Paul Russell | |
|---|---|
.jpg.webp) Russell at the 2023 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Paul Jeffrey Russell[1] |
| Education | Cornell University (BS) |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. North Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Labels | Arista |
Paul Jeffrey Russell is an American rapper, singer, and business consultant based in Los Angeles.[2] He is best known for his 2023 single "Lil Boo Thang," which peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. After the song gained virality on TikTok, he signed to Arista Records to release it as a commercial single for the label.[3] Prior, he was a business analyst and corporate advertiser.[4]
Early life and education
Russell was raised in the suburbs of Atlanta and attended Allen High School in Allen, Texas.[5] In 2019, Russell graduated from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations.[6] Upon relocating to Los Angeles that year, Russell worked at a brand consultancy.[7]
Career
While in college, Russell signed to Kings Dream Entertainment, a Christian rap label.[5] Through Kings Dream, Russell released Via Text, a 2018 joint album with the artist Ruslan and Once in a Dry Season, a 2019 solo album. From 2021 onwards, Russell released a number of singles through Boom.Records.
Beginning in 2020, Russell built a following on TikTok. He signed with Arista Records after a snippet of "Lil Boo Thang" went viral on the platform in July 2023.[7] The full single was released the following month.[2][8][7]
Discography
Solo albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Once in a Dry Season |
|
Collaborative albums
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Via Text (with Ruslan) |
|
Singles
As lead artist
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [9] |
US Adult Pop [10] |
US Pop [11] |
US Rhy. [12] |
AUS [13] |
CAN [14] |
IRE [15] |
UK [16] |
WW [17] | ||||
| "Get Back" (with Ruslan) |
2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Via Text | |
| "Breeze" (with Ruslan) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Birthday" (with Ruslan) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Kalamazoo" (featuring Jon Keith and TrossTheGiant) |
2019 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Once in a Dry Season | |
| "45th Avenue Interlude" (featuring Ruslan and Jon Keith) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Open Road" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Feels Like a Dream" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Kimbo Slice" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Find My Way" (with Oh-So featuring Kaleb Mitchell) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Non-album singles | ||
| "Friends" (with Ruslan) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Julio Jones" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Personal Brand" (with Foggieraw) |
2020 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Facetime (4G LTE)" (with Kuwada) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Hallelujah" | 2021 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Nose Job" (with Wes Walker) |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Jeans" | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Glossier" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "H4U" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Ms. Poli Sci" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| "Be That Too" | 2023 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| "Lil Boo Thang" | 14 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 5 | 28 [18] | 20 | 79 | |||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. | ||||||||||||
As featured artist
| Title | Year |
|---|---|
| "Reminiscing" (Oh-So with Paul Russell and Lawren) |
2019 |
| "Somebody New" (Abe Parker with Paul Russell) |
2020 |
| "Sushi" (Cole Tindal with Paul Russell and TrossTheGiant) |
2021 |
| "Goodbye" (Shanin Blake with Paul Russell) | |
| "Never Give Up" (166 with Paul Russell and Tedashii) | |
| "Yours!" (Barely Trev with Paul Russell) |
2022 |
Guest appearances
| Title | Other artist(s) | Year | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "We Three Kings" | Lecrae and Abe Parker | 2018 | The Gift |
| "Chaotic"[22] | — | 2023 | Good Burger 2 Original Motion Picture Soundtrack |
References
- ↑ "Lil' Boo Thang — ACE Repertory".
- 1 2 Sc, Marc. "'Lil Boo Thang' Viral Artist Paul Russell Signs With Arista". Billboard. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ↑ "This rapper's song went viral before it was even available to stream. The full version is out now". Inquirer.com.
- ↑ "Paul Russell — Senior Business Analyst at NAX Group".
- 1 2 Lee, Zachary. "With (the) Kings Dream: Interview with Paul Russell". Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ↑ n.a/. "2016 High Road Fellows". ILR School. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- 1 2 3 "MUSIC Paul Russell's Lil Boo Thang has become a big thing". Reel360. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ↑ Zellner, Xander. "Hot 100 First-Timers: Paul Russell's 'Lil Boo Thang' Gets Bigger With Debut". Billboard. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ↑ "Billboard Hot 100: Week of January 13, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Adult Pop Airplay: Week of January 20, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
- ↑ "Pop Airplay: Week of November 25, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay: Week of December 9, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ↑ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of January 13, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 5 January – 11 January 2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ↑ "Billboard Global 200: Week of January 13, 2024". Billboard. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
- ↑ "Top 100 Singles, Week Ending 5 January 2024". Official Charts Company. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles for week of 8 January 2024". Australian Recording Industry Association. 8 January 2024. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
- ↑ "Canadian certifications – Paul Russell". Music Canada. Retrieved December 5, 2023.
- ↑ "American certifications – Paul Russell". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ↑ "Wiz Khalifa, Yung Gravy & More Lead 'Good Burger 2' Soundtrack". Billboard. 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-11-23.