Being interested in the different schools that are conceivably present within the Russian hip-hop universe, I was happy to find evidence of such a phenomenon, as it strengthens my Masters dissertation's main thesis that a connection between the 19th-century musical world of Russia and the present can be made. In this post, I'll explore the short-lived geographical phenomenon known as the "Baltic Clan", previously alluded to in my previous post with the group STDK, the actual creators of the hip-hop collective itself. Nowhere in available Russian hip-hop literature is this group mentioned, and while it is understandable, I do not see it as acceptable on the grounds that an accurate understanding of what the early days of the Russian hip-hop community looked like must take into account the various geographical networks that inhabited the space. Thus, bringing to light such groupings can provide researchers a better understanding of the collaborative air of early Russian hip-hop.
But what was the Baltic Clan, who was involved, and why is it so important to know about?
The Baltic Clan was formed in the late 90s amidst the rapid growth of the rap scene following the the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the solidification of a 'Russian hip-hop' community and marketplace. Even before this, however, groups and experiments were being made to link together the disco culture with the breakdancing culture, all the while using MC techniques, turntablism, and funk of groups like Grandmaster Flash and Captain Sensible to begin the preliminary creation of a 'Russian hip-hop' style. By the late 80s, it was becoming increasingly clear that this rapping style was taking off, and groups like DMJ and 'Black and White' were among the first to pioneer rapping, although the groups Bad Balance and Bachelor Party are routinely accredited with being the first, an erroneous fluke.
Regarded as one of the most formative groups in St. Petersburg hip-hop history and the catalyst for the rapid expansion of rap in the city itself, the Baltic Clan's importance in shaping the direction of Russian hip-hop is well understood. Its creation story is as funny as it is serendipitous, in 1997 all starting from the rapper Fuchs wanting to make a solo album. However, KDK Records producer Pyotr Novik convinced him to wait and instead, they released a joint album of different groups in the St. Petersburg hip-hop scene entitled, "First Collection of St. Petersburg Rap" (1997), this becoming the first release and the beginning of the Baltic Clan. Because of the bricolage-styled nature of the album, the argument is that the Baltic Clan never really existed formally, as its beginning was by chance and not by design. However, I argue this is what pre-2000s rap community looked like in Russia, groups coming together in odd configurations and producing music and collectives which, despite not lasting long, formed the pillars of 90s hip-hop culture and the foundation for the 2000s and the growth of solo careers.
Sparing lots of detail, the main people of the group became Fuchs (considered the leader, and was a member of the group 7.62), Papa Gus (little-known now), and Christina (little-known as well). However, by 1999 it was clear that the group's cohesiveness was beginning to falter significantly, and thus new management was needed to keep the group together. Being taking over by the label "Laboratory of Sound", led by Novik, the group was still teetering on the verge of dissolution, as the leader Fuchs moved away to pursue his solo career, while the other original members left as well. What was left was new members, and a lack of its original greatness. Thus, the last two years of its existence was essentially a race to preserve and extend the ultimate death of the group through albums and concerts.
One of the core missions was to retain the professional nature of the group. Thus, concerted effort to scout potential groups to add to the Clan were tried, "Fresh meat of St. Petersburg Rap - selection to the Baltic Clan" (no documentation of this exists) being hosted to see if there were quality groups which could be used to keep the group afloat. From 60, seven groups were chose, although in the end no one could actually tell who was in versus not in the group, given that the seven groups represented over 100 musicians. Obviously, such an ambiguous ontology could only lead to one conclusion, that being the end of the 'Baltic Clan' itself. While this was going on, from 2000 to 2001, Russian hip-hop was drastically changing in many ways, the influx of commerciality altering the style rappers chose to use, with young rappers like Detsl and Timati jumpstarting the beginning of the (then New School) now official Old-School era (not to mention the infusion of R'n'B into the aesthetic pot!). Plus, festivals, television, commerce, printing, and media helped create a split in Russian hip-hop, the 'mainstream' and the 'underground' being formed as a result. But the Baltic Clan would have a series of festivals, "Three Years of the Baltic Clan" (perhaps this?) and the explicit "Strip'n'Rap" festival, although these wouldn't generate enough hype for the group to maintain its work. Once Novik left 'Sound Laboratory', the 'group' failed to have any solid leadership, and thus in 2002 effectively stopped their work.
The group's last public appearance (although heavily distanced from its 1997 configuration) was at the 2001 "Olgino" festival, the group comprised of several groups you've never heard of I'm sure (Cry Dushi, Meehan, Wah MC, and BNM). Turns out, because the group lost its management, no one could figure out who was actually in the group, and the main member all left the group, there was no hope for a continuation of the project. Compounded upon the fact that hip-hop had changed and been adopted into the mainstream by the 2000s, aspirations of solo careers, along with the role of commercialism and marketability in aesthetics and objectives, any group like the Baltic Clan would have found it hard to operate in the 2000s. In an interview from 2015, DJ-108 expressed that the break-up of the group in the late 90s was also due to animosity among members, "The conflict was purely personal. Fuchs as a person - turned out to be just shit, betraying his friend - this is half the battle, the second half is money." However, as Fuchs explained back in 2004, a lot of it had to do with monetary wealth and the amount of revenue the group was generating,
"All the youth from the BK...was sure that the BK was a gold mine, and everyone wanted to snatch a piece for themselves, and since there was actually about ZERO money, everything fell apart. In general, while it was going on with enthusiasm, BC lived and prospered. As soon as the question about grandmas came up, everything died."
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