Earlier this year, Vince Staples appeared on 360 With Speedy Morman to promote his fifth studio album, Ramona Park Broke My Heart, where he butted heads with his host, Complex’s own Speedy Morman, about the ramifications of calling the Hip-Hop sector of the music industry “The Rap Game.”
When asked about how he was able to find his place within the game, Vince Staples retorted, “Well, ‘cause it’s not a game. What’s the game? You know, in basketball, you dribble, you shoot, you score, you win.”
In response to Speedy Morman’s assertion that it’s just an expression, Vince Staples argued, “But why is that an expression? The reason it’s an expression [is] because somebody has to lose. So that way, when it ends up and then you do it and it takes everything from you, then you just lost the game. But that’s not what it’s supposed to be. This is a business. You supposed to have good music, good morals, they pay you. And you know — oh, well this is an opportunity, so you don’t deserve ownership of your project. This is an opportunity — you don’t deserve this, you don’t deserve that. You know they don’t call any other genre 'the game.' They call the rap game 'the rap game' because it’s a whole bunch of niggas running around, and they don’t want to give Black people shit.”
Before questioning why this LaRussell-centered piece started off with such a lengthy quote from Vince Staples, it’s important to recognize that, despite the Ramona Park Broke My Heart artist’s recent remarks, most rappers — from rising artists to veteran, well-established acts — continue to willfully give in to “the rap game” and all that it entails. From signing record deals that don’t truly serve them to heavily depending on the notoriously unprofitable streaming system. Vallejo, California-bred artist LaRussell, however, does not.
An independent Hip-Hop artist to the core, LaRussell is actively proving that artists don’t have to play “the rap game” to find success. Furthermore, he is offering new perspectives as to what success can look like in the music business. Through his independent collective Good Compenny, LaRussell has released a whopping total of 19 studio albums since 2019, performed countless concerts from the pergola in his backyard, and implemented a game-changing “Proud 2 Pay” option for his albums and shows, inspired by the late Nipsey Hussle.
Fresh off the release of his stirring 21st studio album, I Hate When Life’s Going Great, LaRussell caught up with HNHH to discuss everything from his approach to independence to what the future holds for his movement in Vallejo. Check out our interview below, which has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
HNHH: Yo, you’ve been the talk of the town over here for a minute. I don’t know if you were aware.
LaRussell: That’s beautiful! I didn't know, I've been seeing you guys been posting a lot more of my shit lately, so it's been done a lot of love.
Like you say, it’s different, you know what I’m saying. When they asked me if I wanted to interview you, I was like, “What? That’s different! Like this is not the same.”
[Laughs] Facts!
So you just dropped yesterday.
Yeah.
So how you feeling about that? Let me hear it.
Lovely. I've been excited to share this project. I mean, we sold 2,500 albums prior to release in just hard sales. So that was beautiful to see the fans kind of react to it and have that want and desire for this project. But, you know, release day was great. It was my birthday. So it was a dope moment to just give the world the art.
Yeah, well happy birthday, man.
I appreciate it.
How old are you now?
28.
Okay, cool. Man, young. You're doing all this at such a young age. This is like, some stuff that like you hear like Master P’s talks about, you know, saying?
You know? I like how 'Pac was only 24, and it's like, how the hell did he do all this shit at 24? That's the legacy we're going for.
Respect, respect. You just mentioned hard sales for albums, which is an interesting way of describing it. When you hear hard sales, you typically think about like tickets and stuff like that, but you're literally selling these albums. And basically, people can pay whatever they want for the album, right?
Proud 2 Pay, yep!
Yeah, yeah. So what sparked your decision to do that?
Man, Nipsey’s legacy. I've been doing Proud 2 Pay ventures for a while now, and we've kind of just revolutionized the way that Nipsey created it. Instead of doing a set price for Proud 2 Pay, I decided to leave it open, so everyone could partake in it, whether you got a dollar or a thousand dollars.
