Top 10 coolest rappers. Who is the best rapper of our time? The best rappers in Russia

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Russian rap, as a cultural phenomenon, arose in the late nineties. Lots of groups and solo performers appeared at that time, but only a few were able to stay without losing their style and popularity. The best underground Russian rappers - that's what we want to tell you about today.

Slaves of the Lamp

Having recorded just one album, the group forever entered the history of Russian rap and, most likely, will remain there for a long time. The founder of the group, Alexey Perminov, under the pseudonym Grundig, did not live long, but left behind vivid memories and many creative ideas. He wrote poetry since childhood, and every year his texts became more and more harsh, reflecting the reality that surrounded him. This resulted in a passion for rap, and with his friend they record debut album“Doesn’t it hurt?”, which became a classic of Russian rap and set the standards for a long time, both in readings and in the themes used in the texts. Unfortunately, the group did not last long - Alexey’s addiction to drugs became a disease and subsequently destroyed him. After the poet’s death, a collection of his poems, “My Decadence,” was published. The book begins with an epigraph written by Alexei himself:
“Loud dirt. The filth is in abundance.
My decadence - Red Cross"

Largest Prime Number

SPBCh is a creative formation, which includes journalist Kirill Ivanov and the duet electronic musicians: Ilya Baramia and Alexander Zaitsev – “ Christmas toys" Initially, the songs were a mixture of ambient and reading strange, painful, children's poems by Kirill. Characteristic feature is the absence of a beat and any drums, this role is played by the melody, and the recitative was supposed to tear up the “fabric” of the music. According to Ivanov himself, music should be detached and to hear it you need to strain as if it were playing somewhere far away... The name itself can be considered dynamic, because a prime number is a number that is divisible by one and itself, and there is no limit to such a number . However, mathematicians have formulated how to show this number visually “232582657−1”. The lyrics of the song are distinguished by their originality: the images and intonations seem to be familiar from childhood, it is very remarkable that several generations at once have these associations. This is how the cradles of a new generation can sound, you just need to listen to the hypnotic rhythms and extraordinary lyrics.

Purulent

The real name of the performer is Vyacheslav Alekseevich Mashnov. In addition to Gnoyny, he has many more pseudonyms, which he uses from time to time, depending on the direction in which the track is released: Glory to the CPSU, Valentin Dyadka, Sonya Marmeladova and many others. Today, he is considered the best battle rapper in Russia. His last battle with Oxxxymiron gained enormous resonance; this verbal duel became the best in the entire history of Russian battles. Slava himself speaks of his work this way: “narrowly subcultural rap with a bunch of internal jokes.” He was noticeably influenced by anarchism and punk culture, echoes of which can be heard in Gnoyny’s current texts. Also, according to him, he was influenced by such groups as “4 Positions Bruno”, “Lenina Packet” and the leader of the “Auction” group - Leonid Fedorov. Gnoyny is the most productive rapper in Russia - in just a couple of years, he has released a huge number of albums, surpassing the number of meters in this direction.

Caste

The group originated in Rostov-on-Don, back in 1997, when rap in Russia was just emerging as a cultural phenomenon. Today the composition of the team is as follows: Zmey, Vladi, Shym and Khamil. The first performances were on an amateur basis, took place in a friendly atmosphere, but after a couple of years they took up this craft seriously: wide pants and exclamations of “Yo” were already perceived as a cliche, and it was necessary to do something monolithic and more progressive. Without copying foreign performers, Casta developed her own style, showing that rap can be original and sincere. They released their first collection of songs, “Three-Dimensional Rhymes,” in 1999, using their own money. Since then, success has followed the group: album after album, adding listeners to them, Casta took first place in the music charts, they are invited to television, they shoot video clip after video clip. Today this is the most famous group in Russia, which has a huge army of fans.

The tragedy of a lifetime

The tragedy of a lifetime - creative union Vetla Udalykh and Nikita Raskolnikov. The group was founded more than ten years ago, back in 2006, then the lineup included Tonych Goglev and Vetl Udalykh. Later, Sasha Gorbaty joined the group and arranged the compositions. The group’s first disc, “Unconscious,” was released in 2009, more than half of the minuses were written by Gorbaty, the rest was written by Vetl. After the first album, Tonych left the formation and began a solo career in a completely different direction. February 2010 was marked by the arrival of Nikita Raskolnikov to the group. The group not only writes songs, but also shoots high-quality videos - Lymph nodes, 2012; General Reason, 2013; Raskolnikov feat. Popek - Holy Father, 2014; Slim, Raskolnikov - Not about summer, 2014. The group is very productive; since 2009, 13 albums have already been released, not counting the solo compositions of the performers. The group focuses its lyrics on promoting sports and fighting drugs.

