List of famous Russian rappers. Who is the best rapper of our time? Intolerant, dissonant, but colorful rap

It is difficult to choose a criterion that can be used for ranking the best rappers in Russia. Do you prefer rappers who are famous for their punchlines - phrases that can "hook"? Or do you like the perfect delivery of the text, under which the crowd begins to swing in the same rhythm? How about the charisma and artistry of the musician?

After all, every rap fan has their own set of values. For the list of the best rappers in Russia in 2019, we tried to select candidates, focusing both on personal preferences and on good and bad reviews about concerts, as well as the opinions of music critics.

During his career, Ptakha managed to be a film actor (in Rezo Gigineishvili's "Heat" and in an episodic role in Fyodor Bondarchuk's "Inhabited Island") and participate in numerous scandals with the most famous rappers in Russia, such as Drago, Guf, Basta and Oxxxymiron.

And in 2017, shortly before the presidential elections, Ptakha presented a video clip for the song "Freedom 2.017", in which he ridiculed the protesters organized by Alexei Navalny, calling them "majors" and taking to the streets for "Uncle Sam's money." The elections have passed, and there have not yet been any new high-profile scandals involving Ptakhi.

The young hooligan, who was taken to the police department more than once, grew up, wised up and now he is no longer a hooligan, but writes songs about the times of turbulent youth. And the nickname Face, according to the rapper, symbolizes his diversity and frequent creative metamorphoses.

Most recently, on February 1, 2019, Face released their first mixtape Slim, which included 9 songs (mostly in the trap genre).

The father, Timofey Dryomin, does not lag behind his son. He became a video blogger and started a channel called "Timokha Against All", where he expresses his opinion about the work of popular Russian rap artists.

Even those who are far from admiring rap note the amazing energy at L'One concerts. He sings sincerely, but without too much pathos, without hiding his emotions on stage, and his lyrics not only “rock the hall”, but also make you think about life.

This singer's music box has both funny and touching songs, such as "The Simplest Song", in which Levan sings about his path to fame.

Many graduates of the "Star Factory" disappeared from the musical horizon immediately after a short moment of fame. But Timati is not like that, his rap star shines brightly and is not going to enter.

For several years he has been in the top 10 best rappers in Russia and has successfully integrated rap into the official Russian stage, actively demonstrating his patriotism and support for the authorities. And people who are far from rap are involuntarily familiar with Timati thanks to the advertising jingle for Tantum Verde Forte.

You can respect the work of Timati, you can hate him, but it is impossible to deny that the name of this musician is constantly on the lips.

This rapper and beatmaker is known not only for his songs, but also for his personal conflict with another famous rap artist, Guf. In the Spice Baby video (Ptah also took part in it), he ridiculed Guf, his manner of speaking, named some of his weaknesses and repeatedly called his rival in the musical ring "a cunning Jew."

But once Slim, Ptakha and Guf were members of the Centr group, one of the most influential Russian hip-hop groups of the early 2000s. Perhaps this is just the case when "darlings scold - they only amuse themselves." And at the same time they make good money.

This is one of the youngest performers in the rating of Russian rappers in 2019. He is 23 years old, which means that Pharaoh, like no one else, understands the aspirations, fears and hopes of today's youth.

Music critics call him and musicians like him like Justin Bieber and Kurt Cobain. Pharaoh's work cannot be called sharply social or deeply intellectual, well, let it be, but it is relevant and in demand among young people.

In his tracks, one of the most famous and popular Russian rappers favorably combines rock melody and recitative. In 2007, he became the winner of the largest online competition - the seventh official hip-hop battle - held on the site hip-hop.ru, and then starred in the film "Joke" (he also wrote the soundtrack for this film).

Impressions from Noize MC concerts are positive for many viewers. They praise the sound quality, good organization and the way the performer puts on the stage.

Unlike Timati, Noize MC is not averse to “trolling” those in power. For example, the rapper refused the offer of the Nashi movement to write an anthem for them, but he composed the caustic song Our Movement.

If a rapper was given an extra year to live for every joke that Guf was dead, he could probably live forever. He is one of the founders of the cult group Centr and the winner of many awards: Rock Alternative Music Prize, MTV Russia Music Awards, etc.

