Timur Ildarovich Yunusov (born August 15, 1983), better known by his stage name Timati (russian: link=no, Ти́мати), is a Russian rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.
Biography
Early life
Timur Ildarovich Yunusov ( tt-Cyrl, Тимур Илдар улы Юнусов, russian: link=no, Тиму́р Ильда́рович Юну́сов) was born on August 15, 1983, in
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
to an ethnically mixed family
[Kamenev, Marina (January 18, 2008).]
The word on the street
". '' The St. Petersburg Times''. Retrieved 2009-06-14. of
Tatar
The Tatars ()[Tatar]
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different father Ildar Vakhitovich Yunusov and
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
mother Simona Yakovlevna Yunusova (née Chernomorskaya), he also has a younger brother, Artyom. He grew up in a wealthy industrialist family, saying "I have very wealthy parents", but "I was never spoiled."
He was raised mainly on
Mira Avenue in Moscow. His current stage name "Timati" has stuck with him since he was young.
[Redeeva, Elena (December 25, 2006).]
Тимати: Я совершенно уникален!
(in Russian). ''Moskovskij Komsomolets
''Moskovskij Komsomolets'' (russian: Московский комсомолец, lit=Moscow Komsomolets) is a Moscow-based daily newspaper with a circulation approaching one million, covering general news. Founded in 1919, it is famed for its to ...
''. Retrieved 2009-06-14. Yunusov also lived in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
for 3 years. At the urgent request of his grandfather, composer and conductor Yakov Chervomorsky, Timur graduated from violin class in music school. He studied at the
Higher School of Economics
HSE University (russian: link=no, «Высшая школа экономики», ВШЭ), officially the National Research University Higher School of Economics (russian: link=no, Национальный исследовательский ун ...
, finished his third year but left to focus on his music career. He later became associated with the YPS squad. His first single came out with Konaldo.
Career
He became well known to the Russian community from the music reality show ''
Star Factory 4'', but before it he collaborated with
Detsl
Kirill Aleksandrovich Tolmatsky (russian: Кири́лл Алекса́ндрович Толмацкий; 22 July 1983 – 3 February 2019), better known by his stage names Detsl (Russian: Децл) and Le Truk, was a Russian hip hop artist.
Bi ...
. Member of the group Banda (russian: link=no, Банда; lit. "Gang") and co-founder of VIP 77. Former owner of B-Club nightclub, the bar Black October and the stores Ё-Life. He is the CEO of his own label called "Black Star Inc". In 2006, was featured in ''
Heat
In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...
'' produced by
Fyodor Bondarchuk
Fyodor Sergeyevich Bondarchuk (russian: link=no, Фёдор Сергеевич Бондарчук ; born 9 May 1967) is a Russian film director, actor, TV and film producer, clipmaker, TV host, founder of production company Art Pictures Studio. ...
. In 2008, Timati was featured in a
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena (born August 19, 1970), better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper from New York City. He began his music career as a member of hip hop group Diggin' in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.), then forged a sol ...
song called "Put U Take It", also featuring German rapper Nox and Raul, produced by
Scott Storch
Scott Spencer Storch (born December 16, 1973) is an American record producer and songwriter. He started off as a keyboardist for the group the Roots.
Early life
Storch was born on Long Island, New York. He was raised in South Florida and Phila ...
, which references
Jacob Arabo
Jacob Arabo (born Yakov Arabov or Jacob Arabov on June 3, 1965; also frequently known as "Jacob the Jeweler") is an American jewelry and watch designer who founded Jacob & Company in 1986 and grew it to become an international luxury brand. He be ...
. In 2008
Mario Winans
Mario Mendell Winans ( Brown; born August 29, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his 2004 song "I Don't Wanna Know", which reached number 2 in the United States and number 1 in the United Kingdom. Winan ...
featured Timati in the single "Forever". In the same year, Timati appeared in the comedy film ''
Hitler goes Kaput!''. Timati, in 2009, featured
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...
in the single "Groove On" although some make unverified claims that Snoop Dogg (and also
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
) was simply
paid for the collaboration.
