Russel Hobbs is a fictional American musician and member of the British virtual band
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
. He provides the
drums
A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...
and
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
for the band. Like all the other Gorillaz band members, he was created by
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...
and
Jamie Hewlett in 1998 and made his first official appearance in Gorillaz' debut EP
Tomorrow Comes Today
"Tomorrow Comes Today" is a song from British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz's self-titled debut album ''Gorillaz'' and was their first release when issued as an EP in November 2000. The first three songs from the EP ended up on the ...
in 2000.
Russel's spoken voice is supplied by
Remi Kabaka Jr., who joined Gorillaz in an official capacity on actual percussion in 2016.
['']Bananaz
''Bananaz'' is a 2008 British documentary film by Ceri Levy about Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett's virtual alternative band Gorillaz.
Information
During the years from 2000 to 2006, the director Ceri Levy filmed the creators of the Gorillaz ...
''. HanWay Films (2008)
Development
Characterization
Russel Hobbs was originally conceptualized by
Jamie Hewlett and
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...
in 1998 as a
metafictional
Metafiction is a form of fiction which emphasises its own narrative structure in a way that continually reminds the audience that they are reading or viewing a fictional work. Metafiction is self-conscious about language, literary form, and story ...
representation of the
hip hop aspects of
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
, embodying the spirit of the bands' collaborations with various rappers over the years.
He is referenced in the lyrics to the ''
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
'' track "
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...
". He was originally inspired by Hewlett’s love for hip hop artists like
Ice Cube
An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be p ...
(the cousin of rapper
Del the Funky Homosapien
Teren Delvon Jones (born August 12, 1972), better known by his stage name Del the Funky Homosapien (sometimes stylized as Del tha Funkee Homosapien) or Sir DZL, is an American rapper.
Music career 1988–1997: Early life and beginnings
Born in O ...
, who raps on "Clint Eastwood" and "
Rock The House
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
" as Del the Ghost Rapper). Russel's speaking voice is provided by drummer and DJ
Remi Kabaka Jr., who has been an actual drummer and producer for Gorillaz since ''
Humanz'' in 2017.
Russel's fictional backstory of being possessed by the spirits of dead musicians is what originally inspired the usage of collaborators and guests on Gorillaz' albums.
Fictional history
Russel was born on 3 June 1975 in
Brooklyn, New York
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...
.
Originally from Brooklyn, Russel has experienced
paranormal
Paranormal events are purported phenomena described in popular culture, folk, and other non-scientific bodies of knowledge, whose existence within these contexts is described as being beyond the scope of normal scientific understanding. Not ...
activity since his childhood. His first encounter with the
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
occurred when he was just four years old. One winter night while on the way home to Brooklyn from
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in Upper Manhattan, New York City. It is bounded roughly by the Hudson River on the west; the Harlem River and 155th Street on the north; Fifth Avenue on the east; and Central Park North on the south. The greater Ha ...
with his parents, an ominous figure suddenly emerged from the shadows and his parents froze as the figure approached Russel with a cryptic statement about dancing with the
Devil
A devil is the personification of evil as it is conceived in various cultures and religious traditions. It is seen as the objectification of a hostile and destructive force. Jeffrey Burton Russell states that the different conceptions of ...
. During this encounter, Russel heard the
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...
song "
It Never Entered My Mind" playing. Terrified, Russel closed his eyes and held tightly onto his blanket, and once he opened them, everything appeared to be back to normal, and he was with his parents on a train back home. Russel speculates that this may have been his first encounter with the
Grim Reaper
Death is frequently imagined as a personified force. In some mythologies, a character known as the Grim Reaper (usually depicted as a berobed skeleton wielding a scythe) causes the victim's death by coming to collect that person's soul. Other b ...
, who he would encounter multiple times later in his life. He wouldn't experience a supernatural event again until years later at the Xavier School for Young Achievers after being possessed by a demon and defending himself from a student who attacked him with a sword. The priest who
exorcised the demon from Russel while he was in a coma recommended him to Brooklyn High School, which is where Russel's love for
hip hop began. At some point, Russel and his friends were shot and killed in a drive-by shooting that took place one night outside of a
7-Eleven
7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...
store, and all of their souls subsequently possessed his body. The Grim Reaper was also present during this event. After the drive-by took place, Russel was moved to the
Belsize Park
Belsize Park is an affluent residential area of Hampstead in the London Borough of Camden (the inner north-west of London), England.