In October last year, an unpleasant incident occurred with Guf - he was beaten in the elite Moscow club Bunker-42. His representatives say that the singer has a concussion and two broken ribs. It remains only to wish the rapper a full recovery and success in his future career.

For the first time, Miron tried to read rap at the age of 13, and, in an interview with Keep It Real, he said that he was sure that he was the founder of Russian rap. Then this confidence disappeared, but he nevertheless entered the number of the most popular rap artists in Russia.

It is possible that Oxxxymiron’s work will not be close to the older generation due to the abundance of obscene language, however, the younger generation listens with pleasure to this singer, who knows how to present his songs with high quality and not beaten, and often “be smart”, inserting interesting metaphors into the text, comparisons and forcing listeners to google certain terms. And educating young people is a good thing, isn't it?

1. Basta, Noggano, N1NT3ND0 (Vasily Vakulenko)

The most popular rapper in Russia can be safely called "a man who made himself." He advanced to the heights of the Russian rap stage not thanks to high patrons or rich parents, but thanks to his own talents. He has an excellent rapping style, honed by years of practice, he does not stumble or choke.

Basta masterfully handles rhyme, and he is focused on legal show business, which means that there are not so many obscene words in the texts. He is a kind of rap analogue of the Don Cossack, who won’t go into his pocket for a word, rough on the outside, but kind on the inside.

Every year rap is becoming more and more popular in music. We listen to new performers almost every day, but we forget about those who put their whole soul into rap, those who laid the foundation for this direction. In this article, we will talk about the most famous rappers who remain popular to this day, and many rap lovers still listen to their tracks.

1. Eminem

Eminem (Marshall Bruce Mathers 3) was born on October 17, 1972 in the USA. He first appeared as part of the Soul Intent group, when he organized a concert with his best friend under the pseudonym Proof and several other members of the team, about which little is known now. And the track program itself is very difficult to find today due to the fact that the group did not have sponsors, and the circulation was extremely small.

Eminem is one of the best rappers in the world. He has sold over 100,000,000 of his albums worldwide and around 107,000,000 of his records. Today it is difficult to find at least one person who has never heard of Eminem.

2. Tupac Shakur

Hip-hop fans cannot fail to know the name of this famous rapper. Tupac Amaru Shakur was born on June 16, 1971 in the USA. This is one of the great and most influential musicians in the world. Tupac Shakur began recording his tracks in 1987. He made his first debut when he joined the Digital Underground band, who recorded the track for the movie Sheer Trouble.

In 1996, he released an album called "The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory", which became the final one in his life. On September 7, 1996, the rapper was killed. But even today, decades later, it's hard to forget him, because he is one of the greatest rappers in history.

3. Jay Z

Sean Corey Carter, known as Jay-Z, was born on December 4, 1969 in the USA in Brooklyn. Jay Z began recording tracks in the early 90s. At the start of his career, he performed with rapper The Notorious B.I.G. In 2003, the rapper released a new track "Crazy in Love", which was recorded with a girlfriend.

Today, the rapper is 49 years old, but he does not lose shape and is the co-owner of the NBA basketball club, the creator of the Recover clothing, and the co-owner of the 40/40 Club.

4. Lil Wayne

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., who became known to millions of idols under the pseudonym Lil Wayne, was born on September 27, 1982 in the USA. Even at an early age, a talented artist began to get involved in music, and at the age of 9 he joined the Cash Money label, where he showed himself on a good side. After 5 years, he joins the hip-hop group "Hot Boys" and a year later the group releases the album "Get It How U Live", which brings fame to the whole team.

In 2016, the artist leaves the stage, having received great recognition and respect from many hip-hop artists. Now the artist is 36 years old, but during this time he made a huge contribution to the development of rap and is now an exemplary indicator of how much can be achieved by developing and making efforts to create.

5. Fifty Cent

Curtis Jackson, who took the pseudonym 50 Cent during his career, was born on July 6, 1975 in the United States in New York. This is not only a rapper, but also a writer, actor, promoter and producer.

