Yesterday, Russ came through with the Boi-1da produced "Paranoid." Today, he's hitting Beats 1 for a chat with Ebro Darden. Off the bat, Ebro inquires about Russ' recent desire to work with producers other than himself, given his previous penchant for self-sufficiency. "It was never because I don't like anyone," explains Russ. "It started cause it was a survival thing. I didn't know anyone, so I had to do it myself." Ebro congratulates him on the Boi 1da look, and Russ teases collaborations with both Timbaland and Ty Dolla $ign. "Me and [Ty Dolla] have a song with him on the hook, it's bananas," teases Russ. Ebro expresses excitement, counting himself among the legions of eager Russ fans.
Nipsey Hussle ">Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
As the conversation progresses, Russ opens up about the darker side of fame, explaining how disparate elements amassed to take a heavy mental toll. "The hate, the everything," says Russ. "I look at one of my idols, rest in peace Nipsey. It still has me fucked up...I think it's crazy cause way more people hate me than him. How am I still here? I'm like, man more people hate me than him, that guy was amazing! Any noise I hear in my house, I'm just assuming that 'yup, it's that time.'"
He proceeds to recount a time he was sitting alone in his house, smoking before a studio session, when he was alerted that there was a security breach at his gym door. "I instinctively run, grab the nearest gun, cock it, and walk around the house to see what's going on," he continues. "Nothing was going on!" Ebro inquires whether he was in his drawers - Russ confirms that yes, indeed he was. "I remember whispering to myself, yo, I'm fucking paranoid," he continues, laughing. "That's a fire song. So I went downstairs and made 'Paranoid.'"
Check out the full interview below, and sound off below. Did Russ hold it down on "Paranoid?" Hopefully he can find a little bit of inner peace, and not let the haters spur him on too much. Look for his deeper reflections on the matter to hit bookshelves on November 12th.