The residential streets are lined with mews houses and Georgian and Victorian villas. Some nearby localities ar ...
in
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
to live with his uncle for his own safety. While waiting at the airport for his flight to London, the same Miles Davis song that he heard during his encounter with the ominous figure as a child was playing over the loudspeakers.
Russel became a member of
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
after being kidnapped by bassist
Murdoc Niccals and taken away to the newly bought Kong Studios while working at a record store called Big Rick Black's Record Shop in
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster, part of the West End of London. Originally a fashionable district for the aristocracy, it has been one of the main entertainment districts in the capital since the 19th century.
The area was deve ...
, London. Initially resistant, Russel decided to stay after being impressed by the music that was playing at the studio. He then became a member of Gorillaz shortly thereafter, taking on the role of the band's drummer.
After Russel and the rest of Gorillaz parted ways in 2003, all of the souls that possessed Russel were exorcised from his body by the Grim Reaper, including Del the Ghost Rapper. Following this event, Russel moved into the basement of ''
Demon Days
''Demon Days'' is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was first released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by the band, ...
'' collaborator
Ike Turner
Izear Luster "Ike" Turner Jr. (November 5, 1931 – December 12, 2007) was an American musician, bandleader, songwriter, record producer, and talent scout. An early pioneer of 1950s rock and roll, he is best known for his work in the 1960s and ...
while experiencing a mental breakdown. During his stay at Turner's, he attempted to make a solo record with a working title of "The Seventh Heaven Hip-Hop and Harmony", but production was eventually halted after the album became affected by paranormal activity. After this,
Noodle
Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, In ...
's demos for ''Demon Days'' were beginning to become complete, and Russel was called in to contribute his drumming to the record. After the completion and release of ''Demon Days'' and its worldwide success, Russel departed from the group in a panic when Noodle was presumed dead and in
Hell
In religion and folklore, hell is a location in the afterlife in which evil souls are subjected to punitive suffering, most often through torture, as eternal punishment after death. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hell ...
following the events of the music video for "
El Mañana" in fear that he would be next. Russel then went on a journey to confront his inner demons and was absent for Gorillaz' live performance at the
Apollo Theater
The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a ...
.
After learning that Murdoc made Gorillaz'
third album
''Third Album'' is the third studio album released by the Jackson 5 on Motown Records, and the group's second LP released in 1970, on September 18.
''Third Album'' featured the group's fourth consecutive No. 1 single on the US pop charts, " I' ...
without him and replaced him with a
drum machine, he went on a journey across the ocean to find the band. During this journey, he became the size of a giant after consuming the contaminated material contained in the ocean. He is shown arriving on Plastic Beach with Noodle in the storyboard for the scrapped "
Rhinestone Eyes" music video, after finding her in the music video for "
On Melancholy Hill
"On Melancholy Hill" is the third single from British virtual band Gorillaz's third studio album, ''Plastic Beach''. The single was released on 12 June 2010.
Background
The song was originally written by Damon Albarn during the production of T ...
". After Plastic Beach was destroyed by the Black Clouds, Russel and Noodle swam away to an unknown location. Russel had little-to-no spoken dialogue in the ''Plastic Beach'' era of Gorillaz.
In Gorillaz' 2016 interactive short story "The Book of Russel", it was revealed that after the events at Plastic Beach, Russel was mistaken for a whale and was harpooned off the coast of
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
. He managed to get away, but lost Noodle in the process. Russel was then captured by the
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
n government and declared a
Pulgasari
''Pulgasari'' () is a 1985 North Korean horror-action kaiju film directed by Shin Sang-ok. It stars Chang Son Hui and Pak Sung Ho and features special effects by Duk Ho Kim, supervised by Teruyoshi Nakano. The film centers around the legend of ...