He started rapping in the basement at an early age. A little later, thanks to his friend, he meets Jam Master Jay, who had a label called Jam Master Jay Records. Then Jem showed Curtis how to count bars, create choruses and audio recordings. After completing his collaboration with Jam, he signs an agreement with Columbia Records. In this label, he recorded 36 songs in 2 weeks.

During his career, 50 Cent has sold about 40,000,000 records of his own songs. Now the artist is 43 years old. His path proves that success and glory can be achieved, despite life in the slums, the main thing is patience, work and perseverance.

6. Snoop Dogg

Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., who became a famous rapper under the stage name Snoop Dogg, was born on October 20, 1971. The rapper began his career in 1992 when he met musician Dr. Dre.

Snoop Dogg is one of the most creative and talented performers not only on the West Coast, but throughout the world. Throughout his career, he has sold over 20,000,000 copies of his albums and singles. Snoop Dogg's most famous tracks are "Smoke Weed Everyday", "Ta ra ra ra", "Vego Vego Vego", "Riders On The Storm" and others.

7. Kanye West

Kanye Omari West was born on June 8, 1977. He is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and designer. He began his career as a rapper in the early 90s. Then he created backing tracks for local performers. For the first time, the artist was mentioned in the album of the musician Crav “Down to Earth”, for which he created 8 tracks, and West also read a verse in one of the tracks.

The first fame for the rapper came in 2000, when he began collaborating with the artists of the Rock-A-Fella Records label. He worked with hip-hop artist Jay-Z, after which he gained great fame among fans. Kanye West is 41 today. During this time, the sale of his albums exceeded 120,000,000 copies. His tracks are still listened to by millions, and his fame will not subside for many more years.

8. Drake

Aubrey Drake Graham, who uses the stage name Drake, was born in Canada on October 26, 1986. He begins his career as a performer in 2007, when he signs an agreement with the Young Money Entertainment label. In the process of cooperation, he releases 2 tracks: "Comeback Season" and "So Far Gone".

3 years after that, he released his first album "Thank Me Later", which brought him wide popularity. After a while, he releases more albums: "Take Care" and "Nothing Was the Same".

Drake has released many albums throughout his career. Among them are "Views", "More Life", "Scorpion" and others. Now he is 36 years old. In addition to his career as a rapper, he is a producer, actor and entrepreneur.

9. The Notorious B.I.G.

Christopher George Lator Wallace, who became popular as The Notorious B.I.G., was born on May 21, 1972 in Brooklyn. Wallace is one of the most popular rappers in history.

He created a career as a rapper in 1992, when, together with Big Deaddy Kane and Mr. C, he created a track that went to Source magazine to participate in the Unsigned Hype contest. 2 years later, Wallace released the album "Ready To Die", which eventually brought great success.

Throughout his career, Wallace released 6 albums, thanks to them he became famous and widely known. On March 9, 1997, the musician was killed by the boss of the Death Row Records label, which Wallace previously belonged to.

10. Run-D.M.C.

3. Eminem

Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known by his stage name Eminem and his alter ego Slim Shady, is a rapper, music producer, songwriter and actor. In addition to his solo career, Marshall is also a member of D12 and the hip-hop duo Bad Meets Evil.

Eminem is one of the best-selling music artists in the world, as well as the best-selling artist of the 2000s. He has been named one of the greatest musicians of all time by many magazines, including Rolling Stone, which placed Eminem at number 83 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists. The same magazine proclaimed him the King of Hip Hop.

2. Jay-Z

Sean Corey Carter, better known as Jay-Z, is an American rapper with a net worth of over $500 million as of 2012. 13 of his albums have topped the Billboard 200. This is a record among all solo artists and second in history after The Beatles, who have 19 albums climbed to number one in the US. Multiple Grammy Award Winner.

Back in 1999, Jay-Z rapped on the song in Mariah Carey's "Heartbreaker" video, which topped the Billboard Hot 100. In 2003, Jay-Z returned to the top of the US pop charts with the track "Crazy in Love", recorded with his girlfriend and now wife of Beyoncé. He is the founder and co-owner of Roc-A-Fella Records, as well as the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings, co-owner of the 40/40 Club, creator of the Rocawear clothing line, and co-owner of the NBA's Brooklyn Nets.