Kunteynir

The Moscow collective, formed in 2003, consisting of three people - Pasha Technik, Blev MS and Maxim Sinitsyn - is the only black person who reads Russian rap. In 2008, Pasha Technician ( real name- Ivlev), went to jail for selling LSD - doba, according to reports, he was turned in by a fan who experienced an overdose from the brand. After leaving prison, Pavel decided to return his past glory, and increase. The first moment when people started talking about him again was his performance against rapper Broll at Versus Battle in 2014. In 2016, Pasha competed against Nikolai Dolzhansky in a rap battle. On the covers, as in the texts, a symbiosis of avant-garde art and sports is used; the team speaks sarcastically about rap, hinting that self-irony is the initial idea of ​​this trend. Members of the group can often be seen in the fan sector, they often visit football matches. They have many feats: TVZh, Price of Laughter, Market Relations were noted in tracks with Kunteynir.

Lenin Package

The team consists of Babangida, Vanya Ivan, Double V, Ivan Smekh. They are also sometimes joined by Guru Mikhailovich (Vail Skam), who works on the arrangements. In 2008, the debut EP, “Signs of the Unconscious,” was released with the participation of the SpaceCave team, famous beatmakers. Civil position collective, almost always reflected in the lyrics, they try to instill in the listener a craving for beauty and show them the true aesthetic spaces of the word. Refusal of consumerism, stupidity and failure of capitalism, obscenity of bourgeois and base values ​​are the leitmotifs of the formation’s creativity. Everyone will find something of their own in Lenin's Package: be it wise advice, or a kind word, or a joke that you can laugh from your heart. The manner of performance is a rough, masculine recitative, which, like a hammer, breaks the limits of perception, in simple words the guys convey a lot. Lenin Package worked with many underground musicians: RZHB, Troupe Troupov, Buchenwald Flava, Resistance Rows and many others.

Night movers

Moscow duet, represented by Evgeny Alekhin and Michal Enotov (Stanislav Mikhailov), formed in January 2007. The debut album was recorded in the same year, in February, under the title “Dance and Think”. 2008 - the second album is released - “2 times more pain, 2 times more love" 2009 – new album- “Oh, man.” In 2010, “Criticism” was published. Pure Heart", the latest album in the group's discography. In 2011, the group went on an indefinite leave to focus on other projects of the musicians. The band hits existential lyrics right in the face, making the listener a shell for their thoughts, which after a few listens begins to think independently.

Troupe of Corpses

The Troupov Troupe is a Samara group consisting of two people: Dmitry Zaduzhny (Drim) and Probel. The texts are replete with criticism of political foundations, the inaction of the people and direct instructions for action. The Last Fm website assigned the group several genres at once: abstract hip-hop, underground hip-hop, Russian hip-hop, underground rap. They have many matches with other underground bands: Lenina package, SpaceCave, Alcohol after sports, KUNTEYNIR and many others. The team has many other names: Republic of Coma, Three Microbes, 77 July, Renaissance, Autonomous Movement of the Inanimate, Epoha Woz; also each of the performers is engaged solo career. Very little is known about the musicians, there is almost no information and photographs on the Internet, but you can find many songs written by the Troupe of Troupes. The beats are made by Drim, just like the beatmaker, he has his own project - aboohashim. IN early period creativity, you can clearly hear the influence of the very first underground group in Russia - Slaves of the Lamp.