Michael 'Mike' David is currently Timati's UK producer. He is responsible for Timati's collaborations with foreign artists, such as Snoop Dogg,
Busta Rhymes
Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after NFL and CFL wide receiver ...
, and
Mario Winans
Mario Mendell Winans ( Brown; born August 29, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer best known for his 2004 song "I Don't Wanna Know", which reached number 2 in the United States and number 1 in the United Kingdom. Winan ...
, and much of Timati's popularity in the
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West, primarily refers to the various nations and state (polity), states in the regions of Europe, North America, and Oceania. .
In summer 2011 he topped the charts in Luxembourg, Poland, and Romania with the single "Welcome to St. Tropez" vs. DJ Antoine and feat. Kalenna Harper from Diddy – Dirty Money, shortly after being nominated for the best clip in Russia's Capital Moscow with "I'm on You" feat. P Diddy. The clip was created by Timati's old friend and partner Pavel Hoodyakov in the U.S.
In 2016 Timati gave his biggest solo performance to date in the
Olympic Stadium
''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...
in Moscow. The concert was attended by 15,000 people and featured a 3D-installation, a car on stage and other spectacular show elements.
On the night of June 21, 2018 Timati and
Egor Kreed
Egor Nikolayevich Bulatkin (russian: link=, Егор Николаевич Булаткин, born June 25, 1994), better known by his stage name Egor Kreed and KReeD, is a Russian rapper, singer and songwriter. He began his career under his stage n ...
held an unauthorized mass event in Moscow on Bolshaya Dmitrovka by staging an impromptu performance right on the roof of a car, which caused a major traffic jam on the street. This action was devoted to the opening of Timati's beauty salon. The next day, lawyer
Alexander Khaminsky filed an application to initiate a case on this incident in the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tver and the Moscow State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. The court was appointed on August 1, 2018.
In 2021, Timati
's music video ''Scandal'' featuring Hanza and Oweek received a nomination at the Berlin Music Video Awards for Best Visual Effects. The VFX company behind the music video is HoodyFX.
Friendship with Ramzan Kadyrov
Timati calls the Chechen president
Ramzan Kadyrov
Ramzan Akhmadovich Kadyrov ce, КъадаргӀеран Ахьмат-кӏант Рамзан, translit= (born 5 October 1976) is a Russian politician who currently serves as the Head of the Chechen Republic. He was formerly affiliated to the ...
a friend and brother. In 2017, Timati shared an Instagram post of himself posing in Kadyrov's private jet.
When anti-corruption activists highlighted this, Timati removed the Instagram post.
Support for Vladimir Putin
He participated in a political video to support
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
during the 2012 Russian presidential election. During the 2018 Russian presidential election, he endorsed and was an official supporter of
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
.
During the
repression of candidates for the
election
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has opera ...
of the
Moscow State Duma,
police brutality
Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...
was used to hold back protestors and Timati collaborated with another rapper "Guf" to make "''Москва''" (Moscow), a song including the chorus "my best friend is President Putin",
dissing the protesters and
Russian opposition movement while praising the
mayor of Moscow
The Mayor of Moscow (russian: Мэр Москвы, Mer Moskvy) is the head and the highest-ranking official of Moscow, who leads the Government of Moscow, the main executive body of the city.
Moscow is both a city and separate federal subje ...
, the
Kremlin
The Kremlin ( rus, Московский Кремль, r=Moskovskiy Kreml', p=ˈmɐˈskofskʲɪj krʲemlʲ, t=Moscow Kremlin) is a fortified complex in the center of Moscow founded by the Rurik dynasty, Rurik dynasty. It is the best known of th ...
, and
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
and the video amassed 1.48 million dislikes on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
, the highest amount for a Russian video on YouTube before Russian rapper
MORGENSHTERN
Alisher Tagirovich Morgenshtern, ba, Алишер Таһир улы Моргенштерн, Alisher Tahir uly Morgenshtern (born Alisher Tagirovich Valeyev, ba, links=no, Алишер Таһир улы Вәлиев, Alisher Tahir uly Välie ...
broke the record for a
music video
A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...
for song "
Pososi". Later, Timati deleted the "Moscow" video due to a "wave of negativity".
