The Breakfast Club - INTERVIEW: LaRussell Talks ‘Something’s in The Water,’ 100k Records Campaign, Roc Nation

Episode Date: February 4, 2026

Today on The Breakfast Club, LaRussell Talks ‘Something’s in The Water,’ 100k Records Campaign, Roc Nation. Listen For More!YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BreakfastClubPower1051FMSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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on the I Heart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or simply wherever you get your podcast. I didn't know. Every day I wait. You're all finished or y'all's done. Morning, everybody. It's DJ Envy. Just hilarious.

Shalameen the guy. We are the breakfast club. We got a special guest in the building. Always a pleasure to see this, brother, man. His album is out right now. Something's in the water. Ladies and gentlemen, LaRosa. Welcome back, brother.

Yes, sir. It's not out of yet. Well, no, something in the water comes out on the sixth. Yep. I don't have a hot. You know, we actually, we're moving it back. We've been campaigning to sell 100,000 albums. It's out, right?

And, no, it ain't out yet. We just been doing pre-order, so people can go pre-order and listen to, like, some of the tracks. But we hit 21,000 hours and 30 days, so. Wow. Now, talk to us about this 100,000 copies. 100,000 copy. What's called? 100,000 albums challenge. You're trying to sell

100,000 copies. Yeah. Independedly off this one project. Where did the idea come from? Man, just a stroll with me and a homie. You know, we take walks every morning and just kind of build the vision and a dream. and what we want. And it was one of the moments I was feeling myself

and I'm like, look, I can sell 100,000 hours, you know? And I decided to just go to the world with it and believe in myself and take the chance. You know, I think it's a goal that a lot of people don't get to achieve. And I wanted to see that through for myself and my community. I love what you do because it's like the evolution of Nipsey Hustle's proud to pay campaign. But yours is pay what you want.

Yeah. Yeah. And it's like people who just appreciate you and appreciate what you do end up dropping some money. Yeah. Right. Carrey Irman dropped, what, $11,000? $1,500.

Snoop Dog, $2,500. John Bellion to Snow the product, did $5K,000 that was entertaining, did $1,000. Raphael Sadiq. Raphael's a deep, 10,000. Yeah. And then just like regular people, too. Like, you know what I'm saying?

Yeah. 11,000, 11,000, like 10,000, 8,000. This is dope. And do you have a deadline for it? The $100K? I thought you just extended. Yeah, I just extended it. So I'm going through February.

You know, I really feel like it's an achievable goal. And just where we landed at 21,000 indie, I've already, you know, there's major artists that can't sell that amount. So we've already surpassed it, but I really, I just want to see it to fruition. I believe I could do it. So, wait, you wanted to sell 100K albums before you dropped it. Oh, I thought you meant just sell it. That's why I asked you the deadline.

Damn. Before. Damn. This is still good, though. 23,000 pre-orders. Yeah. Damn, well, congratulations. Gratitude.

Now, Little John, did every record on the album? Yep, yep. Everything. And my homies, my in-house team. They teamed up with John, and we sat in the studio. I think we did a total, like, four sessions, got it done. How did you hook up with Little John? It's been some years.

We've been chopping it up, and then we was randomly in L.A. And having a convoy, and I was like, I'm just going to text little John and see if he respond. And we was in the studio the next day. Wow. Yeah. What is La Russell sound? Because people see you do records with Little John.

They see you doing the hypey stuff because you're from the Bay, but then you can actually spit. Like you're a lyricist. Yeah. What is La Russell sound? It's hard to encapsulate. And it's tough. We talk about that often.

Like a lot of people think I'm just like a Bay Area rapper because they've seen, like, lately what's popular or was viral. But, you know, you found me early. Do that little dance. And, you know, people who know me, people who watch the tiny desk know. It's really hard to, you know, I make everything from R&B to rap. I think the sound is just music.

I just make life music. O'Vane sent me that it was the 2021 freestyle. Yeah. Yeah, it was, oh, yeah, good company radio. I forgot what the name of the freestyle. No, it was called, 2021 freestyle. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I heard that, and it was funny because Holbein sent it to me,

God bless the day. He sent it to me, and I didn't click on it. And then, like, a day later, he was like, you ain't click on that video I sent you because he knew that if I clicked on it I'd be like, yo, who is this? And that's exactly what happened. I'm like, this dude is phenomenal.

