Russian hip-hop, much like the American style, was chalk full of groups and artists trying to supplant themselves as creative forces. Groups would come into being, dissolve, and reform over and over again, leading to research difficulties in assessing just how chaotic the hip-hop ecosystem really was. In Russia particularly, it perhaps even more disorienting, given that the Soviet Union had been just dissolved, with Westernism flooding into the newly 'liberated' country without barriers. Thus, the Russian hip-hop 90s prior to the advent of the second-wave of hip-hop commercialization (beginning in the early 2000s), was marked by an unshakable feeling of anomie, and the clamoring of 1,000 voices trying to make it, improve their lives, and ultimately make sense of a society now free to choose its own path. Rap is a genre which could offer you so much if you can just make that song which touches the right nerve. Thus, in the 'chernukha'-laced 90s, hip-hop promised so many so much. For any scholar interested in Russian hip-hop, the period of the 90s to late 2000s is by far the most important period to understand, and no greater to do that than by giving a voice to as many of the groups during this period as possible. In this post, I'll be taking a look at the group called СТДК, a St. Petersburg-based group whose influence was small but notable.
Formed by the duo Bak (Bakinsky) and Serge Grekov, STDK was originally a breakdancing group who participated in the ecosystem of Moscow breakdance in the 80s before migrating to rapping as the 80s came to a close and the fall of the Soviet Union loomed in the near future. In the 90s, breakdancing had become pluralized with rap, and so it wasn't an uncommon thing for breakdancing groups to coalesce with rap, look at the groups DMJ and 'Black and White' for a good example, along with countless others. Nowadays, we associate hip-hop culture with rapping but before its popularity, it was breakdancing, MCing, breakbeats, and graffiti culture that defined the true essence of hip-hop. However, it was in 1992 when CTDK would truly form, being awarded as the best up-and-coming rap group during the 'Radis-92' rap festival (little information is available on this festival online). Their performance would ignite their popularity by proving that Russian rap could be created, and not only created but at a high-level and worthy of international respect. In 1994, the group would begin recording their first songs together, and by 1995 with their Grand prix win at the transformative competition "Rap Music" (held in Moscow), their cultural importance would be set. However, the group would only be around for seven more years.
Around the late 1990s STDK would form, in partnership with another Russian hip-hop heavyweight group DA-108, what was called "The Baltic Clan", a group of St. Petersburg rappers, groups, and other hip-hop performers (1997-early 2000s). This 'clan' alone could fill a monograph itself, and its importance in the story of Russian hip-hop should be well heeded. The group helped the career growth of notable artists like Smokey-Mo and Krec, although by 2001 financial issued caused the group to cease their activities. Returning to STDK, at the same time they were busy recording songs, partnering with breakdancing groups, and engaging in television programming like "The Musical Ring." Everything was going right for them, and their public notoriety was only growing as they increased their name in the Russian hip-hop community. However, they had yet to release an album, and so in the late 90s their debut album finally came, that being "Dreams" (1998). Although it was highly regarded, the lag in their musical output must have irked some fans, as their second album would not be released until 2001, "Bandisco Concepts". Following their upsurge in popularity, they founded the music label "100 Gram Records", dedicated towards fostering young talent and teaching the methods of the hip-hop art form. In October of 2001, the very first Russian hip-hop tape recording would be made, featuring the "Adidas Streetball Challenge" Rap Festival where STDK was featured among other artists. However, their popularity wouldn't last, and by 2001 when they released their second album the group was all but forgotten, replaced by other more mainstream artists like Detsl, Timati, and Delfin.
Thus, the story of STDK is not uncommon. They came, they conquered, and they left.
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