What They Want (Russ song)

"What They Want" is a song by American rapper Russ. It was released on his SoundCloud page on August 19, 2015.[1] Russ included this song on his 12th (and major-label debut) album There's Really a Wolf.[2] The song was mixed, mastered, engineered, produced, written, and performed by Russ.

"What They Want"
Single by Russ
from the album There's Really a Wolf
ReleasedAugust 19, 2015
Recorded2015
Genre
Length2:45
Label
Songwriter(s)Russell Vitale
Producer(s)Russ
Russ singles chronology
"Pull the Trigger"
(2015)		 "What They Want"
(2015)		 "Losin Control"
(2015)
Music video
"What They Want" on YouTube

Background

The song is a response to labels and women who now want to approach him due to his success as a rapper.[3] In the songs hook, Russ states "Dollar signs, yeah, I know it's what they want", as women now want him for his money, and labels want him for the money they can make off of his hard work.

Commercial performance

"What They Want" debuted at number 99 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, on the week of November 12, 2016.[4] This became Russ' first song to appear on the chart. Three weeks later, the single reached its peak at number 83 on the week of December 3, 2016.[5] The song also managed to chart at number 12 on the US Rhythmic Airplay chart on the week of December 3, 2016.[6] On July 26, 2021, the single was certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for combined sales and streaming units of over four million units in the United States.[7]

Russ debuted the music video to "What They Want" through his Vevo account on May 3, 2016.[8] As of June 2021, the song has over 320 million views on YouTube.

Charts
Chart (2016–17) Peak
position
Belgium Urban (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[9] 50
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[10] 70
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 83
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[12] 33

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[13] Platinum 70,000‡
Canada (Music Canada)[14] 3× Platinum 240,000‡
France (SNEP)[15] Gold 100,000‡
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[16] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[17] Silver 200,000‡
United States (RIAA)[7] 4× Platinum 4,000,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. What They Want (Prod. Russ), retrieved 2017-05-09
  2. "There's Really A Wolf by Russ on Apple Music". iTunes. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
  3. Russ – What They Want, retrieved 2017-05-09
  4. "Hot 100 – November 12, 2016". Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  5. "Hot 100 – December 3, 2016". Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  6. "Rhythmic Airplay Chart – December 3, 2016". Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  7. "American single certifications – Russ – What They Want". Recording Industry Association of America.
  8. RussVEVO (2016-05-03), Russ – What They Want (Official Video), retrieved 2017-05-09
  9. "Russ – What They Want – ultratop.be". www.ultratop.be.
  10. "Russ Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 26, 2017.
  11. "Russ Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  12. "Russ Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  13. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2019 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
  14. "Canadian single certifications – Russ – What They Want". Music Canada.
  15. "French single certifications – Russ – What They Want" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved August 14, 2023.
  16. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Russ; 'What They Want')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  17. "British single certifications – Russ – What They Want". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
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