So that's all, to me, that was always the lane. But then I started seeing you do everything. And I'm like, man, La Russell can, he can just do whatever he wants at this point. Yeah. And, you know, that was the goal from the beginning. Like, I've always made every kind of music, but I just, I went viral for this.

So people assumed that that's what it was. You know, and I've always wanted to have regional representation. and make sure people understood where I was from, too. You know, when I started, everybody seemed to freestyle and they thought I was from the East Coast. So this is just like me bridging the gap. This is the Bay Area 1,000%.

You hear me? This is the Bay Area 1000%. So what I was going to say, what was your mind frame for this? Did you want people to know you? I'm from the Bay, this is the sound? They don't know about now. God damn.

Right, right. Yeah, I really wanted something that represent us. You know, I feel like as a region, we haven't had dominance in a long time. You know, even when people think of their top 10 lists, you don't often put a Bay Area artists in there. And I wanted to just remind people like, we make the music that the culture moved to.

When you hear certain beats, that's our sound, that's our BPM and our resonance, but it's also we get ale. You know, it ain't too many people who can rap with me either. Are there people who take advantage of the format and try to underpay for the album? Like, here's a penny. Of course, you know,

but I don't even look at it as taking advantage. You know, we meet people where they are. And I've had some people, Give me a dollar for one thing and then come back three months later when they're in a different position and give me right with a hundred. You know, so I've learned to stop basing whatever they use on that day as like the value or the worth of what they think my art is. Now, if somebody gives you $11,000, right? Is that one album? Yeah, so Kyrie bought one album for 11,000. So you could either buy multiple for an amount or you could buy one.

And what's special, both of them apply to me because he got. me a world record for the highest digital album sold by buying one for that amount versus buying a thousand yeah i don't like that i like see because you could have had instead of having 23 000 it should have been 33 000 right that's how i would be saying and then i look at uh but i wouldn't have been history it wouldn't have been history got it wouldn't have been history got you know so either one is beneficial because it ain't never non-beneficial no matter how you cut it up because it ain't really 23 000 copies right you could say I really sold like 30, yeah, the amount.

You really sold $60,000 based on these numbers. Yeah, definitely. What do you think the true monetary value of the project is? It's priceless. You know, I think that's what I built my whole ethos and brand on. It's not free. It's priceless. You know, when you get an experience that changes your life

or you get to support somebody who's revolutionary and doing something new and different and making history, that's a priceless experience to contribute to no matter what. Yeah. You built a career outside the traditional industry machine. Like what did independence give you that a major label never could? Freedom. You know, every label situation I was getting offered early didn't allow me the ability to do what I did.

I released 43 albums just in the past. Since 2021, I've dropped 43 albums on five years. I was able to build my catalog that my family, my team, everyone, the fans, There's people who own equity. Even that, me being able to share royalties with fans and my homies, that don't exist in the major system. You know, it's like those royalties ain't choice to give. He's not capping either.

He tried to give them to me. I'm like, I did. Everybody who helped me early, you know, I tried to take care of just because it's like. But only because we can't, I'm a radio personality, so I can't do that. You know, that's unethical. But I'm like, nah, bro, I can't. I'm not doing that. But you are human.

You're a radio personality, but you're a human. side of this. Like one day it won't be radio and you'll just be Charlemagne and it's like you help contribute to the culture. You deserve to have equity in that. Yeah. That's a dope way of thinking. Yeah, okay. At what point did you realize you didn't need permission to be

successful? When I started being granted the same opportunities as the people that I thought were here to me and you know being able to come on Breakfast Club early and being someone who got to come on to rap that first time I didn't even get interviewed. I just came

and rap. We filmed the whole process and me coming up the elevator. It was like a 10-minute video total. Like, I came in rap and laughed. You know, and that's all it was. And being granted, that type of access as an indie and as someone who people tell you like, oh, you need major distribution,

you need this, you need that. And to get the same access and opportunity really just alter my perspective on what was possible. You just got the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl tailgate and you create cheerating the Super Bowl house band. I don't even know what that means. What is that mean?

