The rap group was very popular in the 90s. Where did “Malchishnik”, Decl, Zhorik, Valov and other pioneers of Russian rap go?
The Flow website will present its vision of the history of Russian rap and remember the albums, names and events that had the greatest influence on it.
In this issue we remember the rap groups that made up the underground scene in Moscow in the 90s. Listing them all is an impossible task for such material, but any memories and readers’ own opinions can and should be left in the “comments” section. 
They emerged as a group of breakdancers. Originally called Mercury and danced in the cult film "The Courier".
It was 1986, young people had no free sources of information - they could only watch what was shown. And suddenly breakdancing was shown in Soviet cinema - it was a shock.
The Mercury party included future members of Bad Balance and Bachelor Party. And the name DMJ comes from the merger of “Mercury” and DJ. Closer to the 90s they turned into a rap group. The first album is called "Rap Of Power", but the second one, "This World Is Mine", turned out to be more famous.
The DMJ video "The Last Word" was released in 1993.
The track "You're to blame", another recognizable composition from the album "This World Is Mine".
According to the official version, the name is an abbreviation of the names of the group’s founders: Kirill “Seal” Lisovsky and Dima “Los” Lanin. They were joined by Maxim Gololobov (Jeep, later a participant in the projects Slaves of the Lamp, DOB Community and Fury Inc) and Konstantin Vasilevsky (Ice).
The tracks “New Day” (“My every new day begins with a slut…”) and (“Cops… As always, when it’s not necessary, / Where were you an hour ago, you ugly bastards”) were gloomy depressive city stories about that there is no future and little hope. The active period of this vibrant group lasted only a few years, after which it disbanded.
The name of this Moscow underground group stood for Department of Bastards.
Sergey Sir-J Bulavintsev, creator of the group Bust A.S!, which released the album "Pregnant Wit Skillz" in 1995. D.O.B. appeared as a result of the merger of Bust A.S! and the group Slingshot (a duo consisting of Ladjack and Legalize, who recorded the album "Salut Frum Russia", which was considered lost for a long time and was published only in 2015). Both groups were English-speaking, which would surprise a listener today, but was considered a normal story back then. In 1997, the album D.O.B. was released. "Rushun Roolett" is also in English, recorded by the duet Sir J and Legalize.
The Moscow underground community is growing around them, which includes Slaves of the Lamp (a group created by Jeeep from KTL DiLL and Grundik), Money Mike, Yori (Simone Makanda, mother of the rapper Jacques-Anthony, who is gaining momentum today). The term D.O.B arises. Community.
In 2000, D.O.B. release the album "Masters of the Word", now they read in Russian and do it extremely effectively. Apparently, this was the peak of the team - in the same 2000, Grundik died, and Legalize went into Legal Business and joined the Bad B Alliance.
The duet Slaves of the Lamp, which emerged in 1997 and ended in 2000 with the death of Alexey “Grundik” Perminov, left behind only one album, “It Doesn’t Hurt,” and a book of Grundik’s poems, “My Decadence.”
Apparently, the only person, besides Dolphin, who came from rap, whose texts were published in the form of a book of poems, Grundik deserved more than others to be called a poet. He used mostly dark palette tones, and the tragic fate of Grundik - death at 24 from an overdose - gives the works of the Slaves of the Lamp new content and frightening appeal.
It can be noted that in Russian rap of the 90s, the mood of doom and instability prevailed; he spoke about problems and difficulties, about the dark side. The bright side of Russian rap was one of the few represented by the group Rhythm-U, which released only one album, “Vesely Rhythm-U”.
The group appeared in 1992, its members actually knew how to play instruments and this left its mark.
If other heroes of Russian rap of the 90s were “from the street”, former dancers and so on, then Rhythm-U were “from music”. Rhythm-U preferred live instruments to samples and loops. In terms of sound and mood, it coincided with what the Fugees, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Roots were doing. In addition, the influence of Jamaican ragga was very strong. The group consisted of Zvonky and Bus.
The group did not last long: subsequently Zvonky joined the Tree of Life group, which also included Delovoy and Muk (later a member of the group Blanzh), won the Rap Music festival in 1997, was involved in the Alkofunk project, worked as a sound engineer and sound producer, and participated in the show “The Voice”.
"Rap is poop"
Dolphin 90s.
The history of Russian turnip is literally a couple of decades. OK. Let it be almost three. But definitely no more. At the same time, an attentive reader can certainly reproach me. After all, the same Kushnir, in his book “100 Magnetic Albums of Soviet Rock,” mentions a 1984 album by the group “Chas Rush” called “Rep.” You can also remember Kinchev with his “Totalitarian rap”. But I’m not going to go into such jungle. The time for rap in the 80s had not yet come. His turn will come in the 90s. And the main group of domestic recitative of that era was “Bachelor Party”. Let's start with them. Naturally, these young people are in the title photo.
Looking at this group, you inevitably come across the figure of the Dolphin. Andrei Lysikov ended up being broader and more versatile than just a person who reads vulgar texts. He started on Arbat as a dancer. Here is a photo from that period. It's 1988. Andrey is 17 years old here.