, becoming an attraction at a North Korean amusement park. North Korea's food rations eventually caused Russel to shrink back to his normal size and he's stayed mostly normal sized ever since. Following this, he was sent back to
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...
, where he stayed at Gorillaz collaborator
Jeff Wootton
Jeffrey Wootton (born 12 May 1987) is an English musician, guitarist and songwriter from Manchester. He has been the lead guitarist in the Gorillaz since 2010.
A long time collaborator with Damon Albarn, he has also collaborated with Brian Eno, ...
's house before they were both contacted by Murdoc and told the band were getting back together. After the ''
Humanz'' campaign ended, Russel hosted a podcast for
Deezer
Deezer is a French online music streaming service. It allows users to listen to music content from record labels, as well as podcasts on various devices online or offline.
Created in Paris, Deezer currently has 90 million licensed tracks in ...
in 2018 called "Gorillaz: Things I Like", where he interviewed various ''Humanz'' collaborators.
On 4 October 2019, Russel sent out a postcard to the band from
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
while they were all on vacation in different areas across the world. He mentioned that he had recently started his own hot sauce business called Hobbs Hot Sauce and was hoping to see them soon, making reference to parts of a machine that the band were gathering that would later be revealed as the
Song Machine
''Song Machine'' is an audiovisual project by British virtual band Gorillaz. It is a music video web series consisting of a collection of music videos and singles that are released monthly by the band as episodes of the series, with each episo ...
, the latest audiovisual project from Gorillaz. In ''Song Machine'', Russel is the one responsible for gathering most of the artists to and from Kong Studios through its portals, as he did with
6lack
Ricardo Archibald Valentine Jr. (born June 24, 1992), known professionally as 6lack (stylized as 6LACK, pronounced "black"), is an American singer and rapper.
He initially gained notable recognition following the release of his single, " Prblms ...
in "
The Pink Phantom". On 12 November 2020, Gorillaz announced that they were selling an official Hobbs Hot Sauce set made in collaboration with the hot sauce brand Barnfathers.
Physical appearance
Russel is a heavy set
African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
character known for his large size and considerable weight. His height is 5 feet 9 inches tall, or 1.75 meters. According to an episode of ''
MTV Cribs
''MTV Cribs'' (also known as ''Cribs'') is an American documentary television show that originated on MTV and features tours of the private homes of celebrities. It originally aired from 2000 to 2010. In 2017, MTV produced short-form episodes o ...
'' featuring Gorillaz, Russel is revealed to weigh 340 lbs, or 145.5 kg. In ''
Plastic Beach
''Plastic Beach'' is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. Conceived from an unfinished project called ''Carousel'', th ...
'', he grew to be the size of a giant after consuming radioactive material in the ocean. In
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
' 2016 interactive short story "The Book of Russel", it was revealed that Russel shrunk back to his regular size while in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and T ...
due to the country's meager food rations and he has been normal sized ever since. His eyes are a completely milky white color and have no visible pupils due to being possessed by spirits. He is often depicted wearing a
fez hat, with the first appearance of this being in the music video for "
Dirty Harry
''Dirty Harry'' is a 1971 American neo-noir action thriller film produced and directed by Don Siegel, the first in the ''Dirty Harry'' series. Clint Eastwood plays the title role, in his first outing as San Francisco Police Department (SFP ...
" in 2005. He is also sometimes designed wearing an eyepatch or a visor. As with all of the Gorillaz members, Russel has been shown to get older with the release of each new Gorillaz project. Originally in his mid-to-late 20s when ''
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
'' was first released, Russel is now in his 40s. He has also been designed in many different outfits throughout the years and his clothes change regularly, unlike most cartoon characters.
Personality
Russel is wise and intelligent, with a wide range of knowledge about many subjects, especially music. He is said to have once engineered his own device called the
Hip-hop machine, a
drum machine that is said to be able to play every beat known to man. He is respectful and articulate, with an extensive vocabulary and good manners. He is loyal and has been shown to hate disloyalty from others. This is evident in his friendship with his bandmate
Murdoc
Murdoc is a fictional character that appears in the ABC television series ''MacGyver'' and in the CBS reboot series of the same name. In both portrayals, Murdoc is an assassin and frequent antagonist of both series.
