Those independent cheques hit different. , who has since carved out a lane as a young mogul in his own right, continues to thrive off his own self-sustainability. At the end of January, the Diemon King went head to head with and dropped his arguably the best body of work he’s released thus far. And while he didn’t manage to secure the number one spot, Russ did crack the top five on the Billboard 200, clocking in at number four.

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HHNM confirms that Russ came through with a first-week total tally of  67,716, putting him behind the seemingly immovable and Please Excuse Me For Being Social. To Russ’ credit, the rapper has never been one to chase numbers or accolades, much to the benefit of his loyal fanbase. While it did feature his biggest hit “Best On Earth,” it’s clear that many of Russ’ listeners looked beyond the viral single and supported the album as a whole.

That’s not to say he’s completely neglectful of industry practices. He certainly made effective use of bundling, securing forty-thousand in physical sales thanks to an upcoming tour package. All signs point to Russ continuing to thrive in the lane he’s carved out — are you along for the ride?