Paul Russell | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Paul Jeffrey Russell[1] |
| Origin | Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. North Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Labels | Arista |
| Spouse(s) | Meghan Russell (née McKenzie) |
Paul Jeffrey Russell is an American rapper and singer based in Los Angeles.[2] He is best known for his 2023 single "Lil Boo Thang," which peaked at number 23 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]
Early life and education
Russell was raised in the suburbs of Atlanta and attended Allen High School in Allen, Texas.[4] In 2019, Russell graduated from the Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations.[5] Upon relocating to Los Angeles that year, Russell worked at a brand consultancy.[6]
Career
While in college, Russell signed to Kings Dream Entertainment, a Christian rap label.[4] 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.[6] The full single was released the following month.[2][7][6]
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 | Album | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US [8] |
US Adult Pop [9] |
US Pop [10] |
US Rhy. [11] |
AUS [12] |
CAN [13] |
IRE [14] |
UK [15] |
WW [16] | |||
| "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" | 23 | 6 | 5 | 10 | 19 | 26 | 55 | 36 | 158 | ||
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"[17] | — | 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.
- 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 November 25, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Adult Pop Airplay: Week of December 2, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ↑ "Pop Airplay: Week of November 25, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Rhythmic Airplay: Week of December 2, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ↑ "ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ↑ "Billboard Canadian Hot 100: Week of December 2, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ↑ "IRMA – Irish Charts". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
- ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100: 24 November 2023 – 30 November 2023". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
- ↑ "Billboard Global 200: Week of December 2, 2023". Billboard. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
- ↑ "Wiz Khalifa, Yung Gravy & More Lead 'Good Burger 2' Soundtrack". Billboard. 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2023-11-23.