Another photo from the same period. Dolphin in the left corner.
“Bachelor Party” is a production project by Alexey Adamov. It was he who brought together the wonderful guys from Arbat in 1991. Initially, the group included the above-mentioned Andrei “Dolphin” Lysikov. And also Pavel “Mutabor” Galkin and Andrey “Dan” Kotov.
On an interesting note, I note that the video for the group’s main blockbuster about sex without interruption was directed by Mikhail Khleborodov. Later he shoots excellent videos of Lagutenko for the songs “Leak Away” and “Dolphins”. It’s also interesting that “Bachelor Party” still managed to be released on record.
In 1993, “Dan” temporarily left the group, and Oleg “Olen” Bashkatov took his place. He is in the title photo and this one. And here and there he is on the right. In 1996 he died of an overdose. I think you've identified the dolphin on the left.
Let's look at some more wonderful pictures. From left to right are: Alexey Adamov, Dolphin, Rashid Dayrabaev, if anyone doesn’t know the director of “Tender May” and Nikolai Baskov. Next comes Vlad Stashevsky and Yuri Aizenshpis. Paris 1993.
Here is also an interesting photo. Yuri Shatunov, Dolphin, Adamov. Spain 1992.
The history of “Bachelor Party” is closely intertwined with the group “Oak Gaai”. Actually, I heard the first ones, but did not listen. The latter were often heard at my home at one time. At the same time, the so-called “DuGa” seemed to appear before “Bachelor Party”. Founded in 1989. In 1991, they even managed to perform live in Riga. This recording is available on the Internet. There, Dolphin makes wonderful speeches: “We play only for whites,” for example. However, then “Bachelor Party” appeared and the project died out for several years.
He was resuscitated a couple of years later. “Bachelor Party” was then heard all over the country, but the participants, apparently, became cramped within the genre. The first album “DuGi” was released in 1993, and the second in 1995. Both albums are filled with suicide, drugs, alcohol and melancholy a little more than completely. In my opinion, this is a very strange development for the career of Dolphin and the company, but, probably, partly logical. The guys sang about what surrounded them. By and large, this was the voice of the streets of that time.
Dolphin is certainly an amazing figure for the 90s. Instead of continuing to make money in the “Bachelor Party” project, he first went to “Oak Gaai”. Then in 1997 he formed the group “Mishina Dolphins”, and then his solo career took off.
Among the interesting records, I note that in addition to the well-known albums, Dolphin released a certain “K.A.M.A.-Z”. This is certainly a phenomenal album. I can imagine how amazed the girls were after listening to “Depth of Field” and then this unique recording. Also in the second half of the 90s, Dolphin managed to record the “Grey Album”. It was not released and tracks from it were not subsequently used anywhere. Also an interesting post, of course. All songs describe ways of leaving this mortal world.
Well, Dolphin still entered the history of Russian rap as the author of the song “Dealer” in particular and a couple of albums in general at the beginning of his solo career. Then he was carried into unknown distances. Another interesting thing I’d like to mention is my collaboration with Spider. Below they are just in a joint photo. His carts in Riga about the game only for whites were probably like a balm for the soul.
Today Dolphin still performs, but after the 2007 album “Youth” I personally cannot listen to him. I don't like everything that was released over the next 10 years. But it's all a matter of taste. Again, it’s curious that Dolphin hasn’t had any well-known hits for about 10 years, but he still appears on TV. Either he will come to Urgant, or they will show him somewhere else. It seems like he doesn’t make music for everyone, but it’s in demand. A unique case.
In this material I do not sort someone by importance, as, in general, in my other notes. The performers are in a completely random order. Moreover, if I understand at least something about rock music, I am far from rap culture. But, nevertheless, understanding the past of our scene is a fascinating activity. So if anyone has anything to add, I will read it with interest.
Well, the next group, which was significant at one time, is “Bad Balance" I won’t even try to consider all the members of the team. In my opinion, the main driving force here was Vladislav “Chief” Valov and Sergei Krutikov, better known as “Mikhey”. Both, by the way, are from Donetsk.
Story "Bad Balance" began in 1989. In Donesk. If in rock music it is generally known that the driving cities were Moscow, St. Petersburg, Sverdlovsk and Novosibirsk, then in the case of hip-hop, it was a revelation for me personally to read that Donetsk had its own breakdancing school. And it was there that the first all-Union breakdance festival took place. I couldn’t find any photos from there, but I came across this picture. This is presumably Kyiv in 1989.
In the early 90s, Valov went to the USA where, apparently, he had the idea that dancing was good, but it would be nice to record an album. The album was recorded, but success came to the group only after they moved to the capital and recorded the second disc. It is he who is considered one of the main records of domestic hip-hop.
It’s interesting that in the recording of the 1994 album “Raiders”Bad B"Both Dolphin and Mr. Small took part. We’ve already talked about Dolphin, but we’ll get to Mister later.
The guys also collaborated with such a figure as Bogdan Titomir. Here they are just together. By the way, it’s funny that Titomir is considered by some to be the first rapper in Russia. Chronologically, the first album of “Bachelor Party” was released a year earlier than his. And the first records "Bad Balance"were back in 90.