Original series
Murdoc ...
, whom Russel has physically assaulted multiple times for backstabbing
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
frontman
2-D. Russel has been shown to be highly protective of those he cares about, especially 2-D and
Noodle
Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures (for example, Chinese noodles, Filipino noodles, In ...
, although he has shown a dislike for Murdoc. He is generally cool, calm and collected, but has also shown a pattern of mental health issues and has displayed a high tendency to exhibit paranoia, experiencing many mental breakdowns throughout his life. He is passionate about social justice and human rights, sometimes reflecting on issues that affect the oppressed and disenfranchised. The wardrobe that Russel wore in ''
Humanz'' was inspired by that of the
Black Panther Party
The Black Panther Party (BPP), originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was a Marxism-Leninism, Marxist-Leninist and Black Power movement, black power political organization founded by college students Bobby Seale and Huey P. New ...
and the
Sandinista National Liberation Front
The Sandinista National Liberation Front ( es, Frente Sandinista de Liberación Nacional, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto ...
. Russel has been hinted at as being an associate of the
African-American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
centered religious movement
The Nation of Islam
The Nation of Islam (NOI) is a religious and political organization founded in the United States by Wallace Fard Muhammad in 1930.
A black nationalist organization, the NOI focuses its attention on the African diaspora, especially on African ...
. He has listed the Nation of Islam leader
Louis Farrakhan
Louis Farrakhan (; born Louis Eugene Walcott, May 11, 1933) is an American religious leader, Black supremacy, black supremacist, Racism, anti-white and Antisemitism, antisemitic Conspiracy theory, conspiracy theorist, and former singer who hea ...
as an influence in interviews and spoken highly of
Malcolm X
Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Is ...
.
He has also been shown wearing various
fezzes, which has historically been considered a symbol of devotion to Islam.
Russel is often shown sleeping or entranced in Gorillaz videos. In the ''G-Bite'' short "Jump The Gut", Russel is shown as asleep in the middle of the road. At the end of the music video for "
DoYaThing
"DoYaThing" is a single by British alternative rock virtual band Gorillaz, featuring LCD Soundsystem frontman James Murphy and André 3000 of Outkast. The single was released on 23 February 2012. It was commissioned by Converse as a part of t ...
", he is shown as sleeping on the rooftop of the band's apartment. In the music video for "
Saturnz Barz
"Saturnz Barz" is a song by British virtual band Gorillaz, featuring Jamaican dancehall artist Popcaan. The song was released on 23 March 2017. It was released as the lead single from their fifth studio album '' Humanz''. The song marks the group ...
", Russel attempts to fall asleep in a room in the Spirit House before being awakened by ghosts. In "
Strobelite
"Strobelite" is a single by British virtual band Gorillaz, released on their fifth studio album '' Humanz''. It features guest vocals by Peven Everett. The single was released on 4 August 2017, with an accompanying music video released three days ...
", Russel is shown sleeping on the couch at the beginning of the video. Russel is usually depicted as dazed and enchanted when drumming, especially when a spirit inside of him has been channeled. This happens in the music videos for "
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...
" and "
Rock the House".
In ''
Demon Days
''Demon Days'' is the second studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was first released on 11 May 2005 in Japan and on 23 May 2005 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. Produced by the band, ...
'', Russel was portrayed as being a taxidermist, often shown with dead animals by his side in many images from this era. He briefly appeared in 2-D and Murdoc's 2017 interview with
Telekom Electronic Beats through a phone call in which he makes accusatory claims towards 2-D and Murdoc. Russel has also shown an interest in conspiracy theories. In the music video for "Saturnz Barz", he wears a shirt with the phrase "It's Not Raël", in reference to the
ancient astronaut theory
Ancient astronauts (or ancient aliens) refers to a pseudoscientific hypothesis which holds that intelligent extraterrestrial beings visited Earth and made contact with humans in antiquity and prehistoric times. Proponents suggest that this ...
religion of
Raëlism
Raëlism, also known as Raëlianism or Raelian Movement is a UFO religion founded in 1970s France by Claude Vorilhon, now known as Raël. Scholars of religion classify Raëlism as a new religious movement. The group is formalised as the Inte ...
