Russ uncleared sample cost $850,000

Photo Credit: Russ by SullivanXVII / CC by 4.0

Rapper Russ reveals that failing to properly clear a sample back in 2015 led to him having to pay nearly $1 million to secure the rights.

Singer-songwriter Russ admitted on the “And the Writer Is…” podcast that his 2015 hit “Losin’ Control” featured a sample he didn’t clear until well after the song blew up. Clearing the sample years after the fact nearly cost him $1 million.

“Losin’ Control” ended up going eight times platinum in the United States. The track samples Oneohtrix Point Never’s “Behind the Bank.” Until his recent appearance on the podcast, Russ had never commented publicly on the sample issue.

“I got f—ed with that song,” he said. “Because I forgot to clear the sample until after it was like four times platinum. I probably could have cleared it in 2015 when I made it. But I didn’t know anyone in 2015. I’m just a kid in a basement. But I probably could have cleared it back then for $5,000.”

“The song comes out, goes on the album. I forget about it to the point where I’m like, ‘I don’t even remember if I sampled that,’” he explained. “And then I was like, ‘Oh fuck, I did.’ […] So the sample holder came. […] So I had to cut a check for like $850,000. It was an expensive fuck up.”

Although the dance artist had never commented on the sample issue before, he’s been outspoken about the alleged glorification of substance abuse in hip-hop. While talking to Aria Nejati on his Apple Music show, Russ discussed a controversial post from 2017, in which the New Jersey native shared a photo of himself wearing a shirt that read, “How much Xans and Lean do you have to do before you realize you’re a fucking loser?”

He doubled down: “That shit needed to be said. Somebody within that space needed to call out the glorification of substance abuse—especially from a social media standpoint.”

“Just [how some are] trying to make it look cool to people and not understanding the responsibility and even within the music, not understanding the impact and influence you have over kids,” he explained.

“I’m not saying I’m the perfect role model, but I just think as an artist, you can either inspire people to self-destruct or you can inspire people to self-improve,” he added. “And I think a lot of the music coming out right [now] is inspiring you to self-destruct. It’s the glorification of self-destruction.”