Micah and Chief.
By the end of the 90s, Mikhei began solo work. In my opinion, he was the most promising of the whole crowd. At a minimum, because I didn’t squeeze myself into one style. And his voice was interesting. You probably remember his song “Bitch Love”? At one time it sounded from every iron. But he never had a brilliant career. He died in 2002. The official version is a stroke. Unofficial sources write that the reason was excessive drug use.
The boss will later bring “Decl” to our stage, but I won’t get ahead of myself. The photo shows the so-called golden composition “Bad Balance».
Do you remember such a group as “Van Moo”? Come on. Of course, remember. Their video for the song " Folk Techno » They turned it, in my opinion, even too often.
The group only managed to release two albums, but it was definitely a successful group. By the way, their roots go back to Rostov-on-Don. Even if this is not exactly rap, but for me the unique combination of different genres and work at the intersection of our folk music and rap makes this group one of the most significant at that time.
Among the interesting facts, it is worth noting that he collaborated with them.In the photo, “Van Moo” vocalist Sergei Savin and Anatoly are standing together.
And here is Sergei Savin with Kozyrev and Malikov.
From 1997 to 2007 the group did not function, but by the end of the decade Savin revived the project and even released an album. Of course, the group no longer has its former glory. Everything has its time.
Do you know who this is? This is Andrey Evgenievich Tsyganov.
However, he went down in the history of Russian rap as “Mr. Small”. In the first half of the 90s, his imperishable song “I will die young” was heard everywhere. It was a hard time; dying young was fashionable then.
At the age of 15, “Mr. Small” danced on the same stage with Natalya Vetlitskaya and performed at the “Vokloenie-94” festival. In a few years, instead of music, he will cheat people out of money and run around the gates. First, heroin came into his life, and then prison.
Look what girls "Mr. Small" hangs out with.
It is curious that in the 90s the project “Mr. Small” was compared with the American duet “Kris Cross" A stunning rise, tours with Michael Jackson and then oblivion. In 2013, Chris Keli, one of the duo members, died of an overdose.
Andrey was lucky. Today he does not smoke or drink. Of course, his former glory is gone, but he is alive and does not use drugs. And most importantly, it looks completely different from the previous photos. It is one in a million cases that a person manages to jump out of a train where a one-way ticket is issued. I hope the phrase “Heroin can wait” does not apply to him. Well, this is what he looks like now. You might not even know right off the bat.
Alexey Aleksandrovich Perminov, better known as “Grundik,” entered the history of Russian rap as part of the group “Slaves of the Lamp”. In fact, this brainchild continued the theme developed by Dolphin in “DuG”. Drugs, loneliness, suicide. Classic teen themes.
I found few photographs of Alexey. Of course, his sweater is awesome.
This is a photograph taken in 1999 at one of the festivals in Moscow.
In general, his group and himself are a classic example of outsiders. They only managed to release one album. In the late 90s, Alexey collaborated with Viktor “Mutant” Shevtsov. “Mutant,” by the way, played the guitar and helped record Dolphin’s best albums, from my point of view. Including such as “Depth of Field” and “Star”.
Well, Alexey Perminov died in 2000 from an overdose. As I understand among rap fans, his persona eventually became a cult figure. I listened carefully to their only album about 10 years ago. In fact, after “DuGa” this all seems secondary to me. On the other hand, this is the music of entrances, basements and dens. A person who chooses drugs instead of a normal life will definitely want to hear songs about them. This conditional listener will definitely have the feeling that this is real life. Although in fact this is only a pitiful semblance of a normal and real life. An ordinary surrogate. And only a few eventually manage to come to their senses and get out of the world of turbulence, hucksters, scammers and the gaping emptiness of loneliness.
The group “Bricks”, of course, doesn’t exactly play rap. However, this is not exactly rock. An excellent combination of recitatives set to music of our own making. They are from the St. Petersburg wave of rock of the mid-90s. Personally, I heard them at the very end of that decade. I unexpectedly liked the album “Death at a Rave”. Well, “Capitalism 00” sounded in its time from all the cracks. Remember the song “About Friends”? It was definitely played on radio stations and on TV.
The photo is from 1996. The beginning has begun, so to speak.
The group recorded and released the album “Capitalism 00” with the help of the “Gala Records" They also produced the above-mentioned “Bad Balance" However, the same company produced many people. And “Gaza Strip” and “Kar-Men”, and the group “Strelki”.
The group's first successful album could have been released a year earlier, but the dates were postponed due to the death of the group's drummer Evgeniy Nazarov. The official version is a heart attack, but the unofficial version is an overdose. I'm not a doctor, but in my opinion, a heart attack and an overdose mean the same thing. In the photo Evgeniy is in the right corner.
This photo shows the classic lineup of the group. Vasya Vasin, who is actually Vasily Vasiliev, Danila Smirnov and Evgeny Nazarov.
I don’t know how many copies the group’s next album, 2002’s “The Power of Mind,” sold, but, in my opinion, it was even more successful than the previous one. The songs “Schoolgirls” and “Jedi” were heard regularly on radio stations that fall.