On 18 March 2022, Timati sang at
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin; (born 7 October 1952) is a Russian politician and former intelligence officer who holds the office of president of Russia. Putin has served continuously as president or prime minister since 1999: as prime min ...
's
Moscow rally celebrating the
annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation
In February and March 2014, Russia invaded and subsequently annexed the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine. This event took place in the aftermath of the Revolution of Dignity and is part of the wider Russo-Ukrainian War.
The events in Kyiv th ...
from Ukraine and justifying the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
AliExpress Scandal
On Timati's
merchandise store, Black Star Wear, Timati collaborated with the
Russian Army
The Russian Ground Forces (russian: Сухопутные войска В Sukhoputnyye voyska V, also known as the Russian Army (, ), are the Army, land forces of the Russian Armed Forces.
The primary responsibilities of the Russian Gro ...
with
military-style clothes but users found near identical clothing being sold on
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
online marketplace
An online marketplace (or online e-commerce marketplace) is a type of e-commerce website where product or service information is provided by multiple third parties. Online marketplaces are the primary type of multichannel ecommerce and can be a way ...
AliExpress being
rebranded
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
and
price gouged on Black Star Wear. Similarly, the
wireless earphones also sold on Black Star Wear that were branded as "unique" also were traced back to near identical AliExpress counterparts. Timati then did a
brand deal with AliExpress, making a short
rap video promoting AliExpress, praising AliExpress for delivery speed and good deals on the website.
Books
* 2008 – "The Moor" – producer books
* 2009 – "Audio of Audi. History of the brand" – Executive audiobooks
* 2010 – "Tatar folk tales" – Executive audiobooks
* 2012 – "A boy of twelve. Tatar folk tale" – Executive audiobooks
* 2012 − "A white serpent. Tatar folk tales" − Executive audiobooks
* 2012 − "Kamyr-Batyr. Tatar folk tales" − Executive audiobooks
Business
Timati has several successful businesses including:
* "Black Star Wear" -
clothing line.
* "Black Star Burger" - restaurant opened in 2016 in Moscow, it later became a
franchise
Franchise may refer to:
Business and law
* Franchising, a business method that involves licensing of trademarks and methods of doing business to franchisees
* Franchise, a privilege to operate a type of business such as a cable television p ...
with several locations such as
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
and
Cheljabinsk.
The burger restaurant is popular among the youths in Russia.
* "13 by Black Star" -
barber shop and a
tattoo shop in Moscow.
* "
Stars Coffee", taking over the former
Starbucks
Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.
As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 c ...
coffees in Russia after the company withdrew due to the
Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
.
Concert tours
*2009–2010 – The Boss Tour
*2011 – Carrera Tour 2011
0*2015 – GTO (with
L'One
Levan Emzarovich Gorozia ( ka, ლევან ემზარის ძე გოროზია, ) also known professionally as L'One and more recently as Levan Gorozia is a Georgian-Russian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Known for his solo ...
)
*2016 – Olimp tour
Discography
Studio albums
*''
Black Star'' (2006)
*''
The Boss'' (2009)
*''
SWAGG'' (2012)
* ''13'' (2013)
* RELOAD (2013)
* Audiokapsula (2014)
* G.T.O.
(With L'One
Levan Emzarovich Gorozia ( ka, ლევან ემზარის ძე გოროზია, ) also known professionally as L'One and more recently as Levan Gorozia is a Georgian-Russian rapper, singer, and songwriter. Known for his solo ...
) (2015)
*''
Olimp'' (2016)
*''Tranzit'' (2020)
*''Шипы и Розы'' (2021)
*''Banger Mixtape'' (2021)
Collaboration albums
*''Noviye Lyudi'' ''(New People)'' (2004) – with Banda
*''The Album'' (2006) – with VIP77
Singles
As lead artist
;Others
*Forever
*Love You
*Money in the Bank
*Top of the World
*Not All About The Money
As featured artist
Awards
Berlin Music Video Awards
* Best Visual Effect
''Scandal
'' - 2021 (nominated)
MTV Russian Music Awards
The MTV Russia Music Awards made its debut in 2004 and have celebrated local Russian talent as well as International. The MTV Russia Music Awards (RMA) features local and international acts and music celebrities being honoured by Russian viewers.
