A couple of months ago, I got the opportunity to talk to Bay Area rapper LaRussell about what it really takes to be a successful independent artist in the music industry. He said, “I make good dope, and as long as you do dope, you’re going to come to me for it.”
It looks like that philosophy has paid off, as he made his debut today on NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Concerts series, performing a massive medley of fan-favorite songs from his massive — and growing — discography of self-released jams.
Cramming his band and backup singers in the titular space, Russ runs the gamut of hip-hop staples, from a timely message song in mellow opener “Glory” to his trademark collection of post-hyphy bangers like “GIVE ME A BEAT!” and “10s, 20s, 50s, 100s.” Through it all, he and his compatriots encourage the NPR office — and those viewers at home — to join them in exuberant dancing to express their joy and pain.
In Uproxx’s August interview with LaRussell, he explained how his commitment to consistency helped him reach this point. “You start with one, one turn to two, two turn to four, four turn to eight, eight turn to 16, 16 turn to 32, 32 turn 64,” he said. “And we just embraced that process the entire time. I’m never really trying to win people who don’t f*ck with me. I over-deliver to the people who love me, and they go tell everybody else.”
You can watch LaRussell’s Tiny Desk Concert above and make sure you tell everybody else.
Black Business Month is inextricably tied to the concept of “paying dues.” Nothing comes without first putting in some time and consistent effort to ensure not just the success of any given endeavor, but to build the trust that ensures that partners, customers, and investors will have confidence in offering their custom.
Like fellow Vallejo native E-40, LaRussell has built an enthusiastically engaged following outside the confines of the traditional major label system through his brand, Good Compenny. However, he’s taken it a step further, monetizing endeavors far beyond the established revenue streams we’ve come to expect from independent rappers, fueled by a Field Of Dreams-inspired philosophy: If you build it, they will come. But first, LaRussell had to build the trust among fans that would give them the confidence in supporting left-field strategies like backyard shows, sharing stock in music releases, and a lifetime membership to all of LaRussell’s shows. He has built a business from the ground up by being himself, taking chances, and paying dues.
“That’s just part of the process,” he explains of how he built that trust. “You start with one, one turn to two, two turn to four, four turn to eight, eight turn to 16, 16 turn to 32, 32 turn 64. And we just embraced that process the entire time. I’m never really trying to win people who don’t f*ck with me. I over-deliver to the people who love me, and they go tell everybody else.”
That’s how the Bay Area rapper gets fans to buy into each new product he rolls out, by paying his dues. Naturally, this means being great at the core skill at the heart of his entire business plan: Rapping. He’s not just great at the craft, either. He’s also hella productive. According to Genius.com, LaRussell has released 18 albums since 2018. Per Tidal, that number is closer to 33. The point is, he puts out so much music at such a rapid pace, that it’s hard to consistently keep track. This is a benefit of his indie status, but it’s also by design — and because he has so many revenue streams, LaRussell doesn’t worry about oversaturating the market.
“I make good dope,” he chuckles at the thought that he might be overdoing it. “I make good dope, and as long as you do dope, you’re going to come to me for it. Some n****s eat McDonald’s every day because that’s what they love, and that’s our focus. I’m not really focused on the people who don’t want to be here no more. I focus on the people who want to come to my crib, the people who love what I do, and I keep supplying it.”
That consistency and productivity not only cements fans’ willingness to stream his musical output, but also their belief in each new product he offers. For instance, although backyard shows — concerts he literally holds in fans’ backyards — and selling stock in his streams are at least based on his core work, he’s since been successful in offering experiences that don’t have anything to do with music in the first place.
“We got so many different ways to get paper off this music sh*t,” he enthuses. “It don’t even make sense. I be trying to put the OGs on all the different ways because it’s endless now. It goes beyond masters and publishing and live performances now.” For example: “I go straight to the people and I let them make offers on everything. I get paid to go hang out with fans. I opened it up to where you could book me to come play pickleball and come chill. We’ve just made every aspect of being an artist monetizable.” Just imagine being able to hoop with Tupac, or shoot pool with Jay-Z. Fans often dream of just being around their favorite rappers, sharing space and time with them… LaRussell has made this a reality while turning it into a business opportunity.