Well, then the group went into some kind of decline. They never became popular favorites, but they still remain on stage. As for me, “Bricks” is one of the most interesting groups that appeared in the 90s, but, unfortunately, they are stuck in the past. I tried to listen to subsequent albums, but every year my impression grew stronger that Vasya did not want to grow anywhere further. It’s as if it was preserved in the past. When a forty-year-old man sings the same songs he did at age 20, it somehow doesn’t inspire confidence. On the other hand, the development of the same Dolphin is not close to me.
Comparing the early 90s and 00s, one has to draw parallels between the group “Malchishnik” and such a person as “Decl”. In the summer of 2000, grown-up boys listened to “Bricks,” while the kids had fun with the album “Who? You are the new star of rap culture.
Look at this cute photo from the beginning of the millennium. On the left is Kirill “Decl” Tolmatsky, on the right is Timur “Timati” Yunusov.
I already wrote above that I reflexively draw parallels with the “Bachelor Party” group. So, even though they are a production project, they are still street children. “Decl” is the son of Alexander Tolmatsky, who at different times was a producer for Oleg Gazmanov and the “Combination” group. Naturally, he also helped his son at first. “Chief” from “Chief” also helped him.Bad Balance».
Somehow, in the end, it doesn’t turn out that Kirill comes from the street, unlike the same “Grundik”. And it’s unlikely that the songs of the “Slaves of the Lamp” team would have sounded on central television, and certainly these guys would not have ended up on the same stage with Joseph Kobzon.
However, these are all stories from the past. As a result, by the mid-2000s, “Decl” will change its sign to “Le Truk" Start experimenting with different genres. For example, he will have flirting with suddenly the creativity of such a figure as Yegor Letov.
In general, he has long grown out of his childhood period. True, he also disappeared from the airwaves of radio stations. The strangest thing is that I somehow like him. I watched several interviews with him and for some reason I had a good impression of him. There is a feeling that he is an adequate person.
By the mid-2000s, dozens of new names will appear. The “Multiple Dots” team will thunder in the players of young teenagers, and the “Krovostok” group and the trash tent “Kach” will entertain those who are older. “Casta” and “Guf", the wonderful group "2" will shooth company" Then “25/17” will arrive. Well, everyone already knows what’s going on in the world of hip-hop today. He's in fashion. In general, I want to end this material with a quote from “2h company": "Rap is no longer poop."
That's all for today. Thank you for your attention and I hope it was interesting. Take care of yourself.
In this article I will give facts known from the history of Russian Hip-Hop - which team was the first, who was the first to release an album, etc. I will try to note those names and albums that are mandatory for understanding Russian school of Hip-Hop, from the point of view of our site. There may be some inaccuracies marked with a (?) (or unmarked facts unknown to me).
First recorded rap song– (Rush Hour), 1984, this is an outward imitation of one American track, rather, without understanding what Hip-Hop is. In the 90s in Russia there were also similar fashionable recordings (B. Titomir, Van Moo, S. Minaev, etc.), which make no sense to consider.
First half of the 90s
During this period, the inertia from the collapsed Union still remained - pioneers, festivals, etc. Although food shortages in the country were increasingly felt by the mid-90s.
First Hip-Hop album – Pulse 1. Music computer. Inspired by the recordings of the pioneers of Hip-Hop, domestic musicians A. Rodionov and B. Tikhomirov, using the first digital music machines, recorded an instrumental record in the Hip-Hop style.
The first rap team to make records and who performed a lot back in the Union - D.M.J. Composition: Arthur, Igor, Pinscher, Crab, Rezik, Mutabor. Founded around 1987 (?) as a breakdance cru. The album began to be prepared in the early 90s and was released in 1993.
The first rap team to release an album- Bachelor party. The group was founded in 1990. Thanks to the producer and the shocking theme, the group performed a lot. Participants: Mutabor, who transferred from D.M.J., Dan, Dolphin, who wrote most of the lyrics.
MC's first girl– Lika (Lika Star), she is the first MC girl to release an album.
At the same time, the Bad B. (Bad Balance) team existed in the underground. Having moved to Moscow from St. Petersburg, in 1994 they released a serious social album, but before that they already had professional recordings, which were released only in the late 90s in the form of the “first domestic rap album.” The team was founded in 1990 in St. Petersburg and consisted of: Chill-Will (Sheff), Mikhey, DJ LA, Monya, Skalya, etc. They were also the first to perform together with a DJ.
First underground album(if you want to first real rap album), – (Bad Balance). The theme of this work, on the one hand, corresponds to Hip-Hop, and on the other, to real problems in the new Russia.
The above-mentioned teams (D.M.J., Bachelor Party, Bad Balance) also necessarily included b-boys. So the group enhanced their performances with breakdancing. Moreover, all the MCs of the named teams also danced various break styles - Sheff, paired with Monya, were the winners of the Union Top Break Championship in 1989 (?).
During this initial period, there also existed St. Petersburg groups T-Jam (Thermonuclear Jam) and Name Protected, which were founded around 1988 (?), but left no records. Most likely, these groups are also associated with breakdancing.
