to see all the love the fans have been showing the song and video.”
Ciara produced “How We Roll” with Theron Thomas, Deli Banger, Mr Kamera and Precision Productions. The song was reissued with a remix featuring Lil Wayne.
CiCi also included features from Lil Baby (“Forever”) and Big Freedia (“Winning”). Kasey Phillips of Precision Productions, who helmed the majority of the EP’s tracks, shared the story behind the latter song.
“It was just kind of getting the drums to hit, staying true and authentic to the bounce and making sure it’s danceable. That was fun,” he told Rated R&B.
Aside from her music, Ciara has been collaborating with other artists from various genres, including electronic dance music trio Keys N Krates, inspirational rapper Hulvey, and most recently, rap sensation Latto.
Watch Ciara perform “Run It Up” on From the Block below.