. In an episode of the "Gorillaz: Things I Like" podcast, Russel discusses aliens and extraterrestrial beings with Gorillaz collaborator Peven Everett.
Russel speaks in a
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
accent and frequently uses hip-hop lingo. He sometimes involuntarily slips into a very mild
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
accent and has used British slang, as a result of the amount of time he's spent as a citizen of
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
. Co-creator
Jamie Hewlett originally envisioned Russel as having a much stronger British accent, but this was discouraged by co-creator
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...
, who wanted him to speak in an
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
accent in order to better appeal to American audiences.
His voice is low, deep, and soft, and he seldom raises his tone unless it is necessary.
Role in Gorillaz
Russel is
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
' drummer. He (and the rest of Gorillaz) can play other instruments, but he usually sticks to
percussion
A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...
. He was not present for the recording of the album ''
Plastic Beach
''Plastic Beach'' is the third studio album by British virtual band Gorillaz. It was released on 3 March 2010 by Parlophone internationally and by Virgin Records in the United States. Conceived from an unfinished project called ''Carousel'', th ...
'', with
Murdoc
Murdoc is a fictional character that appears in the ABC television series ''MacGyver'' and in the CBS reboot series of the same name. In both portrayals, Murdoc is an assassin and frequent antagonist of both series.
Original series
Murdoc ...
replacing him with a
drum machine for the album. He has been the in-universe selector of the collaborators for the band since ''
Humanz'' in 2017. The spirit of his dead friend Del the Ghost Rapper was channeled for the Gorillaz debut album tracks "
Clint Eastwood
Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' Do ...
" and "
Rock The House
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
". Originally, "Clint Eastwood" featured the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
rap group
Phi Life Cypher
Phi Life Cypher were a British hip hop group based in Luton, composed of two MCs, Si Phili and Life MC, and DJ Nappa. The trio started making music together around 1996, and since have had much success on the UK underground circuit. Phi-Life C ...
, also portrayed in the song as beings inside Russel.
Creators
Damon Albarn
Damon Albarn (; born 23 March 1968) is an English-Icelandic musician, singer-songwriter and composer, best known as the frontman and primary lyricist of the rock band Blur and as the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtua ...
and
Jamie Hewlett have attributed him to being the sole band member responsible for the Gorillaz remix of Redman's "
Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)
"Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get in da Club)" is the first single released from Redman's 2001 album ''Malpractice (Redman album), Malpractice''. It is produced by Rockwilder and contains a highly synthesized beat and guest vocals from DJ Kool. It was ...
". In ''
Rise of the Ogre
''Rise of the Ogre'' is an autobiography about the virtual band Gorillaz, ostensibly written by the four band-members in collaboration with (actual) Gorillaz musician and official scribe Cass Browne. It was released in the UK on 26 October 200 ...
'', he is also said to be the sole musician behind the production of the ''
G-Sides
''G-Sides'' (sometimes spelled as ''G Sides'') is a B-sides collection by Gorillaz from their first studio album session, ''Gorillaz'' and the ''Tomorrow Comes Today'' EP. The compilation was originally released only in Japan on 12 December ...
'' track "The Sounder". Gorillaz'
self-titled debut album's creative process has been stated by
2-D as being led by Russel.
Other appearances
Russel and the rest of
Gorillaz
Gorillaz are an English virtual band formed in 1998 by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, from London. The band primarily consists of four fictional members: 2-D (vocals, keyboards), Murdoc Niccals (bass guitar), Noodle (guit ...
appear in the back cover of
Jamie Hewlett's 2017 art book alongside characters from Hewlett's other projects.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hobbs, Russel
Animated characters introduced in 1998
Animated human characters
Black characters in animation
Fictional African-American people
Fictional characters from New York City
Fictional giants
Fictional inventors
Fictional mutants
Fictional rock musicians
Fictional sole survivors
Gorillaz members
Male characters in animation
Fictional characters invented for recorded music