Album of the Year #43: Russ – Santiago

Artist: Russ

Album: Santiago

Release date: August 18th, 2023

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Artist Background

A product of both New Jersey and Atlanta, Russ has been on the scene for quite some time. His major label album debut, There’s Really a Wolf, dropped in 2017. Russ had been creating music for much longer than that, though. He started writing rap lyrics when he was just seven years old. He began to dabble in production when he was 14 with his childhood best friend, Bugus (a man he still frequently collaborates with today). He made his first song when he was 18. As he’s famously said in his bestselling book It’s All In Your Head, he dropped 11 albums and 87 singles before he even scratched the surface of what his career could become. He’s become a face of independent artistry, while mastering how to market one’s music. He’s adopted a unique approach of dropping singles on an almost weekly basis while also making his own (easily recognized) cover art. Russ has not been without his controversies, however. His disparaging comments about artists that have been addicted to drugs and the lack of creativity in modern Hip-Hop production led to a “Fuck Russ” movement on social media. You couldn’t go on a single DJ Akademics Instagram post without the comments being flooded with it. He’s largely gotten past that era of his career, though. He now understands that the tone of the messenger affects how the message is received. The impressive versatility that he’s shown across his ever-growing discography, whether it be with a pop-infused album like Shake The Snow Globe or bar heavy projects (that have featured numerous rap legends) like his Chomp series, he’s won over the masses and been co-signed by the greats. Much of his success is due to his appeal to different demographics of the musical landscape. His lush, harmonic vocals and melodies show his introspective, tender side. He produces many of his songs himself as well. As he’s continued to grow as both an artist and a lyricist, he’s reached a point of supreme comfort with his creative process. He makes the music that he wants to make, without trying to pander to any crowd. He’s braggadocios, self-examining, relatable, and his unwavering confidence has gotten him to this point in his career.

*Spoilers for the The Alchemist will be included in this review by necessity*

Review by u/OhioKingZ

Santiago feels like a culmination of all of Russ’s experiences, both in his personal life and his career in the music industry. With this self proclaimed Magnum Opus, Russ has taken his introspection to another level. Santiago is influenced by Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist, one of the greatest fables of all time. The story is about a shepherd, Santiago, pursuing his purpose and personal legend. Russ sees himself as Santiago, taking us along on his journey of self-discovery as he achieves his dreams.

The album starts with a short one minute intro, “See You Soon”. The first thing you hear is the sound of sheep and the wind, signifying the environment of a shepherd. The fable starts with Santiago sleeping under a tree with his sheep nearby. Starting the album out that way makes it feel like the start of the play or movie adaptation of the fable itself. Russ croons, “I’ma see you soon, I know what I got to do”. These lyrics immediately immerse you into what’s to come. Russ is about to embark on his journey to find his treasure. Although, the true treasure might not be what he expects. Background vocals are provided by Bibi Bourelly, who makes many appearances on the album. Aaron Paris also lends his hand (the lead of Strings from Paris, an incredible ensemble that I highly recommend) closing out the song with an angelic chord progression. His fingerprints are all over the album as well. Russ actually gave him free rein to add whatever he felt enriched the album’s soundscape.

Russ uses the next track, “Smooth”, to tell us that he’s a smooth talker and that he “speaks the language”. One of the defining themes of The Alchemist is the constant references to the universal language. The language that our soul uses to speak to us. A language of love, enthusiasm, perseverance, good will, and purpose. Russ tells us that he’s fluent in this language. He lets it guide his heart towards a life of fulfillment, the type of life that we’re all meant to live. He speaks about his current status with appreciation, as his lifestyle has allowed him to provide his family with a life of grandeur. He gets to perform around the world while making millions. He’s even baffled that someone like Kylie Jenner listens to his music. Everything in his life is going smooth. Or is it?

Just when he thinks his life is stress free, imposter syndrome sets in. On “fraud”, a brilliantly placed song on the track list, Russ questions if he’s even worthy of the position that he’s in, of the success that he’s garnered. He wonders if all the pain he’s went through in his life is actually his fault. He admits that he constantly battles perfectionism and a savior complex. He views his parents’ divorce, an often spoken about trauma of his, as a result of his success. For context, when Russ first started to bring in real money from his music, he bought a new house for his parents (they were still married at the time). His dad was insecure at the thought of his own son paying for everything and started an argument with Russ about it, which led to Russ’s mom getting involved in the fight. The fight tore the family apart. Russ’s parents got a divorce as a result, leading to Russ blaming himself. He also raps about wanting to please fans at the expense of his mental health, not wanting to disappoint anybody. He doesn’t know who he is without the success and fandom. Is he actually living a life of fulfillment, or just one driven by materialism and ego? He admits that he feels lost.

Next is “No More”, with Russ struggling to persevere through all of the adversity. The instrumentation starts similarly to “Fraud”, with a simple guitar melody in the background. Some woodwinds are then added, juxtaposing the guitar, creating a beautiful soundscape. Russ wants to give up. He’s tired of crying and giving it his all, only to sink further and further into depression. The things that once went smoothly are falling apart, whether it be his family or his dedication to music.

