Russ is slowly but surely cultivating a massive cult following for himself with his consistent output of quality self-produced tracks. In a little over a year, he's increased his SoundCloud empire from under 1,000 followers to 145,000. DAMN.
Russ spins a relatable story -- he produces all his own tracks, and he can rap and sing. He harps on themes of success, motivation, & confidence, and his music is a master class in self-reliance. It is truly an American story, and it is only a matter of time before Russ fully storms the globe.
Get to know Russ; click through the gallery to listen to 10 of his finest tracks.
"Do It Myself"
"Do It Myself" is perhaps Russ' best-known song and an accurate summation of his value system as an artist: he's gonna do it himself. The bell-driven beat makes it seem as though Russ is singing a lullaby to the haters as he lowers them into their grave. And as the video indicates, even though Russ is doing it himself, he has the squad behind him.
"Longevity Freestyle"
Russ tends to keeps his own aspirations in the foreground, he briefly opens up about his family background on three-and-a-half minute "Longevity Freestyle." After spending the majority of the song taking shots at industry plants, Russ shares a story about a fight between his parents; money's been "tighter than the tension in this room."
"Understand That Too" feat. Bugus
Russ is not one to resort to bangers, though "Understand That Too" probably comes the closest. Rapping over a remorseless beat of his own creation, he clarifies certain things, one of which is is lack of interest in associating with the dominant trends of his native Atlanta: "I don't fuck with Atlanta, all of y'all sound the same."
The track features Russ' Diemon crew affiliate Bugus, whose track "Elegant Profanity" is definitely worth a listen.
"Always Knew"
Russ made "Always Knew" last September, shortly after he signed an agent (!). As he elucidates on "Always Knew," he foresaw his path to greatness from the outset. The song is evidence of his versatility, as the gulf between his sing-song delivery on the hook and his hardbody flow on the verses is wide indeed.
"Pull the Trigger"
"What They Want"
"What They Want" is a shoutout to all the gold diggers out there. Russ has amassed a harem hoes in different area codes who are after his material wealth... such is life. "It ain't nothing personal/ its business and I'm a commodity," he raps.
"Forbes List"
My personal favorite Russ song. Within .4 seconds, you know this song is going to be great. Russ is usually averse to sampling, possibly for copyright reasons (producers frequently fork over as much as 90% of royalties to the artist they sampled... gotta keep them scrillions), but here he employs a jovial sort of Temptations oo-oohing to set the tone for his aspirational money-making schtick.
"Losin Control"
Russ exists along the singin'-ass rapper continuum. He tends towards the rapper end of the spectrum, but on "Losin Control" he abandons rapping and shows off an impressive melodic sensibility. "Losin Control" is a great song because it is the the type of song Russ seldom writes, about a girl with trust issues trying to fall in love.
"T'd Up"
Shoutout Russ for the golf metaphor. Russ (indirectly) likens himself to a rap John Daly, launching 350-yard drives down the fairway with reckless abandon.
"Be Somebody"
"Be Somebody" radiates "Hotline Bling"-esque island vibes and it is one of Russ' catchiest songs to date. He harps on his usual aspirational themes, but this time he sense that he is closer to attaining his goal, feeling so good that he's "taking 12 shots like where the cops is." "Be Somebody" is ideal for that ride home from work or for a pregame on a hot summer night.
Russ going up.