Yeah. What does that mean? Curate the Super Bowl house band? So for the first time, there's an artist-led house band and basically all the end-game music during the game between each quarter we have hits pregame as people coming in. I'm just curating the energy and the space of what it feels like to be in the Bay Area for Super Bowl. Are you doing something at the crib during Super Bowl?

I'm outside all time. How did that happen? How did they reach out to LaReuxo for the Super Bowl? football tailgate point. I got a good friend named George that I met when I did Sunday service last year who's just like a big brand guy and he, I met him and he's like, man,

you, you're so dope like I believe in you. I'm going to put you into contact with the head of the NFL and I'm just like, this nigga just talking. You know, but he ended up sending the email like last year at the very top of the year way before anything and it wasn't even about Sue. It was just like, hey, this is a guy I believe in. I think you should check him out.

And as it just got closer, you know they came back and was like, man, we keep hearing your name everywhere. You own all of our pitch decks. We keep seeing it come into the office. Let's holler. Let's see what we could do. And we didn't know there wasn't a position made for us or budget nothing. Like this was something that was created just for us specifically.

And then at the last minute, they also offered us the tailgate, you know, as an extra incentive. So it all just came together. Because, you know, everybody saw you out with, you went and met with Jayzie. So they saw the pictures of that. And then the Super Bowl announcement the next week. Everybody was like, oh, they thought it was Hull. No, this was difficult. You know, O'V & them didn't even know this was happening.

Like, this is something separate. You know, Hove and them curate the halftime show and everything, but this ain't the halftime show. This is completely separate. So even for them, this was news. Let's talk about the whole meeting because you met with Rock Nation, you know, I guess a couple of years ago. Yeah.

And you had some criticism of the deal that they offered. Yeah. Then, well, first of all, talk about that, first of all. What was the criticism? Yeah, so in 2021, Ragnation was one of the first labels to offer me a deal, you know, and Hovane championed that, and we was talking early about that. And when they offered me the deal, just my entire process of going through that, like meeting who was the heads then, the energy was an ideal, you know?

But they ended up offering me a deal. And the first draft of the deal that came to me didn't have like any advances, any money, anything attached to it. It was just like a discretionary fund, 360, 10,000. percent you gotta got it so I went into the office and I'm like man what's up with the deal like where's all the info on the numbers just don't really make sense and then guy makes a phone call and he come back with another deal within like two three minutes and it had all the numbers on it and it just blew me because I was like hmm like if I would have signed the first draft of the

deal would you have ever told me that this this wasn't the right deal you know from there just made me feel uneasy and that's when I start talking like I got a highlight hole because I feel like, whole didn't champion this. Like, I don't think he know what's going on. You know, and I never really heard nothing back from then. It just kind of kept moving, but that news spread, and I'm like, man, I mean, I can only share my truth. You know, and just recently, probably a year and a half ago, Cruz from Rock Nation hit me. And he's like, you know, we're building a new regime up here.

We got all new people. And, you know, I really want to make sure you understand that that's not reflective of us or representative of us and how we believe, you know, that should have went. We understand what you're doing and we respect it. But I was still in the sense of like, nah, I got a holler at home. You feel me? And eventually I got to holler at home.

And we really sat and talked for three hours. And he brought up, you know, the deal and everything. It just told me what it was and this journey and how this little black kid from Vallejo saying something to the world about Hobbes Company is what made him look at his own house and be like, man, that wasn't right. That shouldn't have went that way. You know, he didn't even have full. When you run a company that bill,

you don't always have full visual of what the people that you empower are doing. So clearly the conversation was good to show. Incredible. Incredible. Yeah. Would you have taken the half a million dollars or the dinner? Both.

Both. Both of them. So are you thinking to sign in with Rock Nation this time around? You know, I'm officially signed to Rock Nation. Hey. Wow. Wow. Congratulations.

What does that mean? It means I now have support beyond just my homies and somebody who truly believe in what I'm doing, who's already done what I've done to show me the path. You know, I've gotten into a point of so much success independently where I'm from that I lost my guides. You know, I surpassed a lot of people who did what I've done. So I didn't, we've been doing this with no blueprint, no map, no route.