Mutant Kohvlam

Mutant Kohvlam is a Magnitogorsk team consisting of four people: Mikhail Shorokh, Alexey Rezanov, “Brother Two” and Yang Li. Freddy sometimes appears in the tracks - the distorted voice of Rustle. Style is defined as abstract hip hop, the lyrics contain references to various performers, films and generally accepted cultural phenomena. The discography is quite impressive: 2008 - Narkoza’Ostra; 2009 - Patent Tkhlen; 2010 - Blastyr; 2011 - Leizwiecht ’93; 2012 - Apocalypops; 2013 - Painkiller; 2014 - Bukhovnost. The guys, during the entire existence of the group, gave only a few concerts, and also for fans from all over the CIS, they held an online concert - “Broadcasting from hard-to-reach places.” The video invitations filmed for concerts are distinguished by their originality, they can easily be assigned the arthouse category. Known for their feats, with such performers as: Pikul, Tragedy of Life, Theater of Sound, Litvin. Brother Two is also a painter; his paintings can be found on various resources. The group itself states: “Mutants don’t sell CDs. Mutants don't exist at all. This is a myth."

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Even those who are not interested in this musical direction can name a couple of the most famous rappers. Surely the name of Kanye West will be mentioned (the media pays too much attention to both him and his wife Kim), the name of Jay-Z (he and Beyonce made up one of the most influential couples in the world of music) and also Eminem. However, the most famous rappers in the history of hip-hop - not the performers who released several multi-platinum discs, but those who lived and breathed rap, who became trendsetters in this genre, because trends are not born of mediocrity.

New King of the West Coast

A native of Compton (California), Kendrick Lamar Duckworth is the youngest member of our top, he is now 29 years old. But he has already been dubbed the “New King” West Coast" Lamar's mixtape Section.80, released in 2011, became a sensation. The combination of lyrics and sounds recorded on the streets of Compton make Lamar's raps unforgettable. His second studio album, Good Kid, M.A.A.D City (2012), went platinum and won two Grammy awards. But it is not even considered the young rapper’s best, but his third disc “To Pimp a Butterfly”, critics’ reviews of which are full of compliments to the author. Now Lamar has 7 Grammys, but there will be more.

Very bright character

Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., better known as Lil Wayne, was born in New Orleans, where music seems to be heard from every corner. You can love or hate this rapper, be surprised by his strange appearance (tattoos, piercings and inlaid teeth), but there is no point in belittling his talent. It took the 2000s by storm. The hype around his 2008 album Tha Carter III did not subside for a long time, and before that there were no less successful Tha Carter (2004) and Tha Carter II (2005). Now, at 34 years old, Lil Wayne remains very successful, collaborating with many colleagues including Eminem, Pitbull and Nicki Minaj.

Veteran and legend

51-year-old Andre Romell Young, who goes by the name Dr. Dre, is the eldest on our list of the most famous rappers in hip-hop history. Many years ago (in 1984), he began his career with the group "World Class Wreckin" Cru, and then founded N.W.A., laying the foundations of gangsta rap with his comrades. The first solo album Dr. Dre's "The Chronic" was released in 1992, and the rapper immediately became a West Coast hip-hop trendsetter. Then he discovered Eminem and helped this artist get to the top (no one believed that a white rapper could achieve such success).

Well, simply - jack of all trades!

39-year-old Kanye West was also an innovator in the genre, although he respected classic style. Kanye's debut disc was released in 2004, and since then he has set a record, collecting 21 Grammy awards. Now Kanye is a producer, fashion designer, an iconic figure in pop culture and the husband of a famous socialite Kim Kardashian, who is raising two children with her. He is quite a controversial figure with his scandalous antics and statements, but his contribution to hip-hop culture can hardly be overestimated.

"Face" of the musical South

Andre Benjamin (Andre 3000), who became famous in the mid-1990s in the duo Outkast, shook up the musical South of the United States in a good way. When he steps up to the microphone, you can be sure that you will hear real poetry! The first disc released by the group had a very complex name: “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”. This did not prevent the disc from going platinum. The duo now has six Grammy Awards. Andre 3000 gravitates toward southern soul and lyrical arrangements, so he produces compositions that are not similar to the rap of other artists.

One of a kind

44-year-old Marshall Bruce Mathers III, or simply Eminem, stands out from our top, and not only because of his skin color (all other participants in the ranking are African-American). From the very beginning, it was implied that rap was the music of the black population, but Eminem managed to prove that he, too, is worthy of storming the charts. Having worked his way up from the bottom (a poor area of ​​Detroit), Eminem turned all his hardships into music. Despite the fact that his lyrics (especially those read from the point of view of the character Slim Shady) are shocking, he is very lyrical. Ask any rapper who considers himself a lyricist whose work he was inspired by, and he will answer: “Eminem's compositions.”

