Russ

Russ, born Russell Vitale, is an American rapper and singer known for writing, producing, mixing, and recording his own music almost entirely by himself. Raised between New Jersey and Atlanta, he began writing rhymes as a child and started producing beats in his early teens, giving him full creative control over his sound from the very beginning of his career.

Before breaking through, Russ released a large number of independent mixtapes and singles over several years, steadily building an audience through platforms like SoundCloud. Tracks such as «What They Want» and «Losin Control» became breakout hits, eventually earning multi-platinum certification and helping set up his 2017 debut album There’s Really A Wolf, which established him as a major independent success story in hip-hop.

Russ’s music blends melodic rap with R&B and pop sensibilities, often centered on themes of self-belief, hustle, and relationships. Follow-up projects like ZOO and SHAKE THE SNOW GLOBE showed his willingness to work with outside collaborators while keeping his DIY ethos intact. His career is frequently cited as an example of an artist building a fanbase from the ground up through sheer output and self-reliance rather than traditional label backing.