1. Notorious B.I.G.

Christopher George Leitor Wallace (May 21, 1972, Brooklyn, New York - March 9, 1997, Los Angeles, California) was an American rapper who performed under the pseudonyms Biggie Smalls, Frank White and, most famously, The Notorious B.I.G. He was the leader of East Coast hip-hop.

On September 13, 1994, Biggie's debut album Ready To Die was released, which was a resounding success. The first single, "One More Chance", went platinum within a few weeks, and by the end of the year, the album was certified triple platinum. At last count, the album sold four million copies.

The rapper's second album, Life After Death, released in 1997, won several awards, including Billboard's R'n'B Album of the Year and two ASCAP Awards. The album was released posthumously, a few weeks after Biggie's tragic death. Life After Death broke all records, debuted at number one in its first weeks of sales and stayed on the charts for many months with singles such as "Mo Money, Mo Problems" and "Sky's The Limit".

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In recent years, rap in Russia has developed to incredible proportions. There are many performers who work in different directions. Russian rappers write texts for every taste and have many fans. Their compositions are liked by different groups of people, but the masters of domestic rap will not leave almost anyone indifferent.

People's rating

• Guf - he not only performs controversial compositions, the main theme of which is drug addiction, but also actively gives reasons for discussion by the press. What is worth only his arrest in Krasnoyarsk or the numerous novels that are attributed to the performer. At one time, there were rumors on the Internet that the rapper had died.
• Basta - many rappers (Russians) are guided by this artist, because for several years he has not left the top positions of the charts. His compositions are more lyrical and melodic, which attracts a fairly large audience of listeners.
• Noize MC is a controversial artist who actively collaborates with rock bands and often combines different sounds. He also became famous for his active citizenship.

There are many talented performers on the domestic stage who attract people by submitting texts. Many Russian rappers have achieved popularity thanks to the Internet, but there are other ratings.

The most outstanding rappers according to music critics

In 2016, many benchmarks received good marks from experts. The top three looks like this:

1. Oxxxymiron - on account of this rapper, who studied at Oxford, so far only two albums and countless tracks, which allowed him to become the "King of Rap 2016". In addition, he acts as the prototype for the protagonist of the Londongrad series, which is partly biographical.
2. Slim was liked by critics for the depth of the lyrics and diligence. He releases quality albums almost every year.
3. Ptakha (Nerd) has been gaining experience in various bands for a long time, now he experiments a lot and releases only high-quality material.

These rappers (Russian) have earned high marks not only from critics, but also from listeners. They actively tour and regularly get into the rotation of music channels.

Gaining popularity

It cannot be said that only novice performers are on the last list. Their ratings are simply not as great as those listed above.

• Max Korzh - became the discovery of the Russian rap scene. His lyrics are mostly about relationships.
• KReeD released his first album, The Bachelor, in 2015. Earlier, his first video scored 4 million views, thanks to which Black Star label employees paid attention to it.
• L'One is a Siberian of Georgian origin who is only gaining popularity. He was a participant in the Battle for Respect project on one of the music channels.

This top Russian rapper was created based on downloading and listening to their tracks over the past three months. Their compositions can also often be heard in series, films and on TV.

2018 is coming to an end and it's time to sum it up. In past publications, we reviewed who, in our opinion, and what tracks are. In the same article, we will analyze the success of foreign rap artists and identify the top 10 among them. We warn you right away that the author's opinion may differ from your personal one, but for this we have comments in which everyone can write their top 10.

As for the criteria for measuring success, they will mainly relate to the quality of music itself. Of course, we will not bypass the number of sales and listening of albums and singles (after all, in our time this is also an extremely important indicator), but we will put the musical component at the head.