However, despite doing this interview for Black Business Month, LaRussell scoffs at the idea of BEING a Black business himself. “I just define myself as a business. I’m just in the business of humanity. I like to do dope sh*t and meet dope humans and share dope sh*t and just try to make people smile and cultivate through what we do. And I like to make paper. I don’t really look at it as this is a Black business or separate from anything. I got a bunch of different races and ethnicities just within my network and in my group. We just building big business in general.”
Which is, perhaps, the core of why historian John William Templeton and engineer Frederick E. Jordan Sr. founded this admittedly esoteric agenda 20 years ago: to show that a Black-owned business could and should be considered as innovative and profitable as any other. It highlights the possibilities, just as LaRussell’s own successes paint a broader picture of success for hip-hop artists. Even when an idea seems less viable on paper — or even in practice — LaRussell understands that paying dues is all part of the process.
“Everything works for me,” he says. “Everything works as long as I do the work. Only things don’t work is the things that I don’t do the work for, but everything work. Gold cards, stock, the residency shows, the offer-based systems, the Proud To Pay, merch, everything works. Some things take a little bit longer to develop, but everything works… You just got to build every day. You just got to get in there and do your work, and you never know what’s going to come from that work. Something might pop up that alters everything that you have planned to do in the next five because it happened tomorrow… I announce shows and I don’t even put the address until close to the date. So people just buy tickets based on trusting me. They don’t give a f*ck where it is. I could be in the middle of anywhere and they going to come because they just trust me. When I put out new technology, they just trust LaRussell because I built a trustworthy brand and I haven’t steered the people wrong.”
LaRussell and Hit-Boy have finally released their collaborative album Rent Due on streaming services, after first dropping the project a few weeks ago on the platform EVEN. The EVEN website allows creators to drop material for their fans ahead of schedule, in exchange for a pay-what-you-want method of listening, similar to BandCamp’s distribution system. Since rappers tend to make very little from the regular streaming avenues, this makes the exchange mutually beneficial for artists and listeners alike.
Rent Due is a 7-track EP that runs 18 minutes in length and features thoughtful lyrics penned by California’s own LaRussell over powerful drum-forward production from Hit-Boy. The project boasts guest features from MALACHI, Big Hit, and JANE HANDCOCK, and delivers a powerful and well-thought-out sound, despite LaRussell’s claim that he and Hit-Boy crafted the album in just 5 hours. Here’s an overview of the freshly released outing, and a review of the material within.
Some of the best material on Rent Due is front-loaded into the first few tracks on the EP. The opening track, “Lead Me To The Water” kicks off the project with an appearance from frequent LaRussell collaborator Tietta, who delivers a thoughtful and moving spoken word passage. Tietta’s lyrics reflect on life’s hardships and seek guidance from God as she relishes the blessings she’s received. The song’s airy spaced-out production from Hit-Boy allows LaRussell plenty of room to explore and experiment in his lone verse, which concludes with the lyrics “Can’t tell if I got a job, n****, I be home a lot/ Can’t tell if I really made it, n****, I be wearin Crocs/ I think I’ma end this song with a lesson from my pops/ Be a leader.”
These closing bars are particularly poignant as Hit-Boy’s real-life dad, Big Hit, joins LaRussell on “Another One” just a couple of tracks later. Unfortunately, the opportunity fails to tie in thematically with the EP’s general focus, as Big Hit offers very little in the way of traditional wisdom during his guest appearance. “Another One” serves as a vacuous trap banger, with bouncing rubbery bass perfect for blasting out your car’s speakers while rolling through your neighborhood with the windows down, but definitely feels like a pointless inclusion when compared to thoughtful lyrical outings such as “Ethics” and “Real Life.”