In 1993, new characters and groups appeared in the party - Bust A.S.! and K.T.L.-D.L.L. At this time, the group White Hot Ice (hereinafter referred to as a solo artist) was still making waves in the Moscow crowd, whose records began to appear during this period.
Chronology of published albums in the first half of the 90s:
1985
. "Pulse 1. Music Computer" (LP)(old school)
1992
. Bachelor Party “Let's Talk About Sex” (MC, LP)(old school)
1993
. Bachelor Party "Miss Big Breasts" (CD)(old school)
1993. D.M.J. “This World is Mine” (CD, LP(?) ) (old school)
1993. Lika “Rap” (CD, LP) (old school)
1993. D.M.J. “This World is Mine” + Lika “Rap” (MC) (old school) – 2 albums on 1 cassette.
1993. MD & S PAVLOV (?-title) (CD) (funk rap)
1994
. Bad Balance "Bad B Raiders" (CD, MS(?) ) (old school/underground)
Second half of the 90s
Everything that was from the Union had already been stolen, divided, enterprises stood still, the only source of income was commerce in any form.
The first MC is Dolphin. During the period 1996 – 1997. he releases as many as 4 albums: 2 recorded together with Dubov Gaay in the period 1991 - 1995, Mishina’s project Dolphins, and a powerful solo album that was widely distributed throughout the country. As a result, these albums of his, entirely devoted to the topic of drugs and suicide, and especially “Out of Focus,” can be called the first concept albums in Russian rap.
First concept rap album- (Dolphin) . The album is entirely devoted to personality problems, the topic of drugs and suicide.
It would be wrong to consider Mister Maly as a solo MC, because, firstly, this is a completely production project, and secondly, it relates more to techno music.
The first real rap videos – "City Angst" (Bad Balance) / "Dealer" (Dolphin) came out in 1996 and 1997, respectively.
First instrumental Hip-Hop album, released by the participants of the Bachelor Party and Oak Gayya, under the pseudonym Barbitura in 1997 - .
First scratch mix– (DJ 108) .
In 1996 – 1999 The underground begins to flourish in Moscow. Most likely, the impetus comes from the D.O.B. family, which includes K.T.L.-D.L.L. (composition: Ice, Seal, Jeep), Bust A.S.! (line-up: Sir-J, Nail, Lees), D.O.B. (composition: Sir-J, Legalize), Slaves of the Lamp (composition: Grundik, Jeep), Slingshot (composition: Ladjak, Legalize). The Tree of Life (composition: Uncle Zvonky, Muk, Business), transformed from Rhythm-U (composition: Uncle Zvonky, Bus, + Muk) also receive internal fame. “Basement” rap labels of various trends are appearing, publishing rap on cassettes. This is how they are released – Bust A.S.! , D.A.M.A.T. , Dense , D.O.B. , Slaves of the Lamp , Lights Out , Da B.O.M.B. (Max Mix Production & Da Lost Boyz), Big Black Boots, etc.
In 1997, the St. Petersburg group S.T.D.K made its way onto TV. with the hit "Summer". Although the main movement in St. Petersburg is set by Da-108 (composition: DJ 108, Cooper), working since 1992, but gaining fame only in 1996, and their party Da-108 Flava, who became the blacksmith of St. Petersburg rap. Their opponents are "Baltic Clan" led by Fuchs, who publishes numerous collections.
In Moscow and throughout Russia, the tone is set by Bad Balance and their label “Hip-Hop Info”. Magazines and collections of the same name are published, and festivals “Rap Music Live”, “Battle of DJs”, “Voice of the Streets” and “Street Ball” are held with the sponsorship of Adidas. In 1997 – 1999 On “Rap Music Live” regional groups perform and become famous - Da-108, White Brothers, Typical Rhythm, Via Chappa, Evil Spirit, Casta, etc.
Classic mainstream album– (Bad Balance), this, as they say, is a classic of all times.
Chronology of published albums in the second half of the 90s:
1995. Mister Maloy “I’ll Bend Little Smoke” (CD, MC) (techno-rap)
1995. Christian Ray & MF-3 “Party In Bap Style” (CD, MC) (pop-soul / new soul)
1996 (?-year). Bust A.S.! "Pregnant Wit Skillz"(MC) (new school/underground)
1996. Bachelor Party “Skittles” (CD, MC) (old school)
1996. Oak Gaai “Stop The Killing Dolphins” (CD, MC) (“live” rap) – album 1993.
1996
. Oak Gaai “Blue Lyrics #2”(CD, MC) (“live” rap) – 1995 album.
