Russ

Venue: Zouk Club, Singapore
Date: 24th July 2019
Promoter: LAMC Productions
Review by: Maisha G.
Special Thanks: The LAMC Productions team

One morning when I woke up to Russ trending on Twitter, at that moment, I didn’t know who Russ was. It was basically out of sheer pure curiousity to have clicked on the hashtagged and viewed tweets mentioning him. It was a bunch of mix perceptions but the phrase that captured my attention was ‘Why Do People Hate Russ?’

I went on and Googled about the whole debacle and stumbled upon various articles and also videos of his interviews. When his album titled Zoo dropped, it stirred up a lot of controversies about Russ’ stance on drug addiction and his message that he was trying to paint across the whole misuse of the harmful vices in his music. Many acclaimed rappers went against him and he struck them as cocky but here’s the most interesting thing, above all the rumours and tabloids about this legend of a man. Albeit his stance is strong and unconventional to the emotional backlash of many, he is self-made and he puts across his music as such. An interview that got my full sensorial attention was this one particular one called ‘Breakfast Club’ and if I may quote the very words that placed him a cut above the rest was :

“When I was coming up, I was and am, producing, mixing, mastering, and writing everything. I would say that all the time. For one, self-sufficiency is a message that should be put out there, you don’t have to outsource everything. Two, I’m proud of it.”

Many rappers are known to break into the Billboard scene with many supporters bringing their names to where they’re at today. As for Russ, that interview was impactful and led me to listen to his whole Zoo album in its entirety and only then I understood why he’s being disliked by many.

A friend of mine told me about Russ’ Asian tour and I knew then I had to go despite still being new in the hip hop scene. I went for my first hip hop gig about a good year ago and I went stag. I was a little jumpy to not know what to expect but when every other person in the room started dancing in their own little space, it felt rather normal already. Non-comparable to most of the gigs I’ve been too because it involved a lot of pushing and holding each other in a choke-hold worthy hug, it was a great and surreal experience all around.

Came the night when I finally could see with my own two eyes the greatness that is Russ. Despite the show venue being some place that I’d never thought I’d set foot in ever, I was trying to soak in the atmosphere and find a spot away from the crowd. I can’t reiterate how many times my two left feet always surpasses my expectations of being a dud on the dance floor so I did myself solid and sat by the couches, away from the main crowd yet granted with an amazing view. I told myself ‘yeah, I can dig this’.

And I guess it had to be my lucky day when I stumbled upon an old friend that I’ve meant to catch up with for the longest time. She, too, was finding a nice, comfortable spot away from the masses, to enjoy herself with the show in her own zone. We shared the exact same sentiments.

We didn’t have to wait too long till the man of the show graced the stage. Clad in what I believe to be a designer top, Russ was donned in diamond accessories that shone across the stage, blinding my eyes with the spotlight. As eager as I was as I pointed to his hair do; we wore our hair the same way – a high up bun but it was embarrassing enough that his hair was well-maintained and conditioned while I fall at the other extreme end of the spectrum.

I wasn’t able to catch the very first number he graced the crowd that night. The very fact that he breathed into the microphone the first second, the crowd went wild. I felt the ground shook and people were all along the place, literally, dancing while sipping their drinks. Some were seen standing on tables and the small chairs. It was beyond control to constantly ask them to step off so the security let the crowd have it their way that night. It was not rowdy or anything but I was surprised that they could withstand that long, standing in such a manner all throughout the show.

The setlist that night sprawled across his various albums from Pink Elephant through There’s Really A Wolf kept the crowd entertained. I couldn’t believe that it took me this long to listen to Russ when his earlier stuff was stellar. I told myself I should start being more informed in other genres, other than metal.

The songs for the night that caught me in the greatest moments were “Paranoid” and “Civil War”. I was bobbing my head and muttering the lyrics that I could almost grasp but had no prior knowledge about them even. The song that was overplayed on my Spotify by him was “Missin You Crazy” as I tried my level best to sing it in the bathroom whenever I get the chance to. It became my anthem for a good month and still is one of the most sung songs right up till this moment, as I am typing this out.

“Pull the trigger, ain’t nobody gonna do it for you” was the very first line to the song that I find a little controversial but the lyrics were meant and felt succinct and deepset. It was a short story about his life, his struggles. The way he inserted the phases of his life in this song was telling of why he is the person that he is now. His self-made sound diary that this particular song garnered a resounding crowd chant as they sang “Pull The Trigger” at every chance they could. It felt almost magical and having to witness all of that from the back, as a whole, was spellbinding. It was as though another portal opened as he continued with his short freestyle. The crowd was seen nodding in agreement and in beat and just bowing to the man of the night, astounded by his brilliance; it was beautiful and yet most wonderful.

“Losin Control” took a notch down as being a ballad worthy song for the night as you see the crowd mellowing down and went into the slow sway from side to side. A short yet impactful song about the wild roller coaster ride of being in a relationship which then transitioned into “What They Want” – a message to all the people who seeks for what their heart desires but it won’t ever get their way, at least it’s not that simple. And during that song, I saw a lady standing behind the stage who I believe is Russ’ mom, the lady responsible for this talented soul and the smile she wore across the fact warmed my heart, seeing how proud she is of her son and how far he has come. No number of haters can take that away, none.

The songs performed that night set out the journey into Russ’ life and it was a truly enriching experience having to learn about his struggles and his successes through his songs. The way he is familiar with sharing with the masses, again, a sound diary that he wants to be heard and I can’t thank him enough for choosing to share his story this way.

The takeaway for the night was more than a pleasant one. I met the other friends of my long time friend, who happened to be Russ’ hardcore fans and spent their weekend at a festival in Malaysia just to be able to catch Russ and they were reeling from the show and having to have a one to one contact with Russ when he signed their shirts; their expressions were priceless. I saw myself in them, one too many times when I saw the bands that I love with all of my heart and soul. It was a rewarding experience.

After that night, I have expanded my daily playlist to genres I never thought I’d visit but I have to thank Russ for opening my mind, my heart, and my eyes. Through his lyrics and having to combat with criticism and hatred from the masses for standing up for something he believes in, in his own manner and stride – he is standing tall still and holding his head up higher than before. What a true inspiration.

Thank you LAMC Productions for the wild Wednesday night.