“Real Life” is possibly the best track on the project, with guest vocals from MALACHI and JANE HANDCOCK. On the track, LaRussell offers a deep look into his personal outlook on life and takes listeners through the journey of his early days in Vallejo, California, all the way to his modern mastery of the rap sound. JANE HANDCOCK’s angelic hook vocals elevate the cool, laid-back banger to the next level.
Unfortunately, the final three tracks on Rent Due fail to capture the same magic as the first four, as LaRussell and Hit-Boy collaborate without any additional features. While the pair certainly work well together, it’s impossible to listen to Hit’s inspired production choices without comparing the project to the recent string of collaborative albums the producer made with Nas. If you’re one of the few hip-hop heads who somehow missed Nas and Hit-Boy’s King’s Disease and Magic album trilogies, Rent Due will certainly please your sensibilities. However, through no fault of his own, LaRussell’s pen game simply pales in comparison to Nas, making much of the album feel like a missed opportunity.
EVEN has been a popular music platform for the past few months now as several artists have taken part in exploring the trend. If you are not familiar with it, it is a website that allows creators to release their material early. They way you can access the content is by paying the amount of money you are comfortable paying. It is broken down in tiers and each one gives you access to different content. Hit-Boy is one of the latest to hop on the bandwagon to get out a new EP.
Just two days ago, Hit-Boy, his father Big Hit, and LaRussell all came together for a single “ANOTHER ONE.” This turned out to be the lead track for Hit-Boy and LaRussell’s team EP RENT DUE. It is a seven-song project with features from Tietta, MALACHI, and JANE HANDCOCK. It does hit streaming until February 26, but Hit-Boy wanted to give it to the fans as soon as possible.
Another reason why RENT DUE is out a couple of weeks in advance is because Hit-Boy and LaRussell are launching a relief program. It is called Rent Relief, accoording to the press release, and it is aiming to award 15 entrepreneurs and/or creatives $1,000 which will run between February and April. The CEO and Founder of Rent Relief, Mag Rodriguez shares why this partnership is important. “The rent crisis is getting worse in our communities. Small business owners, creatives, and artists have it worse during economic downturns. LaRussell has advocated for giving back through his Pay What You Want initiatives with small business owners, which made him a perfect partner for this campaign.”
What are your thoughts on this brand-new EP, RENT DUE, by Hit-Boy and LaRussell? Which tracks are you gravitating toward and why? Who had the best feature on the record and why? Is Hit-Boy the greatest modern-day hip-hop producer? Is this the better of the two projects he has dropped this year? We would like to hear what you have to say about all of this. With that in mind, be sure to leave all of your hottest takes in the comments section below. Additionally, always keep it locked in with HNHH for all of the latest news surrounding Hit-Boy and LaRussell. Finally, stay with us for the most informative project posts throughout the week.
(WARNING: Spoilers for this week’s The Chi episode will be found below.)
Nearly a year after season five ended, The Chireturned over the weekend to kick off season six and return us to the rollercoaster lives of Kevin, Jake, Emmett, Victor, and more. Change is in order for the show’s main cast to start the season. Kevin finds new love after moving into an apartment, Jemma has to deal with a new woman in her father’s life, Emmett has new success with Smokey but it comes with a price, and Victor finally learns whether or not his campaign for city council was a successful one.
The aforementioned events in the first episode of Showtime’sThe Chi season two, titled “New Chi City,” are soundtracked by songs that help to accentuate the emotions behind each scene. You can find a list of them below as well as details about the scenes that the records played behind.
Laya — “Sailor Moon”
This record plays during the opening scene of season six’s first episode. It can be heard during a sex scene with Emmett and Keisha that leads to an argument about who will help the kids get ready for the day as Emmett and Keisha both have to get themselves ready for work.
This song is heard around the 5:50 mark as Deja and Shaad wake up to start their day. Shaad recently moved in with Deja, but it hasn’t been the easiest transition as he struggles to find his footing (and a job) after his release from prison.
