It’s always been insanely difficult to make a living independently. Doing so requires an enormous amount of time, energy, and organization to make livable wages a reality. Moreover, even when you cultivate an audience, it isn’t guaranteed that they’ll actually buy what you’re selling. This is especially the case in the music industry, where fans have been conditioned to stream rather than directly support their favorite artists. But artists like LaRussell, Chance the Rapper, and the late great Nipsey Hussle prove that you don’t need a label to succeed.
For Nip, his groundbreaking strategy to charge $100 for physicals of his 2013 Crenshaw mixtape broke the mold for direct support. Ultimately, if people would pay that much for a real copy, it was a testament to the audience he cultivated. Now, LaRussell has been working to do something similar. He partnered with EVEN, a platform that enables fans to directly engage with and support their favorite artists. The Bay Area rapper is using the space to let fans choose how much they want to spend on his upcoming album, Something’s in the Water. If all you have is 99 cents, it’s acceptable. By February 6, 2026, he hopes to sell 100,000 albums.
However, some bigger celebrities are digging deep in their pockets to show just how much they can support. One star athlete in particular went above and beyond, the highest price to date.
LaRussell Receives a Whopping $11,000 for His New Album
During a January 4, 2026, livestream, Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving called into LaRussell’s livestream. There, he gave the rapper his flowers for paving the way for independent artists in the future. “You earned it, you deserve it. You worked your a** off, so I thought I would just contribute,” the star point guard said. “I know you will pay it forward. I’m putting my money where my mouth is.”
Kyrie Irving isn’t the only one supporting LaRussell in a big way. West coast legend Snoop Dogg put up $2,500 in support as well, something that definitely didn’t go unnoticed. “UNCLE SNOOP BOUGHT AN ALBUM FOR $2,500!!!! It feels so good knowing those who came before me and paved a way for me to do what I do respects my art and my grind,” LaRussell reacted on Instagram. “I wouldn’t do what I do today If I never watched Snoop performing on the Up In Smoke DVD!!! That DVD kicked off my desire to rap!! I’M GRATEFUL Thank You @snoopdogg.”
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