Like, I'm the first in my family to ever perform at Super Bowl and create a house band and you know all of this is a first and Hove has been here and done it so it just gives us a different level of infrastructure and I'm still indie I still own all my masters

I still spend my pay I still do what I won't but now I have a support where like I'm from the bay is going to radio I've never been able to get to radio you know it's just a different system and as soon as we agree like man let's work they were instantly like we believe in this record

we willing to take the radio I've had partnerships prior where they try to tell me it ain't worth it. You're so not worth going on radio until you get a TikTok moment or some viral train. It's like, why we count on TikTok to believe in something that we all believe in personally, you know? And also, too, I feel like Rock Nation still allows you to have independence. Completely. Yeah, yeah, yeah. There was no way I would go over there without it.

You know, even through this journey thus far. like this is the first time I've partnered with anyone and they called me and said, hey, we're thinking about doing this. This is what we're going to spend on it, but how you feel? Do you want us to do more or less? What do you think for yourself? And that's a beautiful thing because a lot of artists ain't even in them conversations. You know, you have no idea what's going on.

But I'm a part of every conversation that has anything to do with La Russell. How do you define winning now? Is it money? Is it freedom? Is it impact? Is it peace? I think it's impact You know

I think how many people I affect While I'm here and I'm doing what I'm doing And I show the way Is What my success is gauged by You know if I was to do all this And I didn't help nobody Or contribute to nothing

Even what I did with Even I opened the door for everybody to eat And do pay what you won't And sell the album Jake Cole just You know he just did his last album Do Even pay what you want and ran it up.

Waile, 21 Savage. Like, I brought people actually selling their music back. That's something the little black boy in Vallejo did. Niggas was waiting on DSPs and trying to get their money off streams. I brought it back to like, nah, go to your people and get your chicken. Here's a platform for you to do so. That's my real impact and contribution to the culture that wasn't done, you know, prior to me. I love what you mentioned Vallejo, man, because, you know, like, you create in your,

own environment, literally got the stage in your backyard. Like with your people around you, mom working, everybody working. How important is your environment to your creativity? Vital. When we made this album with Liljohn, we started the sessions in LA and I kept telling

him like, you got to come to the bay. Like, we can only finish the album if you come to the bay. And he's like, man, I'm gonna come. And he came to the backyard and just the energy and feeling like him for him to be in the backyard and be like, man, I never thought I'd be here. It's crazy because we looking at him like,

nigga, we never thought you'd be here. You know, but it's like that, that ambiance is something that has been missing. Like, I've been getting with all the OG producers, me and Jazzy Faye were just cooking, and they're in these studios and in a room with me, like kids. Like, we all kids at play again.

Like, that feeling and that energy left. You see it now, like it's like the fun left the music. People don't feel that way, the vibrancy, but we be, if you look at these videos of us making songs, it's like, man, these are really kids at play enjoying what they do. So you never thought that you would be here at this point. You never did. All I wanted was some holes in the box Chevy. In the song, in the song, Wiggling, you say you were 18, you had your first job, and you got your first check. You looked at it and was like, yeah, I'm not. I knew I ain't won a job ever. Where was you working at and how much was the check?

I was working at UPS, and I think my first starting ways was like 825. Your first job was UPS? Yeah. That's actually good. Now, I was a seasonal helper for the Christmas season, and I think I was getting 825. You worked at the factory, the warehouse. I was in the truck, like dropping off packages, but I was just a helper to the driver. And I remember, like, that first week we probably worked like 50, 60 hours, and I got

that check and I was like, damn. Yeah. I just gave away so much of my life, you know, for so little money. And I thought it was some chicken in, but it was like, it got to be more than this. There's no way this was 60. Like now to see what 60 hours of my life can bring me versus what 60 hours of my life brought me then is incomparable. And that song is hard.

Wiggling. Oh, that song is hard too. Yeah. That song is. I was going to ask, too, who are you most surprised with your biggest contribution? Like when you seen Kyrie Irving, did you know what's happening? Or did it just happen like, oh shit? I had no idea.

I had no idea. Rafael, Sadik, none of them. None of them. All of them was like a surprise, Papa. I get a message from, you know, the co-founder, Mag. And he'd be like, man, this just came through. But I had no clue with none of those. All right, so I had a second part to it.