Now that's what's up. I peeped some people — they kind of went in a direction like that when like the NFT's were popping like last year. Like everyone was like, “Oh, we can revolutionize how like fans interact with the music and stuff.” But it was like a barrier, like a financial barrier that most people couldn't even get through.
Right? It wasn't accessible to everybody. My goal is to always be able to have everyone enjoy it, you know? Instead of a select 100, I'm trying to get a million.
And you're also doing your tour in the same format.
Yeah, the first offer-based tour, man, we finna run it up!
That's incredible. What do you think this experience is going to be like? Because it's in the works right now, right? Like official dates haven’t been set?
No, it's in the works. So we got a few dates that we've been lining that we haven't announced yet, but it's gonna be incredible. I mean, we just did a sold-out show at home. It really sold out in the first four hours of announcing, and I think the rest of the tour is going to go in a very similar fashion. [Proud 2 Pay shows] are the highest profiting shows we've ever had because we're allowing people to kind of dictate their own worth, and I'm excited. You know, I think every show on this run is going to be sold out.
About how many cities you thinking about hitting up?
We're starting with the West Coast, and we'll probably do about five to 10 cities because we're still doing a lot of shows at home. So this summer we did the Hometown Heroes series from the backyard. And that's really what we're cultivating. I'm not really big on touring, but we're hitting a few cities outside of us building our shit at home still.
Okay, that makes sense. Are you on the stage in the backyard like right now?
Yeah, I'm on a pergola now, man! We out here!
Yep. That's what I thought. When you got on the call, I was like, “Yeah, that’s it for sure.” Well, we can transition and talk about the Hometown Heroes series you did this summer. Was performing from your backyard something that you had toyed with and done in the past, and it just worked? And you're like, “Man, we can do it bigger this summer.” Tell me how that came to be.
Man. Actually, I did a show, and I was just getting in a lot of slack from the venue owner. And I'm just a nigga who don't like to be told, “No.” So I decided to build my own so I ain’t had to ask no more, and this ended up being the outcome. We tried the offer-based theory, and with every show, we made more than what we usually make. I used to do shows, and I would either leave in the red or walk away with a couple hundred, maybe a thousand. But now it's like we're yielding enough to pay for the team and pay for the experience and all that shit. Because it's just a new way of doing shows and touring. Like, we really get to see what people feel like we're worth and what our value is.
Were you ever, like, worried that having fans at your crib was a dangerous idea?
Not worried. I mean, I know what comes with it, but I mean, there's a lot more people in this world who love me than hate me, so it was something [I] was willing to go with.
Respect. I be peeping on Instagram that this is something that you share a lot of, and I've seen — like, from a humility perspective — you show all types of turnouts for these events. Like you’ll do a show when it's not a lot of people in the backyard as well as when it's packed out.
Right.
Why do you do that? I know many people would want to puff it up, you know, make it look good. Talk to me about that.
I mean, that's just the experience. That's what's happening. You know, it's not anything I think I need to hide. I think five people was better than no people. Some people got no people in they backyard, so you know, I feel like every show is a win.
No doubt, that's facts. And your backyard shows eventually got the attention of Chance The Rapper as well. Has he been down to Vallejo?
A whole lot of attention, man! It’s a lot of celebs flying in and out of here. These shows have been incredible. We've had people flying in from just about every state now for the shows. Across the span of four months, we've had people from the east coast on, you know. We just haven't had overseas yet. Next year, I think it'll be even bigger. We've had some celebs come out, and Chance is coming out soon. Michael B. Jordan, Steven Jackson, and Matt Barnes, so it's really being cultivated as just a place to come and experience. We building Disneyland, nigga!
That's like, beyond even the Hip-Hop community, when you talk about Matt Barnes and people like that.
Ah man, far beyond. We’re far beyond just because we, like I say, are building things outside of music. There's people who are fans of me — not necessarily the music, but just me as a being — and that cultivates a different audience.
That's interesting. I actually had a question for you about who your Instagram is for. I know, it's like a strange question. Most people I listen to, I don't follow on Instagram, but I feel like your Instagram is like this really interesting brand. So I was just wondering, who you actually like trying to reach with your socials?
