Hip Hop 2009

Run This Town as a Walkup Song

by Jay-Z, Rihanna, Kanye West

Preview

Is "Run This Town" a good walkup song?

The drum hits and Rihanna's vocal entrance build the song into a coronation. The energy is confident without being cocky — perfect for veteran players who don't need to scream their identity. Slow tempo lets the hitter walk to the box at his own pace.

Notable players who've used it

Run This Town has been a consistent walkup pick across MLB since release. Especially popular with leadoff hitters and players in major-market teams (Yankees, Dodgers, Red Sox) where the 'we run this town' identity fits the locker room culture.

How to trim "Run This Town" for a walkup

Start at 0:00, run for 20 seconds. The opening drum and chant build for 20 seconds. The full intro is the hook.

The trim point is the difference between a great walkup song and a great walkup. A song's first 15-20 seconds rarely happen to be the best 15-20 seconds — most popular tracks have a build, an intro, or a bridge before the hook lands. Pick the slice that hits hardest. The last second of your trim window should land on a peak, right as the player steps into the box.

Best for

• Leadoff hitters
• Power hitters
• Veterans

Clean / explicit version notes

"Run This Town" has both an explicit version and a clean radio edit. For Little League, travel ball, school programs, or any field where parents are within earshot, use the clean version. Apple Music and Spotify both let you toggle to "Clean" in your account settings.

Songs that pair well with "Run This Town"

If "Run This Town" is on your shortlist, these are the walkup songs players most often consider alongside it. Same vibe, same energy, same kind of moment at the plate.

• Power — Kanye West
• Lose Yourself — Eminem
• All I Do Is Win — DJ Khaled ft. T-Pain

How to set up "Run This Town" for your team

Setting up a walkup song requires three things: an app that handles per-player audio, custom trim points, and one-tap playback on game day.

1. Build your roster in Walkup Pro — assign "Run This Town" to the player who picked it
2. Scrub to 0:00 and set the trim duration to 20 seconds
3. Connect a Bluetooth speaker at the field (a JBL Charge or similar will cover any youth field — see our guide to the best Bluetooth speakers for a baseball field)
4. On game day, tap to play as the player walks to the box

For a complete game-day setup walkthrough, see how to play walkup songs at baseball games. For more on what makes a great walkup work, see the anatomy of the perfect walkup song.