Russ has released a new track called ‘Misunderstood’ which hears him address some of the media scrutiny he’s received over the years – listen to it below.

• READ MORE: Russ – ‘Shake The Snow Globe’ review: Atlanta rapper finds success on his own idiosyncratic terms

The rapper’s second single of 2021 tells a story of how disappointing it is to have the media and industry continuously make assumptions about him based on framed soundbites and click bait titles.

‘Misunderstood’ also hears Russ talk a lover failing to understand him despite all he’s done to accurately reflect who he is.

“It’s disappointing to hear how continuously people in the industry and world at whole have a skewed picture of me and they misunderstand me, almost by choice it seems,” he said. “At the same time dealing with a personal relationship where I feel like she didn’t want to understand where I was coming from.”

He added: “In both respects feels like I’ve done all I can and then some to show all of me but it’s frustrating when people choose to only focus on a fragment of me.”

Listen to ‘Misunderstood’ below:

Russ’ new track follows last month’s ‘Ugly’ featuring Lil Baby, and recent singles ‘Hard For Me’ and his collaboration with Kehlani, ‘Take You Back’.

The Atlanta rapper’s 14th album, ‘Shake The Snow Globe’, was released in January last year. In a four-star review, NME‘s Will Lavin called it “unique” and heralded Russ for “finding success on his own terms”.

The review continued: “Consistent from start to finish, it’s a more complete body of work than 2018’s ‘Zoo’. People often hate those who march to their own beat, and Russ knows this. But that doesn’t stop him asking for his accolades while he’s still living (“I want roses when I’m living, not just roses when I die”). And, boy, has he earned them with this album.”