Despite releasing his last album, Santiago, two years ago in 2023, the Jersey-born, Atlanta-based rapper has kept busy in the intervening years. In 2024, he went on his It Was You All Along Tour and made an appearance in M. Night Shyamalan’s musical thriller film Trap.
Now, he’s back with a new album, Wild, his sixth album of a career that has included some impressive career milestones to date. The former Uproxx cover star shared a moody trailer for the album in which he’s seen driving down a deserted highway in a convertible, passing a “leaving Santiago” sign, and previewing some of the new songs as he skips around on the car stereo. When he finally gets to his destination, a dirt path marked “W!LD,” he gets out of the car and issues an exasperated expression before continuing his trek.
Today he followed up with another post, giving fans their first look at the album’s artwork. Unlike the expressive, colorful cover art for Santiago, Wild features a minimalistic, almost totemic illustration of an animal, calling to mind the artwork for his breakout 2017 album There’s Really A Wolf. Perhaps this means a “back to basics” approach for Russ, who has prided himself through the years on his independent status — and on his success. According to captions, the album is due in spring/summer 2025, so we won’t have long to wait to find out what he’s been working on all this time.
