1980s Hip hop culture in Russia began during the mid-late 1970s from the growing influence of the
Eurodisco movement in Soviet Russia. However,
breaking was one of the first elements of American hip hop culture to become popularized in the country, along with skateboarding, DJing, and MCing shortly after. The beginnings of Russian hip hop's musical form, rap, can be traced back the 1980s. Regarded as the first 'rap group in Russia, the group "Rush Hour" (
Chas Pik) created one of the first attempts at rap in their 1984 album, "Rap." The album contained a track called "Rap" which featured lyrics based on multiplication tables and letters and took its inspiration from the funk-based style of the popular track,
Rapper's Delight by
Sugarhill Gang, released five years earlier. The
1980 Summer Olympics, held in Moscow, was one of the main catalysts for bringing hip hop culture to Soviet Russia, and by 1985 events like the
12th World Festival of Youth and Students and Mikhail Gorbachev's policy of
Perestroika further brought Western culture into the country.
1990s Until the beginning of the 1990s, there were not many rap artists in Russia and the Soviet Union. The pioneers of Russian rap were Mister Maloy,
Bad Balance,
Malchishnik,
Bogdan Titomir. Russian hip hop, just like
Canadian hip hop, is inspired by
Jamaican music, which hit an upswing during the fall of the
Soviet Union. Some of the first groups to emerge from the
breakdancing scene was
Jam Style & Da Boogie Crew, a group composed of two 'breaking' groups which ultimately coalesced and became popular as collaborators with rap groups and artists alike. Other early attempts at rap were in the group Black and White, a group originating from Djing, forming in 1989, although breaking apart by the early-1990s. At the early and middle of '90s appears hip-hop scenes in Moscow (D.O.B Community, White Hot Ice) and Saint Petersburg (
DA-108, Baltic Clan). In late 90s, many new performers, such as Mikhey and Jumangee, STDK, and
Detsl, had become popular. Many of them were former members of pre-existing bands. At the end of the '90s and beginning of the 2000s,
Rostov-on-Don was considered the center of Russian hip hop subculture, and the most notable representative was
Kasta.
2000s In the early-2000s, the most popular performers were
Kasta,
Mnogotochie,
Detsl, and
Bad Balance. In the mid-2000s, underground bands began to appear and became popular in Moscow (like
Smoky Mo,
Dymovaya Zavesa,
25/17,
Krovostok, Money Makaz, Supreme Playaz, Underwhat, Ddrop, Kazhe Oboima). At the same time in
Russia and Belarus, new R&B performers appeared (
Maks Lorens,
Bianca,
Satsura,
Band'Eros). Also this period was marked by the appearance of interesting musical projects such as jazz-rap band
KREC, ragga-rap band DA BUDZ, glitch-hop project 2HCompany, comedy gangsta rap
Krovostok. In the late 2000s, the Russian rapper
ST1M received scandalous popularity after production of his single "Я Рэп" (I'm Rap), featuring
Seryoga, in which he was dissing nearly all of the most notable Russian rappers, similar to "
How to Rob" by 50 Cent. In 2007 the group
Centr became increasingly popular, partially due to aggressive promotion on the internet, and in 2008 they won an award at the
MTV Russia Music Awards. The members of the group were
Aleksey Dolmatov, aka Guf,
David Nuriev, aka
Ptaha ("ptaha" means "a little bird" in Russian) and
Vadim Motylyov, aka Slim. Their two albums, «Качели» (Kacheli/Swing) and «Эфир в норме» (Efir v norme /Ether's Fine) became one of the most popular Russian hip hop albums). In 2008 it won MTV Russia Music Award for Best Hip Hop Project. In 2010 the group disintegrated because of the controversies among its participants and each of them continued a solo career or joined other groups. In the 2016 the group reunited and recorded the new album, «Система» (Sistema / The System). In 2008 Russian musical channel
Muz-TV started a hip-hop show
Battle for Respect, which led the winner Ant (Zasada Production) to become highly popular. In 2009, Putin spoke at the
Battle for Respect competition and on the one hand praised hip-hop culture for the cultural exchange that it reflects. On the other hand, he spoke about drug abuse, which he claimed was linked partly to the scene. Putin warned against the abuse of addictive substances. However, he said that breakdancing was proof that hip-hop could promote a healthy lifestyle, because in his view such impressive and strenuous dances were simply impossible under the influence of drugs. In the late 2000s - early 2010s the new notable performers appeared on the Gazgolder Records label, owned by
Basta (such as
AK47,(gamora)
Triagrutrica,
Tati,
Charusha,
Slovetsky and
Skriptonit, the DJ from Kazakhstan).
2010s In a 2018 speech, Russian President
Vladimir Putin denounced rap music, saying that it would lead to the degradation of Russia and that it rested on the pillars of "sex, drugs and protest." He asked the Council for Culture and Art in
St Petersburg to bring rap culture to heel, saying "if it is impossible to stop it, it should be taken over and navigated in a particular way."
2020s Several Russian hip-hop artists gained notable popularity between 2020 and 2025, including
Morgenshtern,
Husky and
Slava Marlow. Other prominent names include
Skryptonite,
Feduk, and
Timati. Some artists, like
Face, gained further recognition through collaborations and public statements related to current political events between Russia and Ukraine. == Further reading ==