With Russ’ new releases of “That’s My Girl” and “Tired” on April 19, he continues to prove to everyone just how authentic his vision is with his unbeatable combination of rapping and singing on each of his songs, along with creating his own tracks from scratch.
The Unstoppable Force Called Russ
With his first song in 2011 at only 19 years old, Russ hit the ground running, confident with his chosen path. His first 98 songs were all produced on SoundCloud with little attention. This occurred until “What They Want” blew up in 2016, which caused him to partner with Columbia Records. Four years later, Russ became officially independent again because of the strict vision he had manifested for himself.
As of currently, Russ has in total of 229 songs in 16 albums and 320 separate singles (some are EPs). Russ has also rumored to his fans he has plenty more in the bank and has no issue posting on a more consistent scale as the year 2024 began.
It’s one thing to be a well-known rapper like Eminem, but Russ appeals to his ideal audience in a variety of ways other than having impressive lyrics and having a satisfying flow. Russ can execute all the categories that make music genuinely entertaining for listeners. Some music lovers was attracted to the track/beat. Some enjoy tapping into the lyrics to determine the storyline of a song. Many hone into the emotion the song emanates, like how a broken-hearted girl would blast Adele.
Russ Does It All
Russ’ most prominent talent is how he can capture any kind of individual into his music. His abilities are extremely flexible and can dabble in different genres whenever he chooses. He can also portray such a wide range of emotions because he had already experienced so much growing up.
Typically, the best artists are the people that had to see the darkest parts of life. Family life was never consistent for him, financially and mentally. Russ opened up in an interview at Cambridge Union that his parents had always been good people but several wrenches were put into each others’ relationships.
One of them was a long and confusing battle between Russ and his father. Since Russ became famous at a young age, there was some tension with who the provider really is. Although his relationship with his father was rocky, he was a big influence as to how Russ became an artist.
Power of Manifestation
Russ combined his love of music and writing into one, making him a prodigy in the music industry. He has an incredible voice and has clearly mastered breath control, which is one of the hardest skills to achieve as a performer. Despite these essential skills, there is one key element that allowed him to rise from the ground up. Russ began with only his amateur beats, but continuously pushed for greatness. In every single one of his songs he devotes his lyrics to the idea of manifestation.
Every song he creates reflects the person he desires to become. He rapped about how he has gained millions, how his image continuously rises amongst the best of the best and how connected he is with God/the universe/the truth. Although he did not have any of that at the time, his affirmations brought him exactly what he prophesized back then. That’s the power of manifestation at its finest.
“Movin’ to the rhythm of my intuition, anything I want I speak into existence. That’s how I’m living, that’s how I’m winning.”
Russ – Chorus of the song “Manifest“
Expansion on “Santiago”
Russ has incessantly aligned his future with his affirmations but he only does so through being honest with himself. Knowing and believing yourself is the principal of manifestation. He does not struggle with expressing every nook and cranny of his life within his lyrics. This creates a literal guide for listeners of what he dealt with and how others can handle their own baggage. A prime example of his teachings is one of his more recent albums: “Santiago.”
On another podcast with Zane Lowe, he describes his vision with “Santiago.” Each song in that album describes how his mindset changed throughout the year of 2023.
Here is an elaboration on three of the songs from the album; “Enough” stems from being addicted to validation from the industry and the public. “Oasis” is about living the high-life and how it made him too complacent and unmotivated. Russ expands on “The Wind” the most, touching upon the fact that this song was based on the book The Alchemist.” The Album could have just been called Russ,” he explains to Zane, “it’s the same thing.” He felt as though making Santiago (the main character from The Alchemist) the image of this album was more of an artistic approach.
His Positive Impact
The main message from “Santiago” is to be honest with yourself and to focus on your well-being. This practice will help improve your mental health and how to escape negative cycles that commonly people fall into. Being complacent, feeling empty, seeking validation and wondering if you’re enough is all a part of being human. But Russ will persist for his community to always strive for better than the cards you have been dealt with.
This is also a big reason why Russ is an independent artist. Major labels will get you the most views, but like any publishing company, they typically strip the rights from the artist and provide little to no creative control. They get to choose your image and what your overall message is to the world. Being independent is almost impossible in our society due to the structure of the system, but Russ proved it is possible.
The best trait about Russ as an artist and as a person is his passion for mental health. He heavily believes most of life is a mental game. Manifesting is the most powerful tool to have and he expresses how simple it is by simply speaking his truth into existence. His message provides love and courage for listeners to heed his words and become better people while doing so. Russ has started his take over of the music industry a long time ago and there is no end in sight.