So when you saw that first check, right, was that like the first pivotal moment and deciding what your future was? All right, I'm going to do this right? Because you was already rapping by then. You've been rapping since elementary. tree school. So did you, was that like the moment where you're like, no, I'm a

I'm a bet on myself and didn't just rap go with this music thing? It took me a lot more time after that to get to the point where I was willing to bet on myself. That was just one of them moments of like, man, this is it, you know? But I still didn't know that any

of this was a possibility. When I was younger, I used to think rappers, like Snoop Dog Nelly and all them, I thought they were like wrestlers. I didn't, I didn't think they were like real people. I thought it was just that everybody playing

so I didn't even see this as a possibility where it's like I could be famous and successful for doing the same thing. Even with E40 like right there?

But he wasn't right there. Like I didn't see E40 growing up like I heard of E40, you feel me? And we listened to the music but I didn't see him presently. We put your eyes on the goal

when it came to it because, you know, like you said, you worked at UPS and the first check was small, right? But now you're in in the industry and all these people are throwing you money. And instead of taking that money and buying the luxuries if you wanted that you could have,

you decided to say, no, I'm going for my turn and I'm going to keep it this way. What gave you that guide is to say, I'm going to keep the blindness on and I'm going? I just want success and freedom more than I want the other things. You know, I really, I thrive off seeing my team elevate and show the world was possible. Like, getting Super Bowl was like, man, you, you need. Like this ain't real, you know, and being able to share that with a bunch of Bay Area kids feels way more better than getting the car

or getting anything else. Just none of that fulfills me in the same way. Because I don't think anybody would have looked at it differently because you had a child. You had a family to provide for in the race. But you still said, I'm going to stick through it. And most people wouldn't have stuck through, and you see it all the time in the industry

where people make these bogus deals and they fight their whole career to get out of these deals. But you was like, nah, this is the way. it didn't have to work. It didn't. You know, I've been in enough time to give up, you know, but I just, I had to see it through. You know, it's like with this 100K campaign, it's just something that when something on your spirit, you have no choice but to act on it.

And it's one of those things that I got to see through. I got to prove to all these little homies in Vallejo that I see when I take my daughter to school that's like, this real and this possible. They see me, they shake my hand, they hug me. they know I'm a real person in a life who actually did it. I also feel like, you know, you prove that, you know, success is subjective, right? Because I feel like, you know, as long as you're happy doing what it is that you're doing, you're successful. Absolutely.

So it's probably rappers out there that's making $4 or $5 million, right, every month, but they ain't not happy. The Russell is genuinely happy. And the idea of performing in the backyard, whose idea was that? When you brought it to your family, what did they say the first time? They was all in. You know, I mean, everybody, of course, had they like, well, you know, this come with different precautions. But they was all in. You know, my parents seen me grind in that bedroom making songs, pressing my own out,

pressing my own merch, throwing my own shows. And, you know, they know how ambitious I am. I don't really take no for an answer. You know, even if they would have been like, man, you can't do that here. I would have went in Bauda House and built one. You know, like I'm that ambitious when it comes to what I want for myself. And, you know, that was just,

that was an act of rebellion. That's one of those things I'm really thankful for that somebody told me no. It's like all the labels. If nobody told me no, I wouldn't be here today. And somebody telling me no about a venue made me build my own infrastructure. Why was it important for you

to bring the spotlight home instead of chasing validation someplace up? I didn't want the next wave of kids to come from where I come from to think they had to leave to be successful or that they couldn't do it to just think it wasn't a possibility you know it's like we have

limited options where I grow up we don't grow up meeting lawyers and doctors and all of that so our options of who we think we could become is very limited and it's just like when I when people come into Vallejo you know and they got to stop at my crib and they end up going to momos

and they end up going to prevent and they go to all these other places because they're in the city and you see Juvie pull up on your block and little John pull up on your block that do something to your spirit as a young young guy like that just make you feel like you walk around like around like he man at some point because you really really feel like you could do something with your life and when does the the he man effect turns into the worry effect right because you know where there is great success you know it's always some evil shit that comes after you know guys hate in or whatever you know what I'm saying because everybody ain't got it like that of course

And, you know, some people do the wrong things to get it or just hate on the next person. Do you ever worry about things like that? Man, hate come with the plate. Yeah. Hate come with the plate. Nobody hates on the niggas who ain't doing nothing. That's true.

