What is Russian hip-hop and where does it come from?
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Through Jean Vandevert, Post-graduate in musicology
Due to the international appeal of social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, Western audiences have inadvertently been introduced to a wide variety of unique styles and sounds.
Proceedings of Italian rock band MÃ¥neskin (‘Beggin’), to South Asian / Canadian rapper Tesher (‘Jalei Baby’), and Nigerian singer Korede Bello (Do like That), to Germanic 70s disco band Boney M. (‘Rasputin’), and even a virtual K-POP group named K / DA (“Pop / Stars”), have all been (re) launched in the public eye, with digital communities quickly embracing their music. So much so that three Russian songs, one from the beginning of the year (‘ÐÐ¾Ñ Ð³Ð¾Ð»Ð¾Ð²Ð° винÑом’ – Kostromin), one from 2020 (‘Ice’ – Morgenshtern), and the other from 2018 (‘СÑдно’ – ÐолÑÐ°Ñ Ðома), have escaped their borders and are becoming immensely popular all over the world.
The Russian hip-hop scene is nothing like the West, or more specifically the United States. Everything, in one way or another, is politically motivated, and many Russian artists have very strong political views, and their beliefs filter through their musical voices. Beginning at the end of Soviet Russia with the proto-rock scene of the 60s, ushered in by the failure of Gorbachev’s 80s Perestroika and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Russian hip-hop grew. mixed with western commercial theater and underhanded Russian political protest.
The journey of Russian hip-hop began in the 1940s / 1950s with the emergence of the âsubversiveâ spontaneity of jazz during the end of the Cold War. “Jazz ambassadors” like Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong were sent in the hope that cultural diplomacy could heal the tension of the era, instilling a sense of wonder in the trained Soviet citizens of the era. Fast forward to the Khrushchev Thaw of the 1960s and the birth of the “Beatlemania” movement, the beginning of Russian rock had begun. Even though the bands and musical aesthetic of this era were just inferior replicas of Western styles, it nevertheless gave them the motivation to create their own voices. By the 1970s, the Soviet government realized the dangers of this new art form, and youth-led groups (called Amateurs) were now fighting with state-sanctioned groups (VIA groups) for currency. sociocultural. However, the stubborn youth knew it was better than passivity, and so Soviet punk and hard rock emerged, along with socially conscious musicians ready to challenge Soviet oppression. Hip-Hop really started in the 1980s; while western pop and disco music saturates dancehalls, punk and new wave saturate people’s minds, leading to government âpurgesâ against it. But following Gorbachev’s Perestroika, break-dancing entered Russia, creating perfect conditions for Hip-Hop.
In 1984, the very first piece of “rap” was premiered (“Totalitarian Rap” – Alisa), and a widening of access to Western media ensued, marking a radical shift in the late Soviet consciousness of noisy serfs. to provoked revolutionaries. The 1990s were a decade of great change in Russia and hip-hop took full advantage of it with the creation of rap groups like Bad Balance and Bachelor Party, festivals like Peak-91, radio stations and publications. publicized. Rap was no longer just an expressive genre of social anxiety, but a full-time career that could make big money for a smart player.
The growing popularity of radio and the internet, as well as the post-Soviet adoption of capitalism, meant that Russian hip-hop went beyond being just a counter-culturalist symbol run by young people. By the early 2000s, the consensus was that Russian hip-hop had become irrevocably commercialized by people like Detsl, Pepsi, and MTV, but it was now an integral part of post-Soviet Russian identity. Rap subgenres had emerged, such as Gangster and R’n’B, Conscious, and increased digitization promoted access to hip-hop like never before.
But by the mid to late 2000s, Russia was rapidly falling into national turmoil (including Putin’s takeover, the Kursk disaster, inter-country conflicts and the Great Recession), and in response hip-hop took its final form. Following Medvedev’s appointment in 2009 and Putin’s reappointment in 2012, the use of political themes has only grown. According to Russian musicologist Ilya Kukulin, the controversial genre has become âvaluedâ in post-2010 Russia and has become the âplayground of revenge for those who feel disadvantagedâ.
More recently, Russian rappers have divided their attitudes towards the use of politics in their music. While some may only secretly allude to issues and beliefs, encoding them poetically in their works, it can be said that nothing escapes politics. Mainstream rappers like Morgenshtern, Timati and his label Black Star, as well as those emerging from the âcontemporary undergroundâ like Pharaoh and Noize MC, are all products of the Russian struggle for survival, where life is and will be. difficult unless you find the right balance between âsuccess, risk and aggressionâ.
There are many aesthetic styles of rap in Russia, each with their own unique blend of instruments, politics, and language advantage. Rappers like White Punk, Scriptonite and Cakeboy use the broad ‘cloud-rap’ style, using more lyrical beats and slower trip-hop tempos to summon everything from pensive, gloomy perspectives to hedonistic pleasure. Here, Mnogozaal and his disastrous, hazy comments line up. Some rappers like Oxxxymiron, 25/17 and Ðонзо focus on rhythmic text delivery and G-Funk instrumental soundscapes to support their message. Meanwhile, BollywoodFM and Husky make extensive reference to Russian culture and express their philosophical worldviews through an eclectic compositional aesthetic, using a full range of vocal effects to do so. Others, like JEEMBO, Boulevard Depo, KILL ME, OBLADAET and the general public sometimes lack textual or philosophical depth with their heavily produced and cleanly rap-qua-electronic trap tracks – but have nonetheless become incredibly popular among mainstream audiences. , both Russian and Slavic.
Review: Easy Life @ the O2 Academy
In conversation with Joy Crookes
The bottom line is, if you’ve got a sound you like, there’s probably a rapper for you! So go take a look this list of the 100 best Russian rappers and take your pick! To know Russians today, you have to listen to them like one!
Featured Image: Unsplash / Michael Parulava
Do you listen to Russian hip-hop?
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