Hewlett says "Russel is based on my love of hip hop. Russel is based on Jamie Hewlett's love of Hip-hop, in particular, he is loosely based on Ice Cube, who is coincidentally the real-life cousin of Gorillaz collaborator Del The Funky Homosapien. Russel was taken back to Kong Studios and was impressed with the music that Murdoc was working on, so he chose to stay. While asking Russel for an obscure 50s record, Murdoc slipped a bag over Russel's head and forced him out of the shop. That's when he first encountered Murdoc Niccals. He got a job working behind the counter at Big Rick Black's Record Shack in London's Soho area.
Īfter the drive-by shooting incident, Russel was sent to the UK for his own safety to live with his uncle in Belsize Park. The process of possession permanently turned Russel's eyes milky white. After the shooting, the spirits of Russel's friends came to reside in his body, the most prominent being Russel's best friend Del the Ghost Rapper. One of them was wearing a black hood who Russel identified as The Grim Reaper. One rainy night outside a 7-Eleven Store, Russel's companions were killed in a drive-by shooting by a gang of "gang bangers" driving a black Humvee. Īfter his old school refused to take him back, Russel attended Brooklyn High School, where he befriended many of the students that were gifted in hip-hop music. Russel didn't believe any of it until he saw a picture of the "Russel wuz here!" graffiti written in blood on the school walls in his handwriting. He fell into a coma for the next four years, at the end of which, the demon was finally exorcised from his body by a priest named Father Merrin. Known for his good manners and eloquent speech, he attended the Xavier School For Young Achievers but was expelled after attacking several students while possessed by a demon.
My future The easy, fast & fun way to learn how to sing: 30DaySinger.Russel was born in Brooklyn, New York on June 3, 1975. No squealing, remember that it's all in your head So you can survive when law is lawless (right here)įeelings, sensations that you thought was dead So I'ma stick around with Russ' and be a mentorīust a few rhymes so motherfuckers remember where the thought is Y'all can see me now 'cause you don't see with your eye Through Russel, not his muscles but percussion he provides I see destruction and demise (that's right) You have it or you don't, that's a fallacy To you because I put you on the hype shit Hero who appears in you to clear your view when you're too crazy Picture you gettin' down in a picture tube Now time for me is nothing 'cause I'm counting no age
Watch: New Singing Lesson Videos Can Make Anyone A Great Singer I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad The magazine also ranked it at number 347 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In October 2011, NME placed it at number 141 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". Rolling Stone ranked it number 38 on its 100 best songs of the 2000s. The single has sold 600,000 copies in the UK and has been certified platinum by the BPI. It also reached number one in Italy and charted within the top 20 of many countries around the world.
It peaked at number 4 on the UK Singles Chart and number 57 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The verses are rapped by Del the Funky Homosapien, portrayed as a blue phantom in the video, while the chorus is sung by Damon Albarn (2D in the video). The song is a mix of electronic music, dub, hip hop and rock. The song is named after the actor of the same name due to its similarity to the theme music of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. "Clint Eastwood" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, released as the first single from their self-titled debut album in March 2001.