1996. Master Spensor & Friends “Encyclopedia of Russian Rap” (MS) (new school / old school)
1997 (?-year). D.A.M.A.T. “New Day /Trepanation of Ch-Rap 4/” (MC; Pavian Records; PR-01? -9? ) (underground)
1997. Rhythm-U “Merry Rhythm-U /Trepanation of Ch-Rap 6/” (MS; Pavian Records; PR-016-97) (new school)
1997. Limmon feat. D.A.M.A.T. “1st Ablom / Rapmania 2 /” (MC; Pavian Records; PR-019-97) (underground)
1997
. Tree of Life “Prophetic Dream”/Trepanation of Ch-Rap 8/"(MC; Pavian Records; PR-027-97) (new school)
1997. K.M.Evil “Specialization / Rapmania 4 /” (MC; Pavian Records; PR-30) (underground)
1997
. Bad B. “Purely About...”(CD, MC) (“live” rap / old school)
1997. Misha's Dolphins "Toys" (CD, MS) ("live" rap)
1997
. Dolphin "Out of Focus"
1997
. Barbitura "Planet Rock"(CD, MC) (breakbeat/instrumental hip-hop)
1997. Christian Ray & MF-3 “Heat” (CD, MC) (pop-soul / hip-hop)
1997. S.T.D.K. “Dreams” (CD, MC) (new school / old school)
1997. Detso “Kolya, I’m Here” (CD (?), MS) (new school)
1997. Mister Malaya “Catch Courage” (CD, MC) (techno-rap)
1997. The dense “183 Days” (MS, RAPMC002-97) (new school / old school)
1997. White Brothers (MC) (new school / old school) (?-in the area)
1997, December. Da B.O.M.B. "Max Mix Production & Da Lost Boyz" (new school / old school)
1998. D.O.B. "Rushun Roolett" (MC) (new school/underground)
1998: spring. Slaves of the Lamp (MC) (new school/underground)
1998. Bricks “Bricks are Heavy” (CD, MS) (“live” rap)
1998. White Hot Ice “In Fools” (MC) (old school / underground) – album 1996.
1998. Bad Balance “Above the Law” (CD, MC) (old school / underground) – album from 1991.
1998
. Turn off the Light "Don't Lean"(MC) (new school/underground)
1998. K316 "3.1.6." (MC) (new school / old school)
1998. Big Black Boots “Terry Pops. Maz No..." (new school)
1999. DJ 108 “Is that so?!” (CD, MC / KDK Records) (new school / old school mix)
1999: spring. Micah and Jumanji "Bitch Love"(CD, MC; Real Records; RR-004-MC/CD) (funk / reggae)
1999, summer. Bad Balance "Jungle City"(CD, MC) (new school / old school)
1999
. Da-108 "Road to the East"(CD, MC; Zvezda Records; ZV 010 MC) (new school / old school)
1999. Evil Spirit "Exit In..."(MC) (new school/underground)
1999. Spiders G "Spiders That G" (MS) (new school / old school)
1999. Artel Rap Terror "187" (MS) (new school / underground)
1999. Family Yu.G.a (MC) (new school / underground)
1999. K316 & 56 Size “Siberian Rap” (MS) (new school / old school)
1999. ? “Question Mark” (MC, CD) (new school)
1999, summer. Caste “Three-Dimensional Rhymes” (MC) (new school / underground)
1999. Barbitura “Numbers” (CD, MS) (break beat) – album 1997.
1999: autumn. Dolphin “Depth of Field” (CD, MS) (new school / old school)
Designations: LP – vinyl long-playing record, CD – compact disc, MC – compact cassette.
Sources:
1. Personal archive of LPs, CDs, MS of the indicated artists and albums and video recordings from TV.
2. Video magazine “Hip-Hop in Russia: from the first person.”
3. Magazines “Hip-Hip Info”.
4. “100 Percent” magazines.
5. And much more...
An ex-member of the pop duo “Kar-man”, who decided to go even further in adapting foreign fashion to the Russian language - and turned into a rapper. An eccentric, charismatic and a brilliant showman: Titomir’s music was often overshadowed by a scandalous image - nevertheless, “The Girl in Red” and “Do as I Do” cannot be erased from the history of Russian pop music.
An absolutely amazing video: Bogdan Titomir performs “The Girl in Red” in NTV’s New Year’s program dedicated to the 1995 meeting, in the episodes there is the entire unique journalistic team, and it all begins with Eduard Khil (!) reading Titomir’s text addressed to Tatyana Mitkova
Now
Titomir quickly got used to the Moscow creative scene and, according to rumors, sometimes made money with things that had, let’s say, an indirect relation to music. In the late 90s he went to the USA for several years. In 2004 he became one of the founders of the Gazgolder club. In the late 2000s, he recorded the double album “Tender and Rough” and even assembled a live band to perform it, which even received good reviews from critics. He played in the film “PiraMMMida”; co-hosted the TV show “Striptease Star” with Masha Malinovskaya. Perhaps the most resonant manifestations of Titomir in the last decade are the provocative obscene duet with Timati “Dirty Sluts”, which was refused rotation on “Muz-TV” and which later became the basis for the rapper Kach’s track “They will be punished”; a song with the characteristic title “Moscow is shit”; and fight with Stas Baretsky on the air of the “Last Word” program on NTV (in which Titomir generally won).
Late Titomir generally likes to emphasize that he has a lot of money: for example, a relaxed composition from three years ago with the characteristic title “The crisis does not concern me” (as well as an interesting rhyme “eyes” - “nah”)
"Bachelor Party"
Then
Rap scandalists who extremely shamelessly enlightened their listeners on issues of sex and eroticism - now it’s even strange to remember that the song “Sex without a break” was endlessly played on TV and was a big hit. With all its wild shockingness and a large number of borrowings from the American group 2 Live Crew, “Bachelor Party” became the first commercially successful attempt to translate hip-hop into Russian.
