Music

Russ Explains Why His Career Is ‘Pandemic-Proof’ In A Year That Stifled Many Independent Artists’ Income

The outspoken advocate for independent artistry gave the blueprint for his successful 2020. …

Throughout 2020, the coronavirus pandemic and the collective responses to it had a profound effect on the music industry — especially independent artists, who often rely more on live shows than record sales for the majority of their income. However, one independent rapper said that his career flourished this year, boasting that it is “pandemic-proof” and that he has been getting his checks in the mail like clockwork despite the economic slowdown.

Russ, who released two projects this year and has been a vocal advocate for independent artistry, told Tidal’s B. Dot in a new interview, “I’m fortunate because I’ve set up my career to be pandemic proof.” He explained that rather than planning for a global breakdown of the live entertainment industry, he instead ensured that he owned the legal rights to all of his output, which guaranteed a bigger slice of the profit for himself. “It’s pandemic proof via mailbox money, you know, and via ownership and owning my masters and things like that,” he elaborated. “TuneCore checks didn’t stop. If anything, I’ve made more money on TuneCore this year than I did last year because I was able to record more, which means I was able to put out more, and I went fully independent.”

His output this year included the full-length project Shake The Snow Globe and its deluxe version, as well as the Chomp EP featuring Ab-Soul, Black Thought, Busta Rhymes, and more. His independent success allowed him to also give away $20,000 to his Twitter followers to boost their spirits during the summer lockdown.

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Entertainment

Snoop Dogg Wants To Pay Someone $10,000 A Month To Eat Ice Cream

Snoop Dogg in Hollywood, California, 2019

Photo: Glenn Francis / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Snoop Dogg has had a lot of job titles over the years, but “official ice cream taster” wasn’t one of them until now — and he’s hiring someone else to fill it. His company Dr. Bombay just opened applications for the role, and it pays $10,000 a month.

The gig is fully remote and open to anyone on the planet, which Snoop announced himself in a video that’s exactly as laid-back as you’d expect. “I love the paper, but not the paperwork,” he said, explaining that HR firm Deel is handling the logistics while he handles, presumably, the ice cream.

The actual job is less “sit around and eat pints all day” and more part-time cultural scout. Whoever gets it will track flavor and food trends around the world, report back on what people are eating and talking about, and work directly with Dr. Bombay’s in-house flavor lead to help shape what the brand does next. It’s a three-month contractor role, and Snoop’s team says they’re actively looking outside the usual resume pile — creators and non-traditional applicants welcome.

Dr. Bombay itself leans nostalgic, with flavors like Long Beach Fruit Cart, Sticky Caramel Apple Pie, and Peanut Butter Jelly Time already sitting on shelves at Walmart and moving through DoorDash and Instacart. Somewhere out there is one very lucky applicant about to get paid five figures a month to have opinions about ice cream, and honestly, good for them.

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Entertainment

The Soul Train Awards Are Finally Coming Back

Don Cornelius on the Soul Train set, 1974

Photo: Billboard / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)

The “Soul Train Awards” are getting their groove back. BET confirmed the show is returning this November after a three-year pause, and this time it’s landing somewhere it’s never aired before: CBS.

The revived special airs Friday, November 27th at 8 PM, simulcast across BET and CBS, plus VH1, MTV2, Logo, and BET Her for anyone who wants to catch it more than once. It won’t be broadcast live this time — the show was taped in Chicago, the same city where Don Cornelius first launched “Soul Train” back in 1971.

The ceremony went quiet after its 2023 edition, hosted by Keke Palmer, and BET’s former leadership chalked the pause up to needing a rethink for a media landscape that looks nothing like it did when the show started. That rethink is apparently done. BET’s Connie Orlando says the 2026 edition comes back “reimagined” with a “bold new format,” built around pairing the artists who shaped R&B and soul with the ones carrying it forward now.

Spotify has signed on as the exclusive streaming partner and Toyota is attached as a sponsor, so this isn’t a scrappy comeback — it’s a full relaunch. Performances, honorees, and a host are all still to be announced, but for a show that spent three years on ice, just having a date back on the calendar feels like something worth celebrating.

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