SMOKE 2 THIS: LaRussell's Cook Together, Eat Together

“This is about unity. True unity. There’s enough space and room and food for all of us.”

Unity. Spreading the wealth among the family. That's the idea behind LaRussell's album Cook Together, Eat Together, the latest release by Vallejo's rising star.

“I didn’t get that from rap. Rap is braggadocious,” he told the East Bay Express. “I got this from life and my pops. My pops is an honorable n****. He always been giving and providing and having that space. I naturally took to it.”

Shining a light on LaRussell's go-to producer Tope as a featured artist on every track and giving guest verses from Bay Area legends like E-40 and Nef The Pharaoh full shares on the album instead of one time payments shows the up-and-coming artist is putting his money where his mantra is.

“The community gets to split this together,” LaRussell continued. “There’s over a hundred people involved in this album. Over a hundred. Each one of them is getting paid. I want each one to get the profit. I hope it’s something more artists can do. I wanna make that the new wave, that the people you cook with get to eat as well.”