How is The Net Worth of Russ a Stunning $10m?

What is Russ’ Net Worth?

The Usual Intro

Russ is a 29-year-old American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He released 11 mixtapes in a span of just two and a half years and amassed millions of views from his music videos. His single “What They Want” catapulted him to stardom after it peaked at No. 83 on the US Billboard 200. In addition to being a professional rapper, Russ is also a member of the “Diemon Crew” rap group.

Before the Spotlight

Russell James Vitale was born in a Sicilian-American family on September 26, 1992, in Secaucus, New Jersey.  

He spent his childhood in North Carolina, Kentucky. Her mother was a college graduate, while his father’s job involved constant relocating. The family finally settled in Atlanta. He has three siblings.

Russ was attuned to the harmony of musical notes produced by the instruments. He learned guitar from his grandfather early on and eventually learned to play several other musical instruments. At the age of seven, he penned rap verses in his notebook, and by the time he reached fourteen, he started producing beats.

The Journey to Success

Determined to top the Billboard charts, Russ was only 18 when he recorded his first song. He gained inspiration from rappers 50 cent, Eminem, and G-Unit, and decided to shape his music following their style. 

Russ seamlessly combined the Hip-Hop and R&B elements in his songs, instantly catching the attention of many rap lovers. He produced beats for six years before recording his music.

Turning 19, he formed a rap group along with his friends Dartlin, Bogus, Paulo, John Anthony, DJ Adam Golden, and Musa, called “Diemon Crew,” which stood for Do It Everyday Music or Nothing. Russ became the in-house producer for the group. 

To make his music public for listening, his crew created a website called “diemon.com,” which is still operational today. The crew’s first music video, “El Jefe,” came out in 2011. In 2012, Russ’ music video for “Corleone” came out on YouTube, which has amassed over 2 Million views.

From 2011 to 2014, Russ dropped 11 albums, including “Velvet” and “Apollo,” all free of cost. Despite his constant effort, the songs did not gain much attention to his dismay. 

Russ then turned to creating an account on the popular music-streaming platform SoundCloud. He kept releasing new songs every week. Within just a year, Russ garnered over a whopping 5,000 followers, and by 2017, his followers multiplied by a factor of 100.

Two of his singles, “What They Want” and “Losin Control,” made ground-breaking success; they instantly climbed to No. 83 and No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts, respectively. Moreover, “What They Want” was also certified platinum by the RIAA. This marked the start of his lucrative career, and he began receiving countless proposals from major labels.

He signed a contract with Columbia Records label and debuted the platinum-certified studio album “There’s Really a Wolf.” The album was also hugely successful — it reached No. 7 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 4 on the US Top R&B/ Hip-Hop Albums. Furthermore, it sold over 1 million copies throughout the United States. His thirteenth album, “Zoo,” ascended to No. 4 on US Billboard 200.

The Best Moments

• Released “The Flute Song” in 2018.
• The album “Shake The Snow Globe” peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard 200.
• The single “Best on Earth” reached 46 on the US Billboard 100.

The Private Side

Russ is proud of his Italian ancestry. He made it evident through his lyrics and music video for “Corleone.” He cosplayed as Italian Don Vito Corleone from the classic movie, The Godfather.

Russ had an abnormal eye condition called ‘heterochromia’ since he was born. It gave his left eye a darker shade of brown than his right eye. Russ is known for his luxurious lifestyle. He owns multiple million-dollar supercars, including a Porsche 780 Cayman, McLaren 570S Spider, and many more.

In 2017, Russ tweeted a picture in a shirt that said, “How much xans and lean do you have to do before you realize you’re a fucking loser?” The tweet was subjected to controversy and was a significant setback in Russ’ life. 

The phrase “Fuck Russ” became viral and thousands of memes relating to the incident began to pop up on the internet. In response to this controversy, Lil Pump tweeted: “ME & J COLE COOL NOW SO NOW ITS FUCK RUSS.”

Russ’ Related YouTube Video

RUSS x MONTREALITY ⌁ Interview

Famous Quotes of Russ

Each word of Russ’ sayings is powerful yet simple for us to understand. Let’s take a glimpse into some meaningful quotes:

• “Thinking about past memories & events would mostly cause you sadness. Thinking of the future and what may happen would causes you anxiety. Present is the time you’re living in and you can do anything right now.”

• “I’m not sitting around, waiting for something to run across the Internet so I can go, ‘Oh, that’s what I’mma write about.’ I just go around, live life, make music, and it’s epic.”

• “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.”

The Social World

His top-notch work ethic and creativity in rap music have gathered him a huge fan base. Let’s take a look at his immense fame in some statistical terms:

• Instagram:3.9 million followers
• Twitter: 2.1 million followers
• Facebook: 2.65 million followers  
• Tiktok: 2.6 million followers
• YouTube: 5.54 million subscribers
• Spotify: 12,674,398 monthly listeners
• Soundcloud: 888k followers

Lessons for Entrepreneurs

Russ stands as a bold figure for us. Here are some of the potent lessons that we can adopt into our lives:

1. Persistence. We’re all aware that Russ released a series of songs before gaining mainstream popularity, but do you know how long he worked? It took him two years and 98 songs before getting his first hit. He never gave up, and his consistency and persistence paid off.

2. Build a strong network. Russ did not reach the top alone — his friends accompanied his journey to stardom. The “Diemon crew” helped him write many rap verses for his songs and helped him reach a broader audience by developing a website.

3. Creativity creates opportunities. During his time, local Hip-Hop artists were releasing trap-induced beats and selling them to nightclubs and on the streets. Russ, however, produced raspy and lifting beats. He took a more tech-savvy approach and made his songs digitally free to download on his website while also streaming them on SoundCloud. This eventually got him a multi-million dollar deal with Columbia Records.

The Unusual Stuff

Here are some of the interesting facts about Russ that we bet you didn’t know of:

• Russ was nominated for the 2017 Woodie Award for “Woodie To Watch.”

• In 2020, he appeared as a musical guest on the late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!

• Russ produces all his music and music videos by himself.

• He moved around various places in the world due to his father’s job.

Answering Frequent Questions

Why did Russ begin to mix and master?

When asked earlier on Everyday Struggle why he started mixing and mastering his songs, Russ replied that it was because audio engineers would take two weeks to accomplish it when he could do it himself in a few hours or a day.

Did Russ go to jail?

Yes, Russell Vitale was arrested and incarcerated in Miami, Florida, on account of assault and third-degree conspiracy.

Has Russ collaborated with celebrities?

His second album, “CHOMP 2,” features guest appearances by Snoop Dog, Big Sean, and Rick Ross.

The Closing Remarks

Russ’ prolific run earned him a spot on the Forbes’ list of hip-hop’s top earners and also featured him on the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. One hallmark of Ross’ music is that the engineering, production, writing, singing, and mixing of songs are all done by himself, which leaves listeners in complete awe. His endurance and distribution strategy of combining high quality and high quantity content establishes him as a top hip-hop visionary.