Russ, 28 year old rapper, has made it clear, he is prioritizing his mental health this time around. Maintaining his self-worth, especially since the music & entertainment industry actively seeks to steal control and produce a false narrative of his character. It brings frustration, but doesn’t surprise him. Russ will not allow anyone to disregard the notability of his music 10+ year career. His fans give him recognition, constantly show their appreciation and love for his honesty. Negative comments cannot deter him from staying persistent in his passion. Helping people feel good about themselves is the sole reason for being so present in his craft.
Self-Worth
In a recent interview with Brian B. Dot, Russ talked about the roller coaster of emotions he endured over the past few years up to the Covid-19 lockdown. He revealed that putting in necessary emotional work led to his personal growth and a refined mental headspace. He has worked hard to assert his self-worth for years, and that process is continuing in 2021.
In the interview, Russ states that when you get caught up in “seeking outside validation, you’re already losing to yourself.” This is such a valuable message to send his fans. He ceaselessly delivers music with applicable messages. It feeds his soul to know that his fans are “living” to his music. He constantly strives to help people reach their goals and follow their dreams.
He successfully created a tangible, substance filled music catalog over the years. Integrating messages of self-worth with his passion for making music. He remains transparent in his music. Often showing vulneralbility when he raps about his family, romantic relationships and mental health. With songs like, “Can’t Be Me” and “The Formula”, he reveals his journey with self-confidence. his lyrics often act as a reminder to himself that he is capable of reaching his goals. On songs like “No Tears Left” and “Sorry”, he pours out raw emotions of pain that stems from dealing with the hate from the public, relationships and family issues. But he paints the picture to depict how he uses his courage and strength to overcome this distress.
Manifestion
Over the course of his career, Russ has been vocal about his belief in manifestation⎼⎼ the practice of speaking dreams and goals into existence. The release of his song, “Manifest”, in April 2016, authenticated the dedication to bringing more positive achievements to his life. Music with such strong messages like this influences people to go after their own ambitions and passions.
In 2019, he became an author after the publication of his self-help book titled, IT’S ALL IN YOUR HEAD. He wrote this to share his knowledge and insight on how to manifest dreams, unlock potential and build confidence to work hard at towards goals.
Russ’ lyric, “success is something that I’m blessed with mentally” sticks with me the most. It is from his song, “Me You”, off his debut album, There’s Really A Wolf. Reaching your goals comes down to whether or not you believe in yourself. It’s easy to work for so long to convince onlookers that you are good enough. But, can YOU be convinced?
Passion & Persistence
Given that persistence is the key to success, Russ has built a strong presence on streaming sites with persistence. For about three years straight, he uploaded one song each week to Soundcloud. As a result, he developed a loyal fanbase in his early years on the scene. He gained a solid retention. As someone who is always looking for new music, if I discover an artist who releases new music every single week, I undoubtedly will be checking it out, especially if the content quality is always A-1.
Russ’ catalog is undoubtedly versatile. Ranging from invigorating Hip-Hop/Rap records with two minute long verses to R&B records with melodic hooks. This has proven to be a favorable aspect of Russ’ career and work ethic.
Using his Platform for Social Justice
His fan’s loyalty and devotion is real! This past summer, when the Black Lives Matter protests were happening, he used his platform to raise awareness about Breonna Taylor’s wrongful death by off duty police officers. He took to Twitter to post a picture of a billboard in Atlanta that was promoting his single, “Take You Back” ft. Kehlani. In large text it displayed a hotline number and the phrase, “CALL HERE TO GET YOUR EX BACK”. Fans called in hopes to rekindle with their exes. They did not expect to reach a hotline for them to demand justice for Breonna Taylor. Fans were then tweeting to encourage everyone to call the number! On the first day, there were 14,000 calls received.
Take You Back billboards in Atlanta 😂😂
— RUSS (@russdiemon) August 29, 2020
y’all should call the number tho fr 👀 📲 pic.twitter.com/yIjxf5W4Jq
Self-Made D.I.Y. Pioneer
Since 2014, Russ has vocalized that he is confident in his production and lyrical abilities. Often reminding us that he has written, produced, engineered, mixed and mastered a majority of his music. Most will say he is worthy of receiving his flowers now rather than later.
His DIY approach to music has rewarded him with a Platinum debut album and features with notable producers and rappers/singers, such as Snoop Dogg, Scott Storch, Boi-1da and Ab-Soul. He got these features by means of personally reaching out and connecting with these artists through social media or text messages.
It is evident that Russ does not need a label to get his music done and released. In his 2016 hit song, “Do It Myself”, he plainly states he does not need the hand outs to be successful. It doesn’t make sense to give a label 15% just to “distribute”, meaning “stream”, his music for him, he can and has done it successfully himself.
Russ was previously signed to Columbia Records, he released his debut album, There’s Really A Wolf, with the label in May 2017. He took time to educate himself about the business strategies labels use and learned that he can do exactly what major labels do one his own. In June 2020, he announced that he is moving forward as an independent artist.
Recent Releases
People have their ears perked now, waiting for Russ’ next hit to drop. The recent releases of the single, “Congrats Freestyle” and the five track project, CHOMP, has received a lot of attention from the people who are listening to Russ for the first time. He has caused a lot of excitement amongst fans and new listeners with his new single, “UGLY” ft. Lil Baby, released Jan. 8, 2021. It has become an anthem to start the year off! Fans have posted to Instagram, their gym workouts and car rides with the song blasting in the background.
The Journey
At the end of his song, “The Journey”, he raps, “ain’t no destination, the journey is everything.” Yes, he can pay attention to where his songs chart and how many streams he gets. He can use his music to only rap about how much money he has. But these factors are not that important when he has real fans to look out for. He reminds himself to continue making new goals to stay connected to his passion for music and making a difference in other people’s lives.
Yalls support is really everything. Never gonna stop givin y’all all of me.
— RUSS (@russdiemon) January 12, 2021
