London MC Russ (pronounced Rush) Millions inserts playful colour and flair to the UK’s drill sound. For debut album One of a Kind, he doubles down, and presents a love letter to his unique style—and his city. “This is all my playground,” he tells Apple Music of his hometown. “Since [I was] a juvenile, this has been my city, the whole city, even though my favourite part is definitely the south. As things have changed, I’ve grown up—but that’s always how I’ll see it.” The 17-track LP, which pays tribute to the sounds of his city, opens on an uptempo drill swing and doesn’t let up. Russ draws heavily from the implosive bounce and roughneck flows of Jamaican dancehall that ruled his childhood home to land on a hybrid singjay style that renders bright samples of electro-R&B (“Dancer”), emo rap (“One of a Kind”) and reggaetón (“BABA”) that first won him acclaim back when he landed with “Gun Lean” in 2018. “Some people know me from ‘Gun Lean’, others know me from [2018 track] ‘Keisha & Becky’ and some even know me from my [online platform] Pressplay [Media],” he says. “I’m still gonna stay selective with what I do and who I work with, but I had to give them all fresh music here they can all rock with.” Below, he discusses each track from One of a Kind. “6am in Dubai” (feat. YV & Buni) “Exactly as the title says, it was 6am [in Dubai] in February [2022], I put on this beat and started writing. Most of the time when I get away I’ll be at peace, focused on taking in a new environment. That’s how I usually plan out my next moves.” “Diamonds” “This is one of my favourites of the tape. Maybe as the beat is a bit different to what I would normally jump on, but I just love how it’s turned out.” “Dancer” (feat. Noizy, Rondodasosa & Capo Plaza) “I planned to do a song with each of these guys, but replaced it with the idea for a big single with everyone. Over the past two years, I’ve become quite close with Rondo, that’s my guy, and naturally, we do have a few songs together. I’m on his project, so you know he’s gotta be on mine. And it’s the same with Capo.” “Fall in Love” “We made this track away at a writing camp. The camp was my idea actually—I was going through a little bit of heartbreak and was trying to distract myself from things. I hit up my manager, my artists, my producer and we sent a call-out for beats. The best thing for me then was to get into the booth and load this up.” “Tapped” “I must have been feeling tapped, or a little bit spicy at this time, I guess. That’s how this sounds. I was feeling nice and wanted to talk my shit!” “One of a Kind” (feat A1 x J1 & French The Kid) “It took me well over a year to get this sample [of Lil Uzi Vert’s ‘XO TOUR Llif3’] cleared. But I loved it, and I knew it was a big one. I just didn’t know it would take so long. The [clearance] process happens in parts, and there was just one tiny thing we were left waiting on for some time. So we waited. And finally it got done. I was so happy.” “BABA (Toma Tussi)” “I kept hearing [‘Mi Gata’ by Standly] on TikTok, thinking: ‘This is cold, I need to sample this.’ So we did. Then I hit [Standly] and let him know I was using his stuff, of course. I get the same thing sometimes. [Rappers] hit me up quite often to say they’ve referenced my line or mentioned me in a bar—I like that. It’s always good to let the artist know.” “Can’t Forget Me” “A similar story to ‘Fall in Love’ here. I’ve seen and been through stuff [in relationships], and naturally it all comes out when I write.” “Salute” (feat. C.H., Buni, RA & YV) “This ain’t commercial drill, this is that drilly drill. This is for the long-time supporters, they’ve been wanting a track with me, my brother Buni and the rest of my people on one track.” “Detty” “This is a short and snappy, mosh-pit-type track, because I was starting to feel like the two-verses-and-chorus-style riddim was getting a bit cliché. This one came to me while riding in the car with my good friend, Detty. We were vibing, and I knew I had to hit the studio and put it all together.” “6:30” “This is a really fun one—but it’s not all my own experiences here, just stuff that I can relate to and other things that I've seen and heard. I’m not that wild, I just know how things can get.” “Pisces” (feat. Krept & Konan) “I made this track on my birthday [20 March] in [2022]. I’m not a teenager anymore, so I’m not trying to be partying every year, just because I’m a rapper. I simply stayed home, baked off and made a hit. Krept and Konan are legends in this UK rap game I’ve been listening to since their early mixtapes, so it was great to have them on here.” “Shawty” (feat. Ms Banks, Ivorian Doll & TeeZandos) “As the title says, this one’s all about the shawties! Because at times, guys try and act like there isn’t any good female artists. Or that’s what it seems like. And besides this track, I can’t really see anyone else getting three of the best women MCs on one tune.” “Backseat” “This is one of my favourite releases. It came together quickly, [2020 single] ‘Body’ had just come out, and, I have to say, I was going crazy with the flows.” “Habibti” (feat. French Montana & Dream Doll) “I had this vision for a big international collaboration a while ago. While working on this tape, I was already in contact with French [Montana] and Dream Doll, so it was just a matter of reaching out. From there, obviously, the label gets involved and handles the legal side. There’s always more people involved than it seems. But I don’t care about points and splits in the moment, I’m all about making it happen, but also making it fun.” “Talk to Me Nice” “Whenever I’m feeling a beat, the bars come to me real easily. This one just reflects how I was feeling in the booth that day: ‘Talk to me nice, chat properly.’” “WET” “Similar to “Detty”, I just can’t wait to perform this one over the summer. It’s a really energetic, mosh-pit-type track that I think my fans will really enjoy.”