You know? Like, the nays who just in the basement not doing nothing with their life don't even have to worry about that. So the fact that it's even become a thing in my life, I'm really grateful. You know, I was telling the homies, like, I used to sit in my room and be, be upset that I could go online and no one was talking about my shit.

I was like, man, nobody know about me, you know? So now that I can wake up and there's thousands of mentions about what I'm doing, I'm just grateful for it. You're known for consistency, right? Like overhyping gimmicks. How do you stay disciplined in a culture that's addicted to the gimmicks and doing anything to go viral? I really just like focus on the things I enjoy and I love.

Like I don't even make content just to make content. I'm really making things that like, this is cool to me. Like I love the Jabberwakis. I came up watching them. So getting them to come to the crib and do something in my backyard, like, that mattered to me. I love Juvie. Getting him to the yard, that mattered to me. So I'm really not, I'm not trying to go viral or just make moments.

I'm just doing things that I think is cool that I enjoy and they happen to be moments that resonate with the rest of the world. But I'm not chasing nothing. Do the Jabaliki's age? wondering that when I saw them at the, they came out with Tia Fimo Lopez this weekend. Is it a new set of Jabba? I ain't going on. I thought it was a new set every time. They'd be too old to be there.

They'd be too old to be there. They couldn't have the mask on the whole time when they was around you. Are they young, old? Did their backs be hurting, flipping and all that? The world may never know. That's the thing. The world may never know. They could be aliens.

I don't know. What responsibility do you feel to your community now that your platform is growing? I feel it's vital for me to just have proper representation of who we are and what we believe. in and what we stand for. And I'm also human, you know, and I'm flawed. So it's like it's not just on me. But I feel like while I'm in this position and in his seat, you know, my goal is to just

represent my people and our light, not just our negatives and all that, but also our light. You know, I went to the news station the other day. And I went upstairs. I'm like, let me meet all the producers and shake their hand too and give them, you know, the same grace that all the panel get to meet. And we ran into this older black woman, and she was just thanking us for being on time and being present and coming in as who we are. And she was like, you know, you're showing something new in a different wave.

You know, I'm a rapper that's been on the news like 10, 20. It's part of my normal PR. That's how much they love me and enjoy me. And we never seen that. You know, we don't get to see our rappers speak this way sometimes or with this level of poise or just, you know, the representation sometimes be off. It'd be far left from, like, reality of who we are as humans and what we truly represent. So I feel like that's my thing. It's just every time I get a chance to show the world who we are, I do that properly.

Now, before you met with Jay a while ago, when Diddy was home, you met with Diddy. Yeah. Was you thinking about signing with Bad Boy? No, never. What was that meeting about? I think he just wanted to meet, but he also wanted me to write for, like, a record that he was making during the time. but I think he just wanted to link and, you know, feel the energy out and everything.

Like, he's seen the light. You know, and I think that's the case where everybody who ended up on to meet, like they see the light and they want to get around it. And I feel like when I met Puff, he was in that. He was in a spade. Like, you could feel his discomfort, you know? Like, I remember leaving there.

I went with my mom and my daughter's mom and I left there and we went on a long walk. And remember I text you? Smart decision. He said, I went on. I may not have it here. Yeah, yeah. We went on a long walk and I was just like, man, he going through it.

Like, he's not okay. And this before, this before. Way before. Way before. I just, man, I'm a great sense in gauge of, like, human. And I could feel it, you know, and just how the people around him moved, it was like, this ain't going to be good because nobody around you care enough to tell you when you wrong or tell you, you know, hey, this is a little off.

And, you know, we had conversation with. walking to the stool and I was like man you've got everything what do you want now like what what's left for you to have you know because he was still distressed and he was like man I just want to be able to breathe and I was like damn like that was a sentiment that I felt deeply because I've been in that space through growing and getting famous and accrued success where I'm like damn I can't even breathe there so much on me you know and to see him in that state was like, man. And you know, I'm non-complicit

in it like, a nigga, a nigga, wrong is wrong, but I also can understand how somebody could get all the way to that point when it goes unchecked and when you build a world where everybody is complicit in your behavior. And he wanted me to write to, uh, I think the record was act bad. He played me the record.