The most famous song of the “Bachelor Party”, a detailed account of a collective orgy, which, it seems, was played on federal television channels.
Now
In the mid-nineties, “Bachelor Party” turned into a duet - Dolphin left the group, who soon disowned Russian hip-hop and turned into one of the brightest and most sought-after independent musicians in the country. The remaining two participants, Dan and Mutabor, tried their hand at electronic music with the “Barbitura” project, but later still returned to songs about sex. The duo’s last album, “Weekend,” was released in 2006; since then, “Malchishnik” has not recorded anything new, limiting itself to rare concerts and performances at corporate events. This year, a book about the group, “Sex Without a Break Forever,” was published; it is available for purchase online. On the official website, among other things, you can find news for February 12 with the following headline: “As many as 5 parties with the participation of the group took place in Moscow (Corporate parties and birthdays of people and companies? Easy! Everyone needs nostalgia!).”
Mister Small
Then
A teenager in black glasses, the author of one of the first Russian rap hits “I will perish with little smoke” (1992; Maloy was 13 years old at the time), laureate of the Generation-94 festival; another clear example of the creative freedom that reigned in pop music in the nineties.
The text “I will perish with little smoke” turned out to be prophetic for its performer - and in the saddest sense
Now
Fame, money and women came to Maly in adolescence - and naturally had a sad effect on his fate and health: the rapper had problems with drugs, for which he was treated for a long time; the sad story of his fall is told in the first person in Ilya Stogov’s book “Sinners.” Subsequently, he recorded wild absurdist hip-hop with the group Drunken Boys, worked as an art director of the Griboedov club and in other St. Petersburg establishments, and held strange events like a rap battle for the A Just Russia party. Maly’s latest sensational composition is last year’s track “Hang Glider,” a schizophrenic paraphrase of Valery Leontyev’s disco hit, seemingly in support of Putin: “Better a Siberian Crane on a hang glider than a full arctic fox; “It’s better to see a mammoth on TV than hamsters in a swamp.”
"Brothers Smile"
Now
The band members - Chrome and Skalya - work as sound engineers at one of the St. Petersburg studios. In the fall of 2012, a Afisha correspondent tried to contact Chrom and do an interview, but he was hospitalized and eventually stopped responding to messages. Currently, the “Brothers” public page is on VKontakte. reports, that “Chrome is being restored”, and the group is finishing recording the album “Old Schools” and filming the horror film “And the Zombies Are Quiet Here”; On May 21, “Brothers Smile” gave a concert in Yekaterinburg.
"STDK"
Then
A humorous St. Petersburg group created by breakdancer friends (read more about the background of the group about the main songs in the history of Russian pop music). The authors of the catchphrase “The summer has flown by - everything is left behind” and the popular song of the same name.
It’s interesting that almost all of the mass Russian hip-hop of the 90s, before the appearance of Tolmatsky-Valov’s creations, was extremely positive - and this under certain living conditions in the country
Yes, this video was made by the same person who sang the song about summer
Vlad Valov
Then
He's Sheff. The ideologist of the group Bad Balance - the first Russian rap group that could be taken seriously (and which demanded an appropriate attitude). Founder of Hip Hop Info magazine, which played a key role in introducing rap to millions of teenagers. A producer who showed that hip-hop in Russia can be popular and commercially viable. The man behind the success of Decl, Legal Business and Bad B. Alliance.
Valov is mostly remembered in connection with the story of Decl (and rather in a comic register), but Bad Balance of the first convocation - that is, in particular with Mikhei - were, perhaps, the first large Russian rap group in every sense
Now
Having provoked a hip-hop boom in the early 2000s, Valov very soon fell out with his business partner, Alexander Tolmatsky (due to legal disputes, he even had to change his pseudonym from Sheffa to Master Sheffa) and founded his own label 100Pro. It’s still there - the label releases albums by Bad Balance and artists friendly to the group. Valov produced Yelka's first three albums, but the singer became truly popular after the end of her contract with her first guardian. Valov also has his own Internet radio program and the Rap Music festival - once a “star factory” of Russian hip-hop, which gave birth to “Caste” and “Ellipsis”, but has now lost much of its influence. From time to time, Valov answers questions from visitors to his website in ornate ways - most often in the sense that hip-hop is no longer the same. He plays football as part of the Russian pop stars team “Starko”. Draws pictures.
An example of Valov's current creativity, which, it must be said, has retained the habit of gathering an entire community around him - the current one is called 100PRO
Then
Kirill Tolmatsky, the son and ward of his father-producer, the first true superstar of Russian rap, the author of the sayings “What have you done for hip-hop at your age”, “Pepsi, pager, MTV”, etc. It was with the advent of Decl that it became clear that hip-hop can be truly popular here - the young MC performed in stadiums and filmed big-budget videos. However, this popularity also had its downsides - desks and walls all over the country were scrawled with the words “Decl is a sucker,” and Tolmatsky himself subsequently had to work hard to get rid of this background.
