Paul Russell

You've never met or heard anybody quite like Paul Russell. As a kid, the Dallas, TX native learned how to wail on trumpet in between spitting bars during lunchroom battle-raps and later crooning over ukulele (like the human equivalent of the dopest playlist you've ever heard!). His musical DNA is just as wildly dynamic as his personality is. During his time at Cornell University, he often DJ-ed at parties. As such, he knows how to get a party popping. A wide swath of inspirations — from Anderson .Paak and OutKast to Louie Armstrong — impacted his own creative trajectory. He gained traction with a series of early uploads and went viral a few times (even fooling the internet into thinking he had a Drake feature on the way once — If you're reading this, Drizzy, get at him).

Settling down in Los Angeles, his independent anthem "Hallelujah" generated over 7.3 million Spotify streams followed by "Ms. Poli Sci" with 14 million Spotify streams. He best describes his boisterous rhythms, ecstatic hooks, and buffet of R&B, funk, pop, and hip-hop as "cookout music you listen to outside with a bunch of friends." That holds true on his Arista Records debut single "Lil Boo Thang." Built around an interpolation of "Best Of My Love" by The Emotions, it lit up TikTok and Instagram to the tune of tens of millions of views. Now, he officially delivers "Lil Boo Thang'' as the perfect soundtrack to any and all good times. Paul Russell is about to be your new best friend.