Yuck. And I literally, he was like, what you, he was like, what you think after? And I said, I don't love it. And he was like, and everybody in the room went still. That record was terrible. And that was the first time to show me, all y'all niggas in here lying.

Because y'all going to make me like, I'm wrong for saying I don't love it. And he was like, what you don't love about it? You know, and we had a long discourse, and I was telling them, like, you at the phase of your journey where we want to hear your life. We know you had the bitches and you did all that.

Like, that's not the puff I want to hear from. Like, you 50. That's not the puff I want to hear from. on like we need some life. And I was writing a new record where I was like life. I was putting his journey in and he was like,

nah, man, we're trying to party. Like, that's too deep. Damn. And I'm just like, damn. Like, it was too far gone. You know how many people hit me because you did the interview. I forgot what the podcast.

Who's podcast was you on? Yeah, I forgot who podcast you was on. But you had told that story. You know how many people hit me and was like, is this real? Are he just saying this because everything did he going through? I'm like, nah, that's real.

That was like three, four years ago It was a while ago I'm like yeah, he hit me about that long time ago Did you ever speak after? I'm sorry, I was going to say Because the record didn't do great So did you ever speak after that And be like, see, this is where I was guiding you to?

No, we haven't spoke since. I don't think he was hyper fond of, you know, me after that. You know, I don't think he disliked me But it was like, like, I don't need no nigga around me telling me the truth. You know, I just, I think. guy was out the circle at that point.

And you were a good reader, Elijah. No, I was about to ask, stand on that. Do you think it was more so, like, a fear of him going deep? Because where you were- Hey, yo, pause. We're not talking to, we're not talking to Reddy. We're talking to Russell.

Pause. Come on. Anyway, do you think it was like, because he wanted to party, party, you know what I mean? But you was trying to get him in, like you said, you're 50-year-old puff. I don't want to hear that. Nobody want to hear that right now.

You know, at some point, you've got to get tired of turning up and start teaching niggas or start getting deep, Tell him that's the things that we don't know or whatever, right? Show on a different side. Do you think it could have been out of fear that he didn't want to get that deep or just because he just really be on some party shit? Could he could be suppressing? As I've grown as a man and human, it's a really debilitating process

to shed everything you know yourself as. You know, you end up in a state where you, like, lost. and you low and a lot of people don't want to go back that low and have to build up and sometimes it's like the image you built such an image in a life for yourself that you don't even know who you are no more to go back to something you know like there's no home to go back to when you destroyed every house you had yeah damn you're a good reader energy too man like what was the difference i don't even want to say difference what was the energy when you was with hove and emery and all of God.

You see, just you asking that made me smile. Like that shows you like the presence and the energy. And prior to us going, my homie splash was like, man, you're going to meet Hove today.

Like, how are you feeling? And I was telling them like, man, I'm conflicted because I honestly don't know who I'm going to meet because of the ditty thing and just meeting

so many other people. And I was like, man, I'm nervous because I don't know who I'm going to meet. Am I going to meet like someone that I'm like, man, this is what I hope for. Like, damn, another one.

And it was, it was everything beyond, like who social media and the internet make hold out to be is so far from what it is. Just from my interpretation, I can only go off my gauge and who I sat with and who I spoke with, you know, even before I went, my mom was like, but what about all the YouTube videos? And she was really worried and concerned, you know, and I was telling her like, man, one day I'm going to be successful to the point where all those same videos going to be about me. and you're going to be mad because you're going to have to fight for me for who you know who I am.

And I told her, I said, I'm going to make my own determination. I'm going to sit with him. And, man, like, he poured into us insane vice versa. And he even told me, like, the fact that he would say, man, I'm glad you said something because I'm not above criticism. And if you didn't, I wouldn't have changed my own house. And this wouldn't exist. That's a powerful statement to make as a nigger who up here.

because he's high enough to be like Nick I don't care what you're talking about I ain't never got to see you again you know And for somebody up there to say I'm not above criticism I deserve that critique too because it helped me That's dope man Can we play some joints off the album? All he can rap whatever you want to do

I mean whatever you feel like doing LaRessel Yeah I like rapping You got it queued up You still cold? You still cold you warmed up Man I'm the coldest I was actually happy

La Russell text me this morning. He sent me instrumental. He said, just in case. Yeah. Just in case. You know what that means? I'm like, okay. What we got?

