Russ recently sold out the Kia Forum in Los Angeles and took to social media to explain why he can pack large venues while other artists struggle.
It all started when a fan posted an image from Russ’s Phoenix show, implying the venue wasn’t full. The fan captioned it: ‘Stop lying bro ..we was there..it looks packed in this video because of the angle you recorded.’
Russ didn’t hold back in his response. He quoted the tweet, saying, ‘I’ll break this down for you since you’re an idiot. You can only sell a certain amount of tickets on the floor because of fire hazard. Some artists put seats on the floor to make it look more full. I don’t, cuz I like for the floor to be turnt so everyone crams to the front hence the space at the back. Phoenix & LA both sold out. How you hatin and a fan. What a fucking loser lmao.’
He further elaborated on his Twitter about why his approach works, pointing out that many artists fake their streaming numbers, which doesn’t correlate with ticket sales. ‘Don’t be mad at me selling out arenas cuz your fav can’t,’ he wrote. ‘Y’all start tryna make excuses and do all sorts of mental gymnastics in an attempt to figure out the disconnect. They are faking their streams which is why the ticket sales don’t match the streams. Simple. But stay out my mentions with the stupidity.’
Russ believes that the authenticity of his fan base is what sets him apart. ‘I don’t even like doin all the rah rah puff my chest out talk anymore tbh cuz I’ve learned that time passing and outlasting everyone tends to do the trick but every once in a while someone just says something too dumb for me to ignore. Maybe another year of therapy and I’ll be there.’
In the past, Russ has also accused the music industry of inflating numbers and cheating artists. Last year, he called out major labels by saying, ‘Real shit, I’m bout to start faking my streams like everyone else [laughing face emojis]. It’s marketing when you think about it. General person is a sheep.’ He even contemplated making a documentary about the process.
Russ also had a spat with Billboard and Luminate, accusing them of manipulating his album sales. He claimed they took away thousands of his real sales while allowing major labels to inflate their numbers with fake streams and sales. His manager, Milan Ackerman, backed him up, accusing these entities of creating inflated charts verified by dubious data, both owned by the same parent company.
Russ continues to stand firm in his beliefs and uses his sold-out shows as proof that genuine fan engagement outweighs fabricated streaming numbers.