Top 10 foreign rappers 2018

10. Jay Rock

The oldest and very first of the TDE signatories this year definitely jumped above his head. Jay has released good albums before, but he hasn't been able to really get out of the shadow of Kendrick Lamar and Schoolboy Q. The release of "Redemption" was the best work of the Los Angeles rapper to date. The excellent singles “Win”, “King`s Dead” (both Grammy nominated) and “OSOM” stick firmly in the memory and are accompanied by a very cool video sequence. After the release of the record, Jay Rock actively toured and promoted. Jay's success is directly related to the wise policy of the major Interscope and his native label Top Dawg Entertainment, which provided the rapper with a “window” between the releases of other top musicians, allowing him to collect maximum attention to his person. It should be noted that the artist recently announced that he is working on new material and is not going to stop there. Look forward to.

9.6lack

The young talent from Atlanta can rightfully take 2018 as an asset. 6lack (pronounced “black”) released an album called “East Atlanta Love Letter” in September and successfully passed the so-called “second album” test. The guy not only raps, but also sings well and writes beats himself. His hits "OTW", "Switch" and "Nonchalant" propelled the artist from the budding ranks to the elite of American urban music. This is confirmed by joint tracks with Ty Dolla Sign, J. Cole and Future. Also, 2018 became very important in terms of the rapper's personal life - his first daughter was born, who somehow flaunts on the album cover along with the newly-made father. We have no doubt that great achievements await this artist in the future.

8 Joyner Lucas

Another representative of the younger generation, who is already demonstrating all the makings in order to move the titans of rap from their homes. Joyner shot with the song "I`m Not A Racist", which in the era of Trump and the active development of social controversy on the subject of racism, has become very relevant. In addition, the Massachusetts native attracted attention with his excellent reading technique and witty texts. But the real breakthrough for him was participation in the Eminem album “Kamikaze”. The song "Lucky You" is one of the best in the playlist, and Lucas himself gives out lines no worse than Marshall, which, you see, happens extremely rarely. Now the rapper is signed to Atlantic Records, actively performing and preparing several projects at once: one solo, the other with R&B singer Chris Brown. It should also be noted that Joyner Lucas recently had a beef with Canadian Tory Lanez. The artists managed to record several freestyles directed against each other. According to most critics and journalists, the American won. To all the successes of Lucas, it is worth adding that “I`m Not A Racist” and “Lucky You” were nominated for Grammy 2019.

7. Drake

Drizzy had a notable rollercoaster ride this year in terms of career successes/failures, but in the end still managed to bring 2018 to his credit. First, let's talk about failures. Pusha T smashed Drake to smithereens with his diss “The Story Of Adidon”, in which he revealed to the world what the Canadian hitmaker had been hiding for several years: Drake has an illegitimate son from a former porn actress, with whom he practically does not maintain any relationship. This news thundered instantly and the whole world learned about Drizzy, not the most pleasant truth. Since there was nowhere to go, Drake went for broke and admitted defeat. But later he took advantage of it. The album "Scorpion", on which the rapper speaks openly about an illegitimate child, started at number one on the Billboard Top R&B & Hip-Hop Albums and other charts around the world. "Scorpion" was certified platinum, and the songs "Nice For What", "In My Feelings" and "God`s Plan" settled in music lovers' playlists for a long time. One gets the impression that no matter how things go for Drake, it is almost impossible to move him from the annual top.

6. Royce Da 5'9

The second half of the year passed quite calmly for the Detroit MC Royce Da 5`9, and apart from the guest participation on the Eminem album, nothing was remembered. But what was the first one! First in March, Royce and DJ Premier released the long-awaited sequel to PRhyme, which received rave reviews from critics and listeners alike. The release easily enters the top of the best records of 2018. Well, that was just the beginning. In May, Ryan Montgomery (the rapper's real name) hit the ground running with Book Of Ryan, a highly personal album that many consider to be the best in the rapper's long discography. Royce is an example of an adult and skilled musician who found his way after many years of searching. Listening to him, one gets the impression that every year he only gets better. We are waiting for new songs and hope that Eminem's colleague is not going to lower the bar below the set level.