No one specifically. I've always been asked, “Who’s the target audience?” when we go into certain places, and I tell them like, “There is no target.” My target is me, the people who fuck with me, who fuck with real niggas — that's my audience. I'm never trying to appease or do certain things to appeal to certain people. I just be myself. Like, I share the shit that makes me smile. You know, every live session or performance clip that I share or media clip is some shit that I've seen and I enjoyed. So naturally, the people who enjoy the same things I enjoy, just find a way to my page.
Got you. And I feel like you're in an interesting position where you're kind of like the person who's over here doing something way different from everyone else. You're in those conversations, for sure, but do you feel like those conversations are actually doing something for you? Or is it just like, talk?
Man, I love it, because I'm the first person to like, not play in the league. But the whole league is talking about him. And I have a choice whether I want to go to the league or not. And I'm in a position where it's like, everyone wants me to play in the league. But I'm like, I don't have to play with your niggas because I'm tight. I'm better. Everybody's coming to watch me play on my court. Steph Curry looks good, no matter what court he's on, and I think that's the position that we cultivated, where we have an opportunity to play in the league, but we don't have to because everyone's looking at us. It's a league full of superstars, but they like, “Look at what he's going over there on that court!” And it's a beautiful position to be in.
That's a crazy way of putting it. Before coming into this interview, I was thinking, “LaRussell has pretty much mastered independence,” but how you just described it, it’s like, man — maybe it's not independence at all. I mean, of course, you’re independent, but like you said, you're not even in the league. You're playing your own game.
Exactly! Exactly! My own game. Like I said, the people in the league are messaging me and saying, “Hey, how can I come play with you?” You feel me? They're realizing that it's just different when you have your freedom. I think when you're talented and you're superb, you don't have to go play for a team and have a boss and have an owner who controls your schedule and how you play and you got to abide by these rules. I'm somebody who's just as great as Jordan, but I don't have to play for the Bulls. I can start my own league, or I could just play over here. But I still get to play with the pros when I want to. I still get to do features and, and, you know, go to the conferences and the awards and shit, but I don't have to, you know, due to contractual obligations. So I think it's just showing people that there's a new way, you know? It's like when LaMelo was playing in high school — niggas was going to the high school games.
Facts. So you've dropped a lot this year.
Come on!
Probably more than any, like, artist — who like you said, is actually in the game — would ever be allowed to.
Right! [laughs]
Yeah, like literally nobody. Especially since they're not like three-song, four-song projects. Like these are full-fledged albums.
Come on!
Talk to me about this — like, is this something that you've been doing literally every year dropping this much content?
Definitely, um, you know, since 2018, I've been dropping probably like, three or more projects a year last year, I think I did six this year, I think I'm already on like six or seven. And I got a ton more on the vault. So my thing is just, I just don't like holding shit when it's done. You know, if I created it and I feel like it's done, then give it to them. It is no benefit to me on my hard drive. You know, so if you got it, then give it, you know? I’m someone who believes it doesn't have to be quality over quantity, you can have both.
Facts. Especially since music is such a subjective thing, and you may have people who like truly fuck with your music who just like this album or that album but may not like some other ones.
Exactly. That's why I put out so many because you may not like my recent album, but you might love the next one. And if I wait three years to give you the next one, I lost you. I'mma give you six albums a year, so six different people can eat in different ways. Everybody got different diets, you know? We don't all consume the same shit. So I'm gonna give you options.
You be coming with the quotes, man, that’s crazy. Well, let’s talk about burnout. How often are you in the studio and how do you prevent yourself from burning out?
I don't record often. I just do a lot when I do record. So if I'm recording, I'm probably leaving with five to 10 songs. So I'm doing you know, EPs and album's worth within a span of days. Usually, I record in blocks where I'll be recording for about two or three days, and I'm leaving with a really good amount of songs — 18 to 20 in a three-day span. That’s why I'm able to produce so much music, and then the rest of the time, it's like business and lining up showing and coming up with ideas and doing community shit. But yeah, I don't record that often.
