Russ (rapper)

Russell James Vitale (born September 26, 1992), better known by his stage name Russ, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Atlanta, Georgia. After years of releasing albums, mixtapes and singles for free online, Russ released his twelfth studio album, There's Really a Wolf, in May 2017 through Columbia Records; it was certified Platinum in April 2018. His first hit singles came from the album and were: "What They Want", "Losin Control" and "Best on Earth", peaking respectively at number 83, 63, and 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100. His thirteenth album, Zoo, was released on September 7, 2018, and peaked at number 4 on the US Billboard 200. His fourteenth studio album, Shake the Snow Globe, was released on January 31, 2020, again peaking at number 4 on the US Billboard 200. Outside of his solo music, he is part of Diemon, a music collective from Atlanta.

Russ was born on September 26, 1992, in Secaucus, New Jersey. He is of Sicilian descent. Russ was born into an Sicilian-American family which included him and three other siblings. He lived in North Carolina and Kentucky in his childhood due to his father having to constantly relocate due to his career, before his family found a permanent home in Atlanta. Russ was taught to play guitar by his father, and over the years gradually learned how to play several instruments. He started writing raps in his notebook at 7 years old. He started making beats when he was 14, and was initially producing with his friend Bugus. He recorded his first song at 18 years old.