K-Camp: ‘Lottery (Renegade)’ And The Biggest Dance Craze Of 2020
The 100 Years of Radio – 100 Years of Hit Makers limited series podcast gives music fans a front-row seat for conversations with songwriters behind some of the biggest hits of yesterday and today. You’ll learn the stories behind the songs from the people who wrote them. Each episode will focus on one writer: sometimes, they’ll just talk about one song, other times, they’ll talk about a number of hits.
New episodes will be released each Monday through November of 2020.
100 Years of Radio – 100 Years of Hit Makers special podcast series is produced in partnership with Beasley Media Group, XPERI (HD Radio), and BMI in celebration of the 100-year anniversary of the first commercial radio broadcast.
One of the biggest songs of the year has been K-Camp’s “Lottery (Renegade),” which also spawned one of the biggest dance crazes on TikTok. We spoke to K-Camp about the song and the dance. (Listen to the podcast, where he also looks back at some of his biggest hits throughout his entire career.)
Tell me about writing “Lottery” and the success of that song.
I wrote “Lottery” when I was on the “Switch” tour. We had a stop in New York. We had like three days off in New York and I wanted to book studio time. My dog Reazy [Renegade] was in New York already. He had a session at Warner. He told me to pull up. And every time me and Reazy get together, I don’t think we ever miss. We link so rarely, but we get together, we never miss.
It was just one of those days, he’s pulling up beats. The 808s came in and I was drawn to it, and the rest is history. “Lottery” came out, swept the whole TikTok world, I don’t think nobody has passed me yet.
When did you become aware that everybody on TikTok was dancing to your song?
I became aware when I seen it on my Twitter. I see dances all the time. Every time I drop a certain [kind of] record, the dance community always eat it up.
I’m used to it. I think it was the New York Times and it was a story about Jalaiah [Harmon, who created the “Lottery” dance] and giving her credit.
So I found out who she was and had my homie call her mama and we linked. I got her in the studio, had her dance in the studio and put it on Instagram. And she just took it to a whole other thing.
Some people might not want to be involved with a teenager helping to make their song a viral thing. But you gave her credit. You were up front: “Hey, this girl really helped the song out!”
Right. And I knew her people. It was it was small world because a good friend, who managed Playboi Carti a little, his best friend from college’s daughter was Jalaiah, who created the dance.
Were you on TikTok when this happened?
No. I got a TikTok, but I don’t be TikTokin’, I got money to make.
In this case it did [make money].
I guess it did in a way.
Is there a lot of pressure now: “OK, how are we going to pull this off or something like this again now?”
No. As a creator, I don’t go in with [the attitude], “Oh we gotta do this s— again.” Or, “We got to recreate this moment.” Because another moment probably gonna come that is probably even bigger in that moment. We just create and whenever the stars align and everything match up, that’s what’s going on, I didn’t plan that for “Lottery” [to do those] numbers. I make music. I do the music thing for real.
Do you get tired of having to hear the song? It’s so ubiquitous.
Oh yeah, for sure. I was telling my homie yesterday, Yes. I’m tired of when I get on the ‘gram and the first thing I hear [is that song]. I skip over it every time now. I can’t take it no more.
But it has been good to you.
It has been good. A definite blessing.
K-Camp also spoke about “1Hunnid” “Lil Bit” and other hits. Check out the podcast above to hear the full interivew.
