I’m promoting living, not dying, says Russ

There was a recent article headlined: ‘So, Why Does Everyone Hate Russ?’ The writer kept an open mind throughout and ended by saying they didn’t really see what all the hate is about.Unfortunately, it seems clear why 26-year-old Russ, full name Russell Vitale, is subjected to so much online hate. The New Jersey-born but Atlanta-based rapper, singer, songwriter and producer is totally against the abuse of drugs.“This is anything but the most fashionable attitude to have,” he smiled. “The genre of my music is one in which the use of illegal drugs is promoted and even glorified by so many artistes. I am therefore hated by the people who have this attitude and even more so by their fans.” He was vilified for posting a picture of himself on Twitter wearing a T-shirt bearing the message; “How much xans and lean do you have to do before you realise you’re a loser?” It was perceived as a specific criticism of artistes such as Lil Pump and Smokepurpp. Their fans bombarded Russ with a tirade of vitriol.“The T-shirt slogan was aimed at everyone who takes or might be thinking about taking these things. If seeing the T-shirt stopped just one kid from abusing these drugs then mission accomplished. Doing Xanax and lean because your favourite rappers make it sound cool is all fun and games until these impressionable kids get addicted.“I became the bad guy for saying what a lot of people think but are too afraid to say because they don’t want to be on the receiving end of the kind of hate I’ve had. I’m promoting living, not dying. A lot of rappers have romanticised drug abuse. That’s not cool. Lives get ruined by that stuff.”Russ is an Italian-American performing in what is essentially an African-American’s musical genre. Does he believe at least some of the hate is racially based?“I hope not. Music has always been a big part of my family. My grandfather taught me to play guitar. I’ve been writing rhymes since I was about seven and making beats since I was 14. I hope people of all races recognise my musical heritage. I feel that when you make music with a message, soul and substance, it transcends anything to do with race.”Russ began his musical life as a songwriter and producer. He and his close friend Bugus initially uploaded songs to Mediafire and Limelinx. They decided to create their own website as a platform for their music. This is how their company, DIEMON, was born.“DIEMON stands for Do It Everyday Music Or Nothing. We were 17 when we started. We put together a home studio at Bugus’ house. Other people got involved and became part of our DIEMON crew but it was mostly me and Bugus.” Russ was 19 when he created the first of his DIEMON albums.“I’d been thinking about rapping rather than just writing and producing. One day, I was in the studio with Bugus and asked him if I should start rapping. He immediately said yes so we got to work on my first track.“I found I’d learned so much about putting my own vocals on a track from my production work. I learned rhythm. I learned my voice was just like another instrument and how to utilise it in that regard.”He became a prolific recording artiste. In 32 months, Russ created 11 albums and 87 singles, all of which were made available for free via his SoundCloud webpage.His music was promoted via social media as were his concerts both across America and overseas. With such a solid following, it was no surprise that major labels became interested and Russ signed with Columbia Records.“I’d got my first (Billboard) Hot 100 single with What They Want and another with Losin’ Control. Both tracks went multi-platinum.“They represented my mainstream breakthrough. It was particularly satisfying to know I’d performed, written, produced, mixed, mastered and engineered everything myself. It’s the same with all my songs. Very few people in the music business can say that. It feels super-fulfilling that I can.”His first album for Columbia, There’s Really A Wolf, hit number seven on the Billboard 200. This was followed late last year by his sophomore album, Zoo, which peaked at number four. Despite this success, Russ has still to enjoy a significant hit single.“The Flute Song and Missin’ You Crazy, the two singles so far from Zoo, have been played millions of times on SoundCloud. I know I’m giving fans what they want to hear.“But the haters do play a part in my lack of major singles chart success. It’s not seen as cool for radio DJs to play a Russ track. But I won’t change my anti-drugs stance. If other rappers keep saying drugs are cool, I’ll keep saying they’re not.”Ariana GrandeHer latest single,  7 Rings, has given American singer / songwriter Ariana Grande her fourth UK chart-topper.In shooting straight to number one, 7 Rings was streamed 16.9 million times. This broke the UK one-week streaming record set last December by Mariah Carey’s All I Want For Christmas Is You.Ariana also took Spotify’s 24-hour streaming record from Mariah and dethroned Drake’s 2018 single, In My Feelings, by setting a new first week record of 71.4 million streams.Unsurprisingly, 7 Rings also debuted atop Billboard’s Hot 100. Aged 25, Ariana thus became the youngest female solo artiste to have multiple songs from the same album enter the chart at number one.For some reason, Ariana chose to celebrate her chart success with 7 Rings by having the song title tattooed in Japanese characters on the palm of her left hand.Unfortunately, there was what might be described as an error in translation. Some characters were omitted and she ended up with shichirin tattooed on her hand. The word translates as a small charcoal barbecue grill. This was doubly embarrassing for Ariana as she is a vegan.Followers were quick to mock the tattoo blunder after she posted pictures on her social media accounts. Although initially taking everything in good part, Ariana apparently became so irritated by the derision that she firstly asked for herself and her tattoo to be left alone before again undergoing the enormously painful tattooing process to have the mistake corrected.One wonders if Ariana might soon be branding herself with another celebration tattoo. After all the success of her singles, it seems highly likely that her latest album, Thank U, Next, will also storm straight to number one. The record is set for release on February 8.The BeatlesBeatles fans will soon be able to enjoy a new documentary film featuring the Fab Four.Multi-award-winning director / producer Peter Jackson is currently in the process of creating the as-yet-untitled movie from around 55 hours of footage shot in 1969 during the making of what became the Let It Be album and film.“Looking at the footage is like being in a time machine and transported back 50 years,” Peter remarked. “We get to sit in the studio with The Beatles watching these four friends make great music together.“It’s an amazing historical treasure trove. Watching John, Paul, George and Ringo work together, creating now-classic songs from scratch, is not only fascinating but also funny, uplifting and surprisingly intimate.“There are 140 hours of audio recordings in addition to the 55 hours of never-before-seen footage. The finished movie will be the ultimate fly-on-the-wall experience that Beatles fans have long dreamt about.”No release date has been fixed as yet but fans will have the opportunity to contrast Peter’s documentary with a restored version of Let It Be. This will be made available following the release of the new film.Celine DionIn more film news, following the Golden Globe-winning success of the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody, and the eager anticipation for the upcoming Rocket Man movie about Sir Elton John, news now emerges of a movie based upon the life and career of Celine Dion. There is just one snag. It will be a French language film.Valerie Lemercier is set to not only direct the movie but also star as Celine. It will span the French-Canadian singer’s life from her upbringing in Charlemagne, Quebec, as the last of 14 children, her rise to fame as a teenager, world-wide success and her relationship with her manager and husband, the late Rene Angelil.Entitled The Power Of Love, shooting is scheduled to begin next month with a release date slated for some time in 2020.Sophie Ellis-BextorKnown for her dance hits such as Groovejet, Take Me Home and Murder On The Dancefloor, Sophie Ellis-Bextor is releasing a greatest hits album with a difference. The Song Diaries features re-recorded versions of her songs performed with a full orchestra.The album will be released on March 15. But videos for some tracks can now be found online. Among the many postings at www.youtube.com/user/sophieebofficial are videos for the orchestral versions of Love Is You and Take Me Home. There is also an orchestral disco version of Take Me Home which is one of the bonus tracks on deluxe versions of the album.