She Go Hard — “Make It Go MMMMMM”
The track appears around the 32:03 mark after Victor makes a speech at Smokey’s. Though the speech went well, things take a quick left as someone spills two drinks on him which forces him to make a quick change from his dress shirt and jacket into a Smokey’s t-shirt.
She Go Hard’s “Make It Go MMMMMM” was revealed to be the record that played at this moment after it was Shazam’ed during this episode. Despite this, the song is not available for streaming at this moment.
Mando Beats & Mista Raja — “Victorious”
We hear this record at the 36:30 mark as Kevin kicks off a party at his new apartment. He got the apartment after he fought, and won, to move out of his mom and stepmom’s house to close season five.
J. Howell — “Faithful”
This song is heard around the 37:41 mark after Emmett surprises Tiffany with a new car after she asked him for one. She’s surprised by the gift and her current boyfriend, Rob (played by Iman Shumpert), doesn’t seem too happy with Emmett’s move.
C Rois — “Watch The Clock”
This record plays around the 47:07 mark after an awkward conversation between Jemma’s father, his new lover, and Jemma herself. This transitions into a conversation between Kevin and Maisha at the former’s apartment and it leads to a surprising kiss between the two.
Jazzfeezy & Geek Van Der Beek — “Paid”
This song checks in around the 49:51 mark during a brief sex scene with Tiffany and Rob. The two decided to use the car that Emmett bought for Tiffany at the location for their quick foray.
Breana Marin — “Losing Love” Feat. Z. Rich
We hear this track during the closing credits of season six’s first episode. It plays after Douda successfully wins Tracy over for another night together despite her wanting space from him. She wakes up the next morning full of regret after he’s nowhere to be found in the house.
New episodes of ‘The Chi’ are available through the Paramount Plus With Showtime plan on Fridays at 3am EST/ 12 pm PST. Weekly episodes also air on Sundays at 9pm EST/PST.
While a lot of the ongoing celebrations of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop have focused on where hip-hop has been, it doesn’t make much sense to focus only on the past. No Hip-Hop 50 celebration should be considered complete without taking a look at where hip-hop is going.
As The Notorious B.I.G. once pointed out, no one could have seen where rap music and hip-hop culture would have ended up at the outset, but in the same vein, even he couldn’t have seen how things would turn out 30 years after he recorded “Juicy.”
That makes it a fun and unique challenge – it’s impossible to predict where hip-hop could be in another five years, let alone fifty. Still, if these young rising stars have anything to say about it, the genre should be in great hands.
Here are 10 rising rappers who have the potential to dictate what hip-hop could look like in the future.
Cash Cobain
Rap fans have often been ambivalent about embracing the avant garde. For every Young Thug who blows up, there are a dozen rappers with squeaky or slurred voices who never gain traction among hip-hop heads, who can be as fickle as they are loyal. But when they do decide that they love a new artist with an original ken, they can be as devoted as they once were skeptical.
Cash Cobain is one of those artists who has a chance to go either way. The self-declared “sample God” of New York drill, the Queens native has a flow that is slippery in ways we haven’t heard from trap rappers who have earned the same descriptor. His unabashed pillaging of millennial R&B hits certainly makes him more likely to earn fans than foes, and even if he never hits it big in the traditional sense, his style is guaranteed to influence someone who does.
Central Cee
As much as stateside rap heads have held the UK’s grime and drill artists at an arm’s length in the past, that reticence to embrace hip-hop’s extended family from across the pond has slowly eroded in recent years. Part of this may be due to the clever backdoor those cousins have utilized; drill production, which originated in London’s underground rave scene, is now a familiar fixture on the streets of New York.