“Empty” is filled with more of the same emotions. Sadness, despair, hopelessness. He doesn’t see light at the tunnel, so he attempts to escape and fill the void in his soul with hedonistic vices like sex and an artificial sense of accomplishment. Still, he can’t help but to care. No matter how hard he tries, the passion inside of him, as dim as it may be, won’t completely die out. This instrumental is more lively than some of the others so far. There’s hard hitting bass, accompanied by a flute and a xylophone. Aaron Paris’s transitions are all just perfect on this album, this time leading into the next song with a flat out euphoric outro.

The turning point on the album comes on “I Love You Boy”. Russ begins to show empathy to his past self, helping his inner child process the trauma and circumstances that have led to his cynical attitude and mindset. Many psychologists have said that giving grace and forgiveness to our inner child can be an effective way of healing the PTSD that comes with wounds of the past, as evidenced by what Russ is doing on this track. “You grew up in an environment that was hostile and got wild/arguments that you heard as a small child had an effect/that left you with a lot to undo”, he raps. The first verse is filled with vivid imagery, painting the many scenes of his parents fighting; putting us in his shoes. His dad’s shortcomings and abusive tendencies gave him a chip on his shoulder that he’s carried to this day. My favorite line of the song is when he raps, “Breakdowns mean that it’s time for a rebirth”. He’s finally expressing feelings of self-love, a crucial step in his journey.

If there’s any song that resembles a banger, it’s “enough”. Russ is fed up, but re-energized. He’s being brutally honest and looking himself in the mirror. He acknowledges the thought processes that were holding him back from reaching his true potential. This is the most technically complex song lyrically. The beat is fast paced. There’s no hook, just straight bars. He’s firing off multi-syllabic rhymes without seemingly taking a breath. Seriously, his breath control on this is insane. You can just hear in his voice how reinvigorated he is. He talks about toxic masculinity influencing how vulnerable he had been in the past with bars like “It’s no surprise that suicide is super high, it’s not unusual/ ‘cause men know that they only get their flowers at their funeral”. He no longer needs to act tough and mask his emotions for anybody, not even for the women who look down on him for it. He knows he’s enough.

“Adventure” is about accepting to live outside of one’s comfort zone. In The Alchemist, Santiago travels from his home country of Spain to Egypt. During the first part of his adventure, he was mired in stressful situations. He got swindled by someone he thought he could trust. He lost all of his money. And while Santiago was initially stressed, he realized that his naivety stemmed from being in a new, foreign place. Yet, a place being new doesn’t make it a strange place. Russ echoes these exact words in the pre-chorus. His negative internal self-talk has transformed into his own motivational speech. He realizes that he’s not lost in life, he’s just on an adventure in uncharted territory. He knows he’ll face self-doubt, but reminds himself that he’s on this journey for a reason and he can’t turn back given how far he’s come. He remembers to trust the universe and its language. He learns that the success he’s achieved up until this point, for better or for worse, was the success that he was supposed to achieve. The bumpiness of the road has been necessary to endure. The animosity he had previously held towards God has turned into an understanding. God puts his strongest soldiers through the toughest battles, and Russ cannot lose faith no matter what. This sentiment aligns with where Santiago becomes similarly enlightened in the fable, when he traverses a desert filled with thieves, sandstorms, and war. There was no turning back. He then finally arrives at.. an oasis. (The title of the next track; another example of the extremely well thought out track list sequencing)

Bibi Bourelly starts Oasis off with such a harmonious chorus. The uplifting instrumentation makes me feel like I’m in an oasis, finally quenching my thirst. In the fable, the literal contrast between the unforgiving desert and the richness of the oasis represents the symbolic contrast of the lonely nature of venturing into new experiences versus the comfort of prosperity. There’s also a sense of neutrality with the oasis, whereas the desert feels like a competitive “free for all”, just like how the pursuit of one’s dream can. It can be easy to fall into the trap of never wanting to leave an oasis, though. Why would you ever need to leave if you feel like you already have everything you need, right? Russ’s second verse is filled with feelings of complacency. He’s enjoying himself too much, and will get back on track tomorrow. Santiago has food, water, and a lover (subject of the next song). Russ has money, fans, materialistic treasures, etc. His friends think he has it all, but he instead views himself as gluttonous. He tells us about his various coping mechanisms (drugs, alcohol, porn) that have contributed to his complacency. He knows he needs to get back on the road, even if that road is filled with danger and uncertainty.

At the Oasis, Santiago meets the love of his love. A woman named Fatima. It was only by meeting her that he realized that the universal language was love. He’s enamored with her. Russ uses the song “Fatima” to express his own love. His days of lusting over random women are behind him. Russ and Melanie Faye’s vocals often overlap and stack through out the song and its chef’s kiss. Great creative decision on his part. It almost feels like a movie where both the man and woman are singing about each other at different locations but it’s showing both of them. Like a duet at a distance.

