Russ Recalls Meeting Kanye West For The First Time: "I Just Praised Him"

He may have millions of followers of his own, but that doesn’t mean that Russ still doesn’t have artists that he stans over. The Shake The Snow Globe artist and author has been building his fanbase from the ground up as he carves out his own space in the music industry independently. Russ has never been shy about sharing who inspired him to become an artist, and when Big Boy ushered in an opportunity for Russ to meet Kanye West, he couldn’t believe it.

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Russ sat down with Big Boy’s Neighborhood and shared the story of how he met Yeezy. “I didn’t know who you was on the phone with,” Russ said to Big Boy. “You just [handed] me the phone and is just like, ‘You, it’s Ye.’ Like, bro. No heads up? It’s not like it’s my idol or anything.” The rapper said that he was “gassed” by the interaction but “also once again surprised that I was relatively calm. I could have sworn I was gonna f*ck this up.”

Then he shared how Big Boy later told him that he planned on taking Russ to one of Yeezy’s Sunday Services for a face to face meeting. “He was super cool,” Russ recalled. When asked what they talked about, Russ replied, “I just praised him.” In turn, Big Boy wanted to know how Russ handles being “somebody’s Kanye.” 

“It does trip me out because I get the messages all the time where it’s like, what a Kanye or what a Drake has done for me, is what I’m doing for people,” Russ said. “And that’s why I always kinda preach accountability and responsibility for what you’re putting out to the world and the messages you’re putting out. That’s why when it comes down to the self-forgiveness thing that I talk about, I forgive myself because my intentions were always pure and my message was always solid. Even if it came off like ‘f*ck you,’ it was still from a self-belief, DIY, you can do it, too, intention…. the greatest thing you can do is inspire.” Watch Russ’s full interview with Big Boy’s Neighborhood below.