Revolutionized rap

In 1994, young Brooklyn rapper Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones (Nas) released his debut album, Illmatic, and revolutionized hip-hop. Therefore, Nas can be considered the most influential rapper in the world. Illmatic was universally praised and called the greatest hip-hop album of all time. The author's compositions have been compared to the cold air of a winter night in New York. This was the beginning of great street rap and the birth of some of the rhyming styles we hear in rap scenes today. Since then, nine more solo discs have been released by the artist, but “Illmatic” is considered a true classic.

Untimely deaths

Tupac Amaru Shakur from impoverished Harlem performed gangster rap, but already his debut disc “2Pacalypse Now” in 1991 showed that the guy would become a legend. But he was only 20 years old then! Tupac addressed sensitive issues (police brutality, poverty, racial discrimination, teenage pregnancy), but remained very lyrical. Good son, gangster, scientist, poet, he got into trouble many times and was shot and killed in September 1996 in Las Vegas at the age of 25.

A similar fate awaited Christopher George Lator Wallace, who outlived Tupac by only a few months - the 24-year-old rapper was killed in 1997 in Los Angeles. You don't know who we're talking about? Biggie Smalls Big Daddy or Notorious - call it what you want, but you've definitely heard this name. The biopic “Notorious” was dedicated to him, telling about the rapper’s short but bright journey. His relaxed style and deep voice cannot be confused with anyone else's. Christopher's mother recalled that he began to sing before he spoke. Although almost 20 years have passed since the rapper’s death, his unsurpassed poems and songs (about violence and love, women and “weed,” the meaning of existence and dreams) are alive to this day.

Most successful

We somehow “hung” on a sad note, but now we’ll tell you the name of the famous rapper in the history of hip-hop, and your heart will feel lighter. After all, he’s definitely doing fine! 46-year-old Shawn Corey Carter, or simply Jay-Z, became famous for a number of albums, including “The Blueprint” and “The Black Album.” These two albums have more style and lyrics than his other colleagues in his entire discography. The rapper's signature style was imitated many times, but could not be copied. Now Jay-Z is a producer, tycoon, businessman with a net worth of $610 million, and also the husband of the beautiful and talented Beyoncé.

Rap, being a young musical direction, has firmly established itself in modern culture, winning hearts and generating crowds of fans. Our top 10 gangsta rappers include the best representatives from the founding of this musical direction and our contemporaries.

10 Wu-Tang Clan

9 Ice Cube

8 The Notorious B.I.G.

7 2Pac

6 Dr. Dre

5 Snoop Dogg

4 50 Cent

3 Jay-Z

2 Lil Wayne

1 Eminem

3. Eminem

Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known by his stage name Eminem and alter ego Slim Shady, is a rapper. music producer, composer and actor. Besides solo career, Marshall is also a member of the group 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 its list of the 100 Greatest Artists. The same magazine proclaimed him the King of Hip-Hop.

2. Jay Z

Shawn 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 reached the top of the Billboard 200. This is a record among all solo artists and second place in history after The Beatles, who had 19 albums reach number one in the US. Multiple Grammy Award winner.

Back in 1999, Jay-Z rapped in a 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 him friend and now wife of Beyoncé. He is the founder and co-owner of Roc-A-Fella Records and former general director label Def Jam Recordings, co-owner of the 40/40 Club, creator of the Rocawear clothing line and co-owner of the NBA club - Brooklyn Nets.

1. Notorious B.I.G.

Christopher George Lator Wallace (May 21, 1972, Brooklyn, New York - March 9, 1997, Los Angeles, California) was an American rapper who performed under the aliases 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 and was a stunning success. The first single, "One More Chance", went platinum within 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 tragic death Biggie. Life After Death debuted at number one in its first weeks of release, breaking all records, and remained on the charts for many months with singles such as "Mo Money, Mo Problems" and "Sky's The Limit".

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Our top 10 richest rappers in Russia will provide information about such rap artists whose annual income is in the millions.

10 Group “25/17”

9 Seryoga

8 Guf

7 Max Korzh

6 Jah Khalib

5 Noise MC

4 Oxxxymiron

3 L'One

2 Basta

1 Timati