A song that was extremely popular in its time, the refrain of which quickly became a proverb. The second person on stage in three years will become known as Timati. Among other things, “Who Are You” casually described an important human dilemma of the Putin era: “Do you want to be a rapper, a thief, a prosecutor?”
Now
In the mid-2000s, Decl quarreled with his father and Valov, tried to change his pseudonym to Le Truk (it didn’t really work out, and now Tolmatsky performs under two names at once), got married, gave birth to a son, Anthony, began recording with rappers like Smokey Mo and Basta, and changed his style somewhat. , inspired by dancehall and raggamuffin. At the same time, the artist recorded his last big hit - “Let’s Potabachim”. Now Kirill is interested in Rasta culture, travels a lot, releases new albums on average every three years and gives amazing interviews: for example, he states that Stas Mikhailov’s concerts are part of the state plan for money laundering.
Decl’s latest album at the moment was called “Here and Now” (the next one should be released this year) and began with the following topical track: “The world is shrouded in fear, the system is collapsing, / Economic collapse, despair in the eyes, / The oligarch is getting poorer, the patriarch has changed , / And the money began to melt right in your hands.”
Legalize
Then
A member of the underground group D.O.B, with the support of Vlad Valov, he became the face of the “Legal Business” project. He is considered the man who reinvented rap in Russian - he moved away from the “square” rhyme and began to experiment with form. He was the first rapper to make a rap remake of the Kino group's song, turning "A Pack of Cigarettes" into a big hit of its time.
As follows from the comments to this video on YouTube, some people, thanks to Legalize, learned about the existence of Viktor Tsoi himself
Now
After a quarrel between Valov and Tolmatsky, Legalize remained with the latter (dedicating the caustic track “Doctor Bluff” to Valov). He lived in Prague for some time, and upon his return he released the blockbuster album “XL”, which included the song “Future Mothers” - a hit at R’n’B parties at the Infinity club. He judged the show “Battle for Respect-3”, recorded a rap cover of “I want to be with you”, gave lectures about hip-hop at RUDN University and in “Garage”. At the end of the decade he decided to return to more orthodox rap - now he supplies beats little-known American rappers and is engaged in his own project “Rage Inc.”
In addition to Legalize, Fury Inc includes rappers Jeep and Lomak
Then
Vlad Valov's attempt to re-enter the same water. 14-year-old Zhorik became an even more comical character than his predecessor Decl, and was remembered primarily as a curiosity. The track “This is Zhorik” at one time became a hit on the “Shit Parade” program and, in a sense, anticipated the future boom of kid-hop from the VKontakte network.
Now
Several years ago, Zhorik made an attempt to return - however, after the publication of the pathetic songs “Return” and “From NY to Moscow” there was no continuation. It is also known that the rapper currently lives in New York, where he completed his studies. Tagline
This category is dedicated to lovers of music and music videos. Here we tried to collect the most popular, cool and melodic clips from various authors. We did not discriminate against our visitors, and therefore filled in many different directions. There are both rock videos and classic, well-known melodies and, of course, we haven’t forgotten about rap.
Let's start, perhaps, with rap, because this particular style is now incredibly popular in the countries of the former Soviet Union and has gained simply unprecedented popularity. In general, creating such music does not require special skills or hearing, and therefore every rogue can compose a rap. A simple, rhyming text is created, which is read with a certain intonation, and a looped melody plays in the background, which the rappers themselves call a beat. Even schoolchildren compose simple verses. Poems are rarely dedicated to something sublime, but increasingly touch upon our dirty and ambiguous reality.
The second most popular musical genre in our countries can be considered pop. These are also quite simple, rhythmic songs with a catchy chorus and bright visuals that collect millions of views. The main feature of this genre can be considered very simple texts, in which all attention is paid to the chorus. However, many pop artists try to highlight their music with the help of unusual and even sometimes strange visuals. They lure their listeners with bright visual images and a simple, drawn-out, and sometimes stupid melody.
In addition to popular trends, there are also less popular, but higher quality genres. For example, Rock music. It has many different subtypes, from simple grunge to heavier metal compositions with hellish screams. This style is able to touch on various topics and life issues. She can ask her listeners various questions and not give an answer to them. The composition can be about simple human feelings and relationships such as love, betrayal, friendship, etc. It can also tell some interesting story; in general, this music is quite universal. In addition, performers of this genre also like to experiment in their videos and sometimes delight their audience with very high-quality video footage.
However, there are still a whole lot of different styles that are several times better and of higher quality than what is now popular. After all, as everyone knows, if something becomes widespread, it most often loses its unique charm. And greedy performers begin to rivet their unscrupulous fakes, wanting to earn as much green paper as possible.
If you are just a music lover, and you just like to listen to music, regardless of its genre, then hundreds and thousands of videos with music videos will open to you. Here you can listen and watch clips absolutely free of charge and without registration. Nothing can stop you from enjoying your favorite composition and watching your favorite performers. We wish you pleasant viewing and listening!
