Paul Russell, whose career began in the late 2010s, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from Dallas, Texas, whose playful, high-energy delivery and clever wordplay have made him one of the most exciting new voices in hip-hop. Raised in Dallas before eventually relocating to Los Angeles to pursue music full-time, he spent years building a devoted underground following through a steady stream of independent releases, mixtapes, and EPs — cultivating a sound that blends witty, upbeat rap with pop sensibility and gospel-adjacent warmth.

His breakthrough came in 2023 with the smash single "Lil Boo Thang," which sampled The Temptations' classic "Just My Imagination (Running Away with Me)" and turned into one of the year's biggest viral hits on TikTok. The song reached the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, was certified platinum in the U.S., and became a fixture on pop and hip-hop radio worldwide, cementing his shift from independent artist to major-label signee with Arista Records.