Hip-hop artist Russ announces first concert in UAE

DUBAI: The UAE will host recording hip- hop artist, Russ, from Atlanta, Georgia, for the very first time this month, at the Golden Tulip Hotel, Al Jazeera Ghantoot ( next to Blue Marlin) on April 29.

Russ has been in partnership with Columbia Records ( Sony) since June 2016 and brings to the stage music that is produced, mixed, mastered, engineered and written by the maestro himself.

This up- and- coming musical whizz, who hails from the breeding ground of hip- hop artists, started making his beats at the age of 14. Inspired by G- Unit, 50 Cent and Eminem, Russ mainly focuses on the hip- hop, contemporary RnB and rap genres.

The UAE concert is the launch of new brand and organizer, 1520, which aims to emphasize the current global renaissance of urban culture, while referencing the depth of the history of hip- hop. 1520 encompasses a worldwide trend of hip- hop music, while encouraging emerging international artists to visit the region, and local artists to pursue their talents to represent the birth of this new movement in the Middle East.

Russ, being the first artist to kick- off the launch in the UAE, stated that this is one of his topfive fan bases in the world, with his largest fan base being Saudi Arabia. He is also widely popular in Qatar, UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan and was the first rapper to play the arena in Beirut, Lebanon.

Despite the fact that Lebanon is not even within his top- 10 fan bases, he visited Beirut twice within six months and brought respective crowds of 3,000 and 2,000 people to the Garten and Uberhaus.

The concert will see the likes of RnB and hip- hop DJs and other local artists along with food trucks for a complete outdoor music festival experience.