My man came in a head with two hats and a sleeping bag. Ugh. You're going to turn it down a little bit? I think I'm good. Okay. Pops used to whip a black in burgundy suburban. Back then I knew that I was deserving. Back then I knew that I would be something.

God put a light inside me like a pumpkin. Quality and quality and quills. quantity, do it in conjunction. A bruised ego can fuck up the family functioned. Did it from the crib changed the way the family functions. Yeah, I see myself and my mama. I see myself and my daughter. I see myself and my daddy

remove myself from the drama. I'm trying to help the family heal and still make it up the hill. Take care of everyone but still recoup the deal. I'm Big Russ now. I used to be little. And Big Russ still alive, this shit real. All I ever wanted was to make my Daddy proud. You execute different when your daddy in the crowd.

Try to follow his lead used to barely crack a smile. Was in my style. I've been this way since a child. Back and forth with ya-ya, I was young and wild. We was both just babies having a child. Now we grown in a house still not a home. I cried some nights knowing you better off alone. I'm on a roll making money off songs.

While you are home raising babies on your own. Thank God you got your mama and your siblings. Thank God I'm still invited on Thanksgiving. I might have to pass on the next one. I said I'm the only one, not the best one. But every day I show up in my human form, as if my mama knew this be my life when I was born. Remember that night up in the hospital you was torn,

open by the breaching of my baby. I was a youth I couldn't understand the flow of life. All I could do is grab a hand and try to hold it tight. Used to be plagued with all the women I would hold that night. Thinking about male when I was learning how to hold the right But shit got ugly as a nigga with an over That wasn't nice, but I am Hey, hold on

These rap songs done help heal plenty men Reversing damage that was done to us by many men You know they love to play gangster to somebody shake you I learned early dear Lord I want to thank you For walking me through fours with my eyes closed You ain't gotta say a word when your eyes hold The light given to you by the most high I'm from the north but I live on both sides

You know I'm in the hood like a serpentine belt Spitting rhymes nigga felt Remember getting whippings till a nigga had welts Early life lessons from a belt Yelling my mama name calling out for help When she ain't come to rescue me I would melt Chip on my shoulder through the day Stayed in the room

I ain't even want to play All the shit I never used to Say out of fear I get to say here These flows been healing me since I was Young 97 work done What a fucking run I can't see it coming down my eyes

So I gotta let the song cry Yeah I can't see it Coming down my eyes So I gotta let the song cry Yeah Every night it came down my eyes And I still let this song cry Yeah

Thank God It came down my eyes So I gotta let this song cry It's the motherfucking rock Yeah Ladies and gentlemen Right That just make you want to

Right I know I love it Go order something's in the water Right now Where can they order Man Get my god of 100,000 copies

We don't even dot biz Please You know I'm a young black kid From the turf And this campaign Means so much to me It's really showing

the world what's possible. We don't get to witness people really go for something they believe in and publicly asks for help. It takes so much dissolution of pride to go to your community and say, please help me achieve this. And that's where I'm at with it. Like, I want my people

to support me. I want people to rally behind me. This is something I believe is obtainable. So please, even that be it, something's in the water. You can go to the website. You can pay whatever you want, a dollar, $5, $10, whatever, man. Let's just get my guy to What's the website?

What's the website? Even. That biz. Even dot biz. I got to go make a purchase my damsel. Come on. I'm going to. It's the breakfast club.

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Seems like just yesterday that the Two Guys Five Rings podcast was in Paris for the Olympics. And now we're heading to Milan for the 26th Milan Cortina Olympic Winter Games. I'm Bowen-Yang. And I'm Matt Rogers and we'll join athletes from 93 countries as Two Guys Five Rings hits the Italian Alps for the 226 Milan-Cortina Olympic Winter Games. Open your free IHart Radio app. Do we mention it's free? Search two guys five rings

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