Okay, that makes sense. That's actually kind of answers my next question for you — How are you doing all this music while maintaining the business?
Yeah, I do it in bulk, so we have so much. Like right now, I'm sitting on about 10 or 11 albums worth of music, so I'm not I'm ever behind. I'm never pressed. My next 10 albums are done already, so I could just chill and work on the business until I feel like getting in the studio, and then I make new shit.
So how does that affect the approach that you take to rolling out projects, since you sit on them for so long? Are rollouts something that you really plan down to a T, or is it something that just comes organically?
Man, I always tell everyone — life is my rollout. It comes naturally. I don't even plot it. I make content for the songs I love, and the rest — life does it. I start doing interviews on platforms, and people hit me — like how you guys reached out — so life is always my rollout. I just happen to be doing cool shit often that aligns with when I'm releasing a project. And usually, the music isn't old. I'll have some projects that are a bit older, but most of the music, when I make it, I'm instantly like, “Aye, let's put this shit out.” A lot of my projects was made probably the month or two months prior from when they released, like this is the first time in a while I've been sitting on a lot. But even now, I got a new project I just made last month and it's probably going to be coming out soon. So, some of the projects, you know, gotta take a step back. I try to operate in real time. I really don't like sitting on music. I just make so much of this shit now.
You mentioned how you have been like releasing multiple projects in 2018, so let’s go back and trace your origin story. How did this all begin for you?
In 2018, I released my debut project, The Field Effect, and from there, it's been kind of a whirlwind. I think that was my start. And I started kind of doing shows and learning the business and just like navigating. That was the project that kind of gave me the confidence to pursue it because we got some good reactions and rapport from it and did a show and brought out like 100-plus people. And then in 2019 is when I really started kind of releasing a shit ton of music. I started writing for other artists around me, releasing their projects, and just building Good Compenny as a whole.
Okay, and what were you doing before music?
I was working in the aerospace industry, doing like production and then doing contract and admin work. I was always making music and shit on the side, but I was really working, just trying to, you know, get money up so I can invest in this shit. And I was kind of just unguided, figuring out what I wanted to do.
That's wild. The aerospace industry, man? That's dope. So coming from that industry, where did you learn the music business? Like, where did your business acumen come from?
Man, my pops heavily. He was hustling early, so I got to really see the inner workings of like, business and learning about profit and product and presentation. But ultimately, it came from experience, you know — doing it. Once you have an art or a commodity that brings in profit, you just have to naturally learn the business if you want to keep making money, so mines was really through experience. I just got to a point where I started making income and started having to book shows, and I had to start investing. I had to learn it.
Okay. Since you inhabit this space and play your own game, I'm curious — what's your relationship with like media and like, contemporary, like, reviewers and critics?
I don't really have much of one, you know, beyond the people that I meet in person, like Yoh from DJBooth, and I love Nicholas and them over there at Tidal and J1 at Pandora. The ones that I've been able to meet and cultivate on a real genuine level is cool, but other than that, I don't — and it's funny because you guys are a blog, so don't take it personal — really aim for media. Previously, when I used to go for blogs, it was always someone trying to sell something. Like, I had to pay or I had to pitch, and I'm someone who's like, “I'm not trying to sell myself to nobody.” You either love what I'm doing and you want to support it, or I just keep doing what the fuck I'm doing until you know, I do enough to where you want to talk about it. So that's really been my play with media this whole time, like, do something that's worth talking about, or just let it rock.
Nah, that's fair. So I'm assuming since that you're not worried about reviews or anything like that?
Not really! [Laughs] Not necessarily! I appreciate it, and I'm grateful for it all, but no. I'm not hyper-concerned or worried about it. Like it is what it is. I know it's everyone's opinion, and usually, the reviews come from people who can't do what I do, so I'll never take it too seriously or personally.
Nah, I feel you. I’ve got a love-hate relationship with reviews myself. I just got done writing a review, and I kind of feel the same way. I hate reviewing music. It's kind of like something that just comes with the trade.
