What Is Russell "Block" Spencer's Net Worth?
Russell "Block" Spencer is an American hip hop executive who has a net worth of $5 million. Russell "Block" Spencer started working in the recording industry in the mid-1990s, and by 1997 he had become the President of Suave House Records, a Houston-based record label. In 1999, he formed the label that would put him on the map, as one-third of the ownership of ShoNuff Records. ShoNuff would go on to discover such talents as Ciara and Jody Breeze.
In 2000, Russell launched his own label, Block Entertainment, which has gone on to discover such artists as Yung Joc and Boys in Da Hood. In the mid-2000s, he also began a successful partnership with music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs. Block also has a deal with Warner Music Group, and in early 2011, it was announced that he would be promoting and participating in The Urban Wrestling Federation. Russell was a co-executive producer on the 2015 short film "Rocko Presents Food," and he appeared in four episodes of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" alongside his ex-girlfriend Kandi Burruss between 2016 and 2018.
Early Life
Russell "Block" Spencer was born on March 1, 1979, in Atlanta, Georgia. Spencer grew up traveling between Atlanta and Los Angeles.
Career
In 1999, Russell became a part-owner of ShoNuff Records, which discovered artists such as rapper Jody Breeze and singer-songwriter Ciara. Ciara has earned several Grammy nominations, winning Best Short Form Music Video for "Missy Elliott: Lose Control" in 2006. Russell co-founded Block Entertainment with Andrew "Gotti" Couser in 2000, and the label later entered into exclusive joint venture deals with Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Records (an imprint of Warner Music Group) in 2005 and Capitol Records in 2009. Block Entertainment is known for creating the Atlanta-based gangsta rap group Boyz N Da Hood, whose 2005 self-titled debut album reached #1 on the "Billboard" Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Top Rap Albums chart. Russell signed Yung Joc to the Bad Boy South record label, and the rapper went on to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Song in 2007.
Block Entertainment's artists include Fat Joe, Gorilla Zoe, Lil Xan, and Yung Berg. All three of Gorilla Zoe's albums have reached the top 10 on the "Billboard" Top Rap Albums chart. In 2013, Russell signed Yung Eaz to Capitol Records, and the label released his debut album, "Shut Yo Mouth." Around this time, Capitol Records filed a lawsuit against ReDigi.com, an online company that offered digital music. The label alleged that ReDigi's action of creating additional copies of digital music files violated copyright law. ReDigi claimed that what they were doing was permitted under fair sale and fair use doctrines, but the court found in Capitol's favor, stating that the doctrines' application was "limited to material items that the copyright owner put into the stream of commerce."
(Photo by Moses Robinson/WireImage for Radio One Inc.)
Personal Life
Russell met future "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" star Kandi Burruss at a car dealership in the '90s, and they later began a relationship. The couple split up before Burress gave birth to their daughter, Riley, in August 2002.
In a 2016 interview with Bravo, Kandi stated:
"We only dated a few months. It was very short. I found out he was still in a relationship with his other kids' mom, so I ended our relationship, but I was already pregnant with Riley."
Burress has said that Block didn't have much of a relationship with Riley for years, and Russell told Vlad TV in 2022:
"There's a lot of jealousy because all my kids live with me. I've got three daughters and three boys. Every last one of them lives with me except Riley."
He added:
"Every last one of my kids lives with me from when they're born until they graduate except Kandi's. I've got an accomplished name, [and I gave my kids who lived with me] a lot of stuff. And I think it's a lot of jealousy because Riley wasn't in that situation because her mom put me on child support."
Burress took Block to court because of unpaid child support at one point, and during an April 2021 episode of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta," she revealed that she had won the case and said that she pursued it because Riley wanted her to. In an earlier episode of the show, Riley stated:
"I feel like my father never really did anything. It's time for him to at least provide something when I'm going away to college."