Be that as it may, Central Cee doesn’t water down or hide his Shepherd’s Bush, London origins or influences. And while he hasn’t crossed over to US radio, those in the know have accepted him as the future of the British rap regime. It helps that he’s closely associated with a prior favorite in Dave, with whom he collaborated on an EP, Split Decision, earlier this year. It was well received, with its single “Sprinter” peaking at No. 1 on the UK charts. And just in case there was any doubt about his viability with a Yankee audience, he’s got that coveted Drake co-sign via his “On The Radar” featuring The Boy himself.
Chris Patrick
An indie rapper who doesn’t sound like an indie rapper, East Orange, New Jersey’s Chris Patrick has gained a small but extremely vocal following blending the sort of cerebral rhymes commonly associated with artists on the independent scene with thumping, anthemic beats that wouldn’t sound out-of-place in a crowded club or blasting out of car stereos on a sweltering summer day.
Patrick’s 2022 album X-Files is much like its namesake; it started out a cult favorite, but now, a wider audience is curious to see what all the fuss is about. Patrick’s next project will undoubtedly have a larger impact, proving that there are more directions that independent rappers can still go.
Flyana Boss
In Uproxx’s profile of the viral sensation rap duo, group member Bobbi LaNea asserted that they are “paying tribute to what hip-hop truly is.” Their clever use of nursery rhymes in their lyrics harkens back to Run-DMC’s use of the old “Peter Piper” tongue twister, and Flyana’s back-and-forth flow recalls the intricate routines employed by classic pioneers like the Furious Five and Beastie Boys.
Though Flyana Boss burst onto our timelines with the splashy social smash “Miss Me,” they are no one-hit wonders. They have a solid discography that proves that the well of ideas runs deep – but past that, their lasting legacy will be kicking open the door for future “weird Black girls” to express themselves through hip-hop in unconventional ways. Whether that’s wearing elf ears, name-checking Kanekalon, or just being willing to cause a commotion in the local convenience store, there’s value in what they’ve already done.
Kenny Mason
Rap and rock go hand-in-hand. From “Walk This Way” to Collision Course, the shared rebellious spirit of the two in-your-face genres has made magic throughout the past five decades. And sure, there have been some missteps – nu-metal, anyone? – but in recent years, the covalent bond between rap and rock has generated some truly compelling combinations courtesy of acts like Rico Nasty and Trippie Redd.
Kenny Mason’s music, on the surface, seems to stem from that tradition, but shot through with an undercurrent of indie sleaze – the sort of shoegaze-y, fuzzed-out rock that took over pop culture throughout the late aughts. Mason is equally comfortable collaborating with festival rap faves like Denzel Curry and JID as he is imbuing his output with the alt-rock vibes of My Bloody Valentine and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
LaRussell
There’s been a lot of talk lately about how crowded and repetitive festival lineups have gotten. With so many events in the space and only so many rappers around with the sorts of followings that justify their placement, it stands to reason that a lot of the same names have been popping up on many different rosters.
LaRussell, who hails from Vallejo (just like fellow indie rap pioneer E-40), could easily be a standout of one of those lineups. Instead, he’s more likely to pull up in your neighbor’s backyard to play a show for a few dozen folks at a time. His backyard tour concept is just one of the innovative spins he’s putting on the independent rap hustle. He’s kept up a steady stream of self-released projects and singles, punctuated by semi-regular appearances on your favorite radio freestyle shows. He’s perking up a lot of eyes and ears, proving that there are alternatives to same-old-same.
Lady London
If you’ve ever found yourself complaining about the prevalence of so-called “pussy rap” among today’s flourishing cadre of female rappers… Well, first of all, stick a sock in it. That complaint’s old, dusty, dried-up, and overdone, in addition to being terminally untrue. Today’s buffet of talents offers such a wide range of voices and styles that whining about a bare handful of modern rap artists – especially when they’re nothing compared to some of the genre’s pioneers – is a waste of your own time, in addition to being pretty annoying to everybody else.