And it kind of sucks as an artist sometimes ‘cause you can put your heart and soul into something, and then somebody who can't do what you do will give you two stars. After everything you’ve built. So I don't really pay too much attention to it. I just focus on what I do well.
Okay, cool. What’s your relationship with TikTok? I saw J.I.D tweeting about how everyone's trying to make sure he does all these TikToks and dances and stuff. I see that you do a lot of video, so I'm just curious, what’s your approach to TikTok?
I mean, we have 100k followers on TikTok, and my TikTok strategy is just posting great content, like anything else. Great content is great content, no matter where you put it — whether I see it in a store or I see it in the theater. So each platform thrives off the same ideology. I'm not on there dancing and shaking ass. I'm just doing what I do great. You know, when we looking for Steph Curry, we looking to see him play basketball no matter where it is. And that's what it is for me. People want to see me perform and do what I do exceptionally, so all of our content that goes viral on Tiktok is the same content that goes viral on Instagram and on Twitter as well.
Gotcha. Okay, so other than the Halloween show on the Pergola in your backyard and the sold-out show at the theatre in your town, what should people be on the lookout for with you for the rest of 2022?
Man, we're about to do something really dope. I'm buying out a local restaurant out here for the rest of October. And it's going to be a Proud 2 Pay buffet where people can come in and eat and pay whatever they want for it. The people who can't afford it can eat for free. But we're doing that for the remainder of October. That's going to be really dope. And in December and then also next summer, we're doing the first offer-based festival. So that's going to be a really gigantic thing. First Proud 2 Pay festival in existence.
Gotchu. And is it gonna be in the neighborhood?
We're actually renting out the fairgrounds, which are local to Vallejo. We got to go bigger this time because the backyard has been getting packed.
That's, dope. That's really crazy, actually. You know, I never even heard of Vallejo before I followed you on Instagram. It’s somewhere in California, right?
[Laughs] Common, right? Yes, it’s in California near San Francisco and Oakland and shit.
Okay, bet. Well, that's all the questions I got for you today. Is there anything that I didn’t ask that you think HNHH’s readers should definitely know?
Nah, man. You guys covered it. Like I said earlier, our hard sales. We sold 2,500 albums before the album released — hard copies. And, you know, I feel like that's a big feat. I've made more money off these album sales than I've done in three years of streaming, you know, in five days. So I think that's a gigantic story just for indies and for artists in general. Like, you know, people think there's no money in music, and they don't sell, but great music does sell. I mean, if you got great art, people still want to buy it.
No doubt. Because multiple people paid $1,000 for it, right?
Yeah. $1,500, $1000, yeah. A couple $100. So yeah, it was a really good run, and it's still going. So with what we're doing with the restaurant, people will also be able to buy the album to pay for their food and contribute to it if they want to.
Okay. I actually got one more question for you. What you just said made me think about the whole Proud 2 Pay format. For someone starting off, like an artist who's like, “Okay, this is the way to go,” I'm sure that some of them may get like a whole bunch of like dollars until they eventually grow their fan base. So what do you have to say to those people who like are interested in this, but may not necessarily be in a financially secure place to do it?
I mean, if you're not in a financially secure place and someone gave you a dollar for your art, then you should be grateful. Because you are not in a position at all. I think that's better than zero dollars! [Laughs] Or it's better than waiting three months to get paid off a percent of a stream. You know, I think it's 10 times better. I think that your main goal should be getting your value up. If someone's willing to pay anything for your art at any point, you should be happy, and keep getting your value up because then your art becomes more valuable to people. It starts off worth a dollar, and then it becomes worth $10. Then it becomes worth $100, and then it becomes worth $1000, but you have to get your value up.
Words from a wise man. Man, what year did Nip pass — 2019? Yeah. Did y’all ever get a chance to link? Cuz I wish that y’all would have.
No, we didn’t! But the spirit passed through me man. It transferred when he went.
Hit the comment section below to let us know what your favorite part of LaRussell's HNHH interview was, and be sure to listen to his latest album, I Hate When Life's Going Great, here.