The man is never afraid to speak his mind.
Rapper, producer, songwriter, Russ, is a manifestation of the drastically changing music industry climate. A man with ostensibly zero blog or label support has been able to cultivate a loyal, diverse, grand fanbase that has translated into his debut album’s, There’s Really a Wolf, Gold status with a few tracks going Platinum. He’s living proof that a once vital PR tool—blogs—is no longer the sole indicator of an artist’s potential success; he will never compromise his vision for a trend; he’s helping change the course of the musician’s plight.
Part of Russ’ enticing allure—outside of his awesome music—is his penchant for speaking his mind with zero regard for how it might be received by the public. Recently, he went on Complex’s Everyday Struggle to voice his deep disdain towards blogs and labels, while harping on how “doing you” can pay dividends if one stays true to their vision. One of the pillars supporting Russ’ house of integrity is his outspoken disapproval of drug abuse substantiating the majority of today’s hip hop content. In case there was any confusion regarding his stance, he cleared that up on Twitter yesterday.
In a series of Tweets, Russ took aim at rappers who rely on discussing Xanax and Lean abuse to support their “musical substance.” Igniting the thread with a picture of himself wearing a shirt saying, “How much xans and lean do you have to do before realizing you’re a fucking loser,” Russ went on to condemn these rappers for negatively influencing impressionable young fans who haven’t developed the moral compass to navigate their lives independently yet. Almost taking on the role as hip hop’s vigilante, Russ doesn’t care what you think of him or what he says—as long as his message gets heard by even one kid, then he’s done his job well.
Read the series of tweets below:
If I stopped ONE kid from abusing xans or lean, mission accomplished..better than getting ONE kid to try that shit. Period.
— Russ (@russdiemon) September 11, 2017
Doing xanax and lean cuz your favorite rapper makes it sound cool is all fun and games till your impressionable ass gets addicted. Stop.
— Russ (@russdiemon) September 11, 2017
Y’all angry ass junkies can also get out my mentions. I know you don’t like your life when you’re on or off that shit.
— Russ (@russdiemon) September 11, 2017
If I gotta be the bad guy for saying what mad people think but are 2 scared 2 say then so be it. At least I’m promoting living & not dying.
— Russ (@russdiemon) September 11, 2017
A lotta rappers have romanticized & glorified drug abuse. That shits not cool. Peoples lives get ruined from that shit. Grow up.
— Russ (@russdiemon) September 11, 2017