As beautiful as love is, “Distracted” shows the potential downside of it. Often times when we are in love, we make irrational decisions that aren’t necessarily for the best. We often alter life goals and give up everything else for that person. When Santiago falls in love with Fatima, he initially doesn’t want to leave the oasis. He feels like his love for her is more important than the treasure he’s pursuing. Fatima realizes that she’s just part of his journey, and encourages him to continue on. She tells him that if they’re meant to be together, then he’ll survive, find his treasure, then return to her in the end. Santiago realizes that she’s right and re-focuses on what he initially set out to do when he left behind his life as a shepherd. Bibi’s voice adds another deep layer of sonic appeal to the song. Just as Fatima echoes Santiago’s goals from afar, Bibi echoes Russ’s introspections. True love is encouraging a person to be their best self, even if your relationship with them suffers as a result. In another moment of self-doubt, Russ ponders, “I’ll admit, this journey is tough. Am I worthy enough? Should I just turn around and come back? Fuck that, I wouldn’t forgive myself if I don’t give myself everything I got”. He has a vision, and there’s no turning back. Which leads us to..

The next song, “Tunnel Vision”. Another fitting song title. This is Russ’s moment of clarity. No longer conflicted with feelings of love, greed, and self-doubt, he’s ready to relentlessly pursue his purpose. He has his eyes solely on the prize. “That wasn’t the goal, it never was. I’m tryna see what my zenith is/ What it looks like to believe in strength in all of my weaknesses”. He’s determined to experience the purity of life. A life of sobriety, self-love, and new career heights. He now understands that the journey is the true treasure. He’s interconnected to the Soul of the World, and giving up on himself would be giving up on the universe. With energy comes reciprocity. You get what you give and if you don’t speak to the universe with its own language, then it will return the favor by shutting you out. Russ understands that. He’s no longer fueled by the validation of others, rather the fear of regret and the motivation to be a better family member and friend. He isn’t as hard on himself as he once was because he’s allowed the process of healing to take over his life. He has nothing to prove to anybody but himself.

In The Alchemist, the wind constantly spoke to Santiago. The wind represents many things. At one point in the fable, it was a source of destruction, symbolizing the adversity that one goes through on their personal journey. The final test for Santiago was transform himself into the wind. He had trouble doing so earlier in the story. It was only when he truly internalized that there’s an interconnectedness throughout all of nature that he was able to do so. The sun, the moon, the desert, the wind, the sea, the forest, the animals, and all people. We are all one with nature, which allows us to speak the universal language, and that in turn connects us to God. That is what allows each of us to achieve our personal legend. Call that transformation/energy whatever you want. Manifestation, Fate, Purpose, Destiny, Self-Determination. That is why Russ chose to end this album with “The Wind”. He has transformed. He found his treasure. Sonically speaking, how he used his voice to replicate blowing wind (as if he became the wind itself) by alternating between the left/right stereo blew my mind. You need to wear headphones when listening to this track. The middle eastern influenced instrumentation was a nice touch as well. After a short instrumental break, he ends the song, and the album, with one final lesson learned; that he had it in him the entire time. “It was you all along, you had it the whole time”. He had it in him before he ever went on his journey, back when he felt lost. Back when he was enduring all of his childhood trauma and self-doubt. This mirrors the “twist” ending to The Alchemist in that Santiago didn’t actually find the literal treasure in Egypt. It had been dug under the same tree that he would sleep under back in Spain. He was in the vicinity of the treasure the whole time, he just needed to go on his journey of self-discovery in order to obtain it. Once he goes back and finds the treasure, he heads back to the oasis to spend the rest of his life with Fatima.

Conclusion

Santiago is a meticulously crafted concept album. I just cannot get over how perfectly sequenced the track list is. The emotional roller coaster that Russ experiences as the album goes on is an exact parallel to Santiago’s trials and tribulations at similar points throughout the fable. This album is a personal favorite of mine because I had finally gotten around to reading The Alchemist just days before Russ announced the album. It felt like God’s timing, truly. I’m also relieved that Russ didn’t use the story of Santiago as a cheap gimmick in order to make the concept appear deeper than it actually is. He respected the source material to a level that we typically only see in (some) novel to television/film adaptations. This album was an intrapersonal, cinematic experience. One that was surely difficult for Russ to make. He put himself out there fully and was uncomfortably vulnerable. He trusted the creative vision of more producers than he usually would and chose the perfect collaborators, Bibi Bourelly and Aaron Paris in particular. Some of the Hip-Hop community has taken awhile to come around to Russ, but he’s an extraordinary talent that deserves all of the success that he’s earned. Looking forward to Chomp 3 and all of the other music that he has in store for us in 2024!

Discussion questions:

Have you read The Alchemist? If so, what was your interpretation of the story and how well do you think Russ’s album relates to the story? Is this Russ’s best album? Or do you prefer any of his previous releases? If you could pick one dream feature for Chomp 3, who would it be?