But, it also makes it obvious that you haven’t been looking for alternatives like Lady London, who has recently received co-signs from the likes of Ciara, who tapped her for the remix of “Da Girls” with Lola Brooke. She’s exactly the sort of lyrics-focused MC that critics of female rappers say they want, and she’s only getting more popular by the day. She’s the proof that there are plenty of bars-first women in rap, and she’s kicking open the door for more to follow.
Luh Tyler
He’s been called the coolest teen in hip-hop, but Tyler’s success portends something larger. For years, hip-hop was all about cool; rappers exaggerated their fashion sensibilities, material possessions, and successes with the opposite sex first and foremost. Somewhere along the way, it became more important to have a good story; “keeping it real” was paramount, but only so long as “keeping it real” meant “keeping it gangsta” or baring some gut-wrenching trauma.
Luh Tyler is too busy talking to girls and telling you about his income for all that. And while that’s not exactly new, the way he does it, with laid-back panache and subtly clever lyricism, is refreshing. He doesn’t try to impress you, so he does. With that as his calling card, he’s helping swing the pendulum back the other way. Think of him as a Larry June for the zoomer set.
Ray Vaughn
For a decade, Top Dawg Entertainment felt like the premier hip-hop label thanks to its core artists, which included Ab-Soul, Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q, and of course, Kendrick Lamar. But lately, that core has been less visible than ever as it feels a little bit like Jay and Q have lost interest in music and Kendrick has moved on from the label. Sure, the remaining members are still working on new music, but it’s been a long time coming, and the label could use some fresh blood to energize the buzz around itself.
Enter Long Beach’s Ray Vaughn, who brings a level of passion and hunger to the same sort of street-centric, philosophical music the original TDE roster was known for. But while they were enamored of lo-fi, moody production that highlighted the heady material, Vaughn emphasizes energetic street bangers – exactly the sort of sounds needed to revitalize and anchor TDE as it enters its new era with a fresh cast including Doechii, Zacari, and Reason.
Yes, “FreakyT,” the breakout single from North Carolina rapper TiaCorine, is representative of the Winston-Salem native’s talents. But that’s not all she has to offer. Thanks to a colorful presentation – like a lot of today’s young talents, she counts anime as foundational to her artistic identity – she’s got an eye-catching style that makes her impossible to overlook. But past that, she’s got a wide variety of approaches, as demonstrated on her 2022 mixtape I Can’t Wait.
The diversity of style she embraces is very emblematic of her generation. From the video game-glitch-hop to pop rock to dreamy pop, she’s willing to try anything – and she sounds great doing it. There will soon be more artists like TiaCorine than not, as hip-hop kids continue to embrace the breadth of popular culture and weird internet movements, incorporating them into rap standards and transforming both sides of the equation.
Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.
Russ has often bragged about his ability to find success in the music industry without having to sign a horrible contract with a label. This was a result of his DIY mentality that saw him release 11 albums and 87 songs between December 2011 to August 2014. It eventually led to him signing with Columbia Records in 2016, and the following year, he released his debut album There’s Really A Wolf. Since then, Russ has released three additional full-length projects: 2018’s Zoo, 2020’s Shake The Snow Globe, and last year’s Chomp 2. Now, for his latest endeavor, Russ is aiming to assist aspiring artists.
With help from his best friend and rapper Bugus, Russ has launched his own label called Diemon. The imprint is named after the collective that both Russ and Bugus have been a part of for the last decade. “Everyone owns their masters; everyone owns their publishing,” Russ said to Variety about the label, which he calls “artist-friendly.” “We don’t eat on your merch or your tours, and everything’s a profit split deal. We’re not looking to invest in an artist just to change their music. If we like an artist enough to sign them, it’s because we like what they’re doing.” He added, “It’s just a super artist-friendly situation, where we’re here to provide resources and mentorship to artists that we believe in.”
Russ wants potential artists on the label to understand the inner workings of the music industry as well as that they’re “no suits with no rhythm.” In addition to launching the label, Russ also revealed that its first artist is a California native named LaRussell who he discovered on TikTok.
