Russian

Mikhail Krug (Михаил Круг; his real last name is Borobyov, Боробьёв) was a Russian singer-songwriter and musician, one of the most famous and highly regarded in the genre of shanson, or “criminal music” (referring usually to the subject matter). He was also a bard. He died in 2002, at the age of 40. Krug grew […]

5sta Family (it is the same in Russian) is a Russian R&B group. They are known for, and are understandably proud of, operating independently and writing most of their songs themselves. The group was founded in 2005 when Vasiliy Kosinskiy (V-kes; Василий Косинский) and Valeriy Yefremov (CoolB; Валерий Ефремов) met online and decided that they […]

Gorko! 2 (Горько! 2) is a 2014 Russian comedy and the sequel to the popular 2013 Gorko! (Горько!). The film has a very strange premise: in stark contrast to that of the previous film, about the wedding(s) of central couple Natasha and Roma, this one is about a funeral. This is particularly odd as the […]

Gorko! (Горько!) is a 2013 Russian comedy. It is filmed as if it were a wedding video made by a young wedding guest. It is about engaged couple Natasha and Roma, who decide to have two wedding parties in an attempt to make everyone happy—one for their parents and relatives, in a traditional setting at […]

Timati (Тимати) is the stage name of one of Russia’s biggest mainstream hip hop stars, and owner of the popular record label Black Star Inc. Born Timir Il’darovich Iunosov (Тимур Ильдарович Юнусов), Timati is of Tatar and Jewish descent. Timati raps in both Russian and English, and has recently risen to a measure of international […]

T-Killah is the stage name of Aleksandr Ivanovich Tarasov (Александр Иванович Тарасов), a Russian rapper who has gained a substantial following mostly through internet-only releases. The social networking site VKontakte is one of T-Killah’s main platforms, though he has also released two physical albums. Tarasov grew up in Moscow, studied economics, theater, and music, and […]

Noize MC is the stage name of Russian rapper Ivan Aleksandrovich Alekseev (Иван Александрович Алексеев). Aside from his music, Noize MC has become known in recent years as a vocal critic of the Russian authorities and particularly of Russia’s 2014 intervention in Ukraine, which has resulted in many of his shows being cancelled or raided […]

Guf (Гуф) is the stage name of Russian rapper Aleksei Sergeevich Dolmatov (Алексей Сергеевич Долматов) . Guf was a founding member of the seminal hip hop group Centr (Центр), has had an extremely prolific solo career, and founded the labels ZM Nation and Tsao (Цао) Records. Guf entered the rap world in 2000 as part […]