Every musician dreams of the day that they sign their first record deal. For Jay-Z, that came just a year after he started releasing music under his label “Roc-A-Fella Records” in 1995, when he signed a distribution deal with Priority in 1996 before releasing his debut album “Reasonable Doubt”. For Eminem, it was when he signed with Interscope and released “The Slim Shady LP” in 1999.
But for some, they’re able to find success using their own networking and promotional acumen. In return, they maintain complete and total creative control as well as control over the direction of their sound. Take our subject, [email protected], for example. This Miami artist has somehow discovered the formula to fame without any help from the corporate suits and ball-and-chain contracts that so many others are pining after.
When we ask him what inspired him to choose this avenue, he pointed to who probably is the most distinct example: Russ.
“It may have taken him 10 whole years, 11 albums, and 87 tracks before he found his fame, but now he’s able to control every single step of his journey. And try as they may, there’s no record label or A&R rep that can claim credit for ANY of his success.”
Just by taking a glance at [email protected]’s discography, you can see the impression that Russ has made. Though [email protected] hasn’t quite gone off the deep end with the one-track-a-week drop schedule lasting over a year in the same way that his muse did, the Jersey-native saturated the April 2022 charts with four tracks that each made an impact in their own way. Clearly, he’s doing something right, amassing over 300,000 streams within a month of his debut track’s release!
