Rapper LaRussell goes from Atlanta shows to Super Bowl Tailgate Concert
One week, rapper LaRussell was headlining in Atlanta, and the next, he's performing at the Super Bowl.
The musician, whose given name is LaRussell Dwayne Thomas, has quickly gone from releasing his music independently to being signed to one of the biggest labels in the world.
LaRussell is from the Bay Area, but now calls Atlanta home.
"Atlanta was home prior to Lil Jon, but yeah, it definitely brought it home," he said.
He said working with the Atlanta music icon inspired him to go in a different direction.
"You know, like the original title for this album was Baytel," he said. "Jon was really, really, really just serious about, like, 'This for you. Like this is for home. Represent, they need it,'" he recalled.
Born and raised in Vallejo, California, LaRussell says opening the Super Bowl Tailgate Concert ahead of kickoff on Sunday was a stage he manifested.
"I've been talking to the NFL for a while," he said.
With two million followers on Instagram, he's inspiring the future with backyard concerts where kids take center stage.
"A lot of us learn raps before we learn how to properly spell," he said. "The way we talk, the way we speak, the ways we carry ourselves throughout the world comes from the music we consume."
Now he's on a mission to sell 100,000 albums in 30 days. And he's doing it one follower at a time.
"Kyrie Irving bought an album for $11,000, Cedric the Entertainer bought an album for a thousand," he said.
And he's got a major music icon backing him up; Jay-Z recently signed him to Roc Nation.
The Super Bowl LX Tailgate Concert begins at 3:50 p.m. before the game. Along with LaRussell, metro Atlanta artist Teddy Swims will help kick the festivities off.