Russ' Debut Album Goes Gold, "What They Want" Goes Platinum

Russ is a rapper who has been on the come-up for a minute now, but with two new plaques being handed down to him from the RIAA, his days of residing on popular hip-hop's fringes might be over. According to the emcee's Twitter feed, his debut album There's Really A Wolf has ben certified Gold, while his single "What They Want" has now climbed to platinum status. No small feat for Russ and he took the opportunity to celebrate with his fans online, as well as reminisce about how far he's come.

"Blessed," began Russ, who has dropped several thank-you's to his fans via social media over the last twenty-four hours. "Two platinum singles. Gold album that came out this summer. Amazing supporters all around and a insanely loyal fanbase." He also took the time to point out that he's always been a believer in his abilities, both as a songwriter and as a beat maker - it just took the music world a minute to catch and get on his level.

"Used to celebrate 1000 plays looking back now I realize the journey is everything," continued the rapper. "This is CRAZY!! Man...I'm speechless bout my life." His life used to consist of online purgatory, as far as his music is concerned. Now, he looks back on those days with fondness, remembering how focused he was and relishing the visions of how hard he worked to get his career to where it is now. "Shoutout to when I would drop albums and get 0 retweets and 2 likes," he said. "Now they go gold cuz I never stopped and cuz y'all are amazing."

Russ has not only been outspoken about his recent success in music, but also as an advocate against the use of drugs, specifically when it comes to Xanax and lean. "If I stopped ONE kid from abusing xans or lean, mission accomplished..better than getting ONE kid to try that shit. Period," he ranted via Twitter, continuing to paint himself as a crusader for positive life experiences. "Doing xanax and lean cuz your favorite rapper makes it sound cool is all fun and games till your impressionable ass gets addicted. Stop."