5.XXXTentacion

XXXTentacion's life ended tragically on June 18, 2018. A young rapper at the peak of his fame was shot dead in his own car. Naturally, after this event, attention to the person of Ax increased tremendously and he was proclaimed a “martyr”, “new Tupac”, etc. Be that as it may, one must agree that among the representatives of the “new school” the music of this guy stood apart. In March 2018, the second album of the artist “?” was released, which received public recognition. Single "SAD!" and has become one of the most popular songs on streaming services. Do not say that and “?” and "SAD!" after the death, they began to rapidly rise in various charts and overtake the competitors of the already deceased rapper. In 2018, Ax also had a fall: they were mainly related to legal proceedings regarding domestic violence against his ex-girlfriend. Since his appearance on the world stage, XXXTentacion's personality has always been controversial and every rap fan has his own impression of the artist, but there is no denying the fact that the influence of his music on the younger generation has been enormous. May he stay with us for a short time.

4 Travis Scott

Travis Scott today combines in his work all the components of a modern mainstream rap artist necessary for success: a melodic sing-song manner of reading, bass humming instrumentals, a playboy image, connections with the most popular players in rap and, in addition, cooperation with world-famous fashion houses . A sort of Kanye West and Asap Rocky rolled into one. Travis' talent is that he can write hits. His album "Astroworld" though not a big innovation, but consists of hit songs, any of which could pass for a single. The most popular was "Sicko Mode" with Drake. She, like the entire album, is nominated for a Grammy 2019 and is likely to receive her award. Also, we must not forget that in 2018 “Astroworld” became one of the best-selling albums of the year, having received platinum from the RIAA. Watching the growing popularity of Travis, one gets the impression that even greater success awaits him ahead - primarily in commercial terms.

3. J. Cole

In 2018, J. Cole scored several big victories in the professional field. The most important was the conceptual work on drug addiction and the problems associated with it. Cole, as always, shook up the world of hip-hop, forcing us to look at the state of affairs in the industry and society from a different angle. In addition, the head of Dreamville is one of the few contemporary artists (Kendrick Lamar comes to mind) who manages to make conscious music and still sell it well. “KOD” set 24-hour streaming records on Apple Music and Spotify, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, and made Cole the first artist in history to have 3 singles top 10 on the Billboard Hot at the same time. 100. The record went platinum.

In addition to “KOD”, in 2018 Cole can rightfully be called the “king of collabs”. Almost any song that Jay appeared on automatically became a single. Just look at our list: “OSOM” with Jay Rock and “Boblo Boat” with Royce Da 5`9 are some of the best songs on the albums. In addition, Jermaine has cool collaborations with wards Cozz, Bas and J.I.D., as well as with 6lack and Wale. And this is after he announced that he would no longer work with other artists. In general, in a year when J.Cole is actively working on new music, his competitors have a hard time.

2. Pusha T

One of the biggest names in overseas hip-hop in 2018 was Pusha T. The current head of G.O.O.D Music joined forces with his former boss Kanye West to release the 7-track album DAYTONA, called by some the “masterpiece” and “album of the year.” Like it or not, it's up to you personally, but the release really deserves attention. By and large, “DAYTONA” is one of the few bright spots in the impenetrable darkness that enveloped Kanye’s persona in 2018. Here he did his best. Pusha himself was also at his best, delivering his best songs since The Clipse.

A separate item is the beef with Drake, which we have already mentioned. The push was stronger and almost everyone admits it. More recently, the prolific rapper has been scouting for new talent with 1800 Seconds. It looks like the Virginia Beach artist has found his way into today's showbiz world and continues to make strides towards new heights.

1. Eminem

We give the palm for the title of the best rapper of 2018 to Eminem. After his underwhelming last year's album "Revival", Em, like a phoenix rising from the ashes, managed to reclaim his reputation with "Kamikaze". With this release, he declared war on the entire industry: young rappers, journalists, social networks, his old enemies and listeners who criticized him earlier. And, you know, the cocky veteran beat them all. He stunned the critics with his witty arguments, defeated Machine Gun Kelly in the beef without noticing the latter's disses, put Joe Budden in his place, who allowed himself unflattering remarks about the maestro. Em was even nominated for a Grammy, which, by the way, he criticized. Of the recent achievements of Marshall, one cannot fail to note another freestyle, which will be quite difficult to surpass, because it lasts more than 11 minutes. All in all, Eminem has proven once again that he is one of the greatest MCs in the history of hip-hop and is ready to fight for this title with anyone.