...
* Best Hip-Hop Artist – 2007 (nominated)
* Best Hip-Hop Artist – 2008 (nominated)
* Best Artist – 2008 (nominated)
* Best Male Act – 2008 (nominated)
MUZ-TV
Muz-TV (russian: Муз-ТВ, from Музыкальное телевидение - Music Television) is a Russian music TV channel, broadcasting since 1996. It is largely modelled after western MTV and predates launching of MTV Russia in 1998. Mu ...
Awards
* Best Hip-Hop Artist – 2009 (nominated)
* Best Hip-Hop Artist – 2010 (won)
* Best Album "The Boss" – 2010 (won)
* Best Video "Love You" – 2010 (won)
* Best Video "I'm on You" – 2011 (won)
MTV Europe Music Award
The MTV Europe Music Awards (originally named MTV European Music Awards, commonly abbreviated as MTV EMA) are awards presented by Paramount International Networks to honour artists and music in pop culture. It was originally conceived as an al ...
s
* Best Russian Act – 2009 (nominated)
* Best Russian Act – 2010 (nominated)
* Best Russian Act – 2011 (nominated)
Golden Gramophone Award
The Golden Gramophone Award () is a yearly national Russian music award, established by Russian Radio in 1996.p. 241, ''Pop culture Russia!: media, arts, and lifestyle'', Birgit Beumers, ABC-CLIO, 2005, . The awardee receives a gold-colored figur ...
* Award winner for the "I love you..." song – 2008
* Award winner for the "Moscow Never Sleeps..." song − 2009
* Award winner for the "London" song (together with Grigory Leps) − 2013
Night Life Awards
* Best club hit – 2003
* Best club figure of the year − 2007
World Fashion Awards
* Best R'n'B artist – 2007
* Fashion R'n'B project − 2008
Other awards
* 2008 − MTV RMA Award (Best club project for the Black Star Club)
* 2009 − In Da Awards (Best album according to Indarnb.ru)
* 2010 − Love Radio Awards (Best artist according to Love Radio)
* 2010 − "Trud" newspaper award - (Best-looking man)
* 2014 − World Music Awards (Best Russian Artist and Best RnB Artist of Russia)
Other achievements
His 2019 pro-Kremlin and anti-gay music video "Moscow" became the most disliked Russian video on YouTube, with 1.48 million dislikes before it was removed from YouTube.
During the
2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine
On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...
, he argued in favor of the Russian attack.
"What Russian Rap Can Teach Us About Russian (Anti-)War Discourse"
Jordan Russia Center, 17 May 2022
Filmography
*2004 − ''Countdown''
*2006 − ''Heat''
*2008 − ''Albania!''
*2008 − ''Monday Twist''
*2008 − Daddy's Daughters
''Daddy's Daughters'' (russian: Папины дочки, Papiny Dochki) is a Russian TV series produced from 2007 to 2013. Made by "Kinokonstanta" (episodes 1 to 60) and "Kostafilm" (since episode 61) film companies, it is characterized by various ...
*2008 − Hitler Goes Kaput!
*2009 − ''Little Red Riding Hood''
*2010 − ''How the Cossacks...''
*2012 − ''My path to success'' (a videoseminar)
*2013 − ''Odnoklassniki.ru''
*2014 - ''Capsule''
*2015 − ''Zero''
*2016 − ''Russian Hip Hop Beef''
*2019 − ''Hot!''
*2019 − ''Mafia''
*2020 − ''Mafia 2''
Translation dubbing:
*2006 − ''Arthur and the Invisibles
''Arthur and the Invisibles'' or ''Arthur and the Minimoys'' (French: ''Arthur et les Minimoys'') is a 2006 English-language French fantasy adventure comedy animated/live-action film directed and co-written by French filmmaker Luc Besson. It is ...
''
*2007 − '' Surf's Up''
*2009 − '' District 13: Ultimatum''
*2009 − ''Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard
''Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard'' (French: ''Arthur et la Vengeance de Maltazard'') is a 2009 English-language French animated/live-action fantasy adventure film directed and co-written by Luc Besson. It is based on the third book of the ''A ...
''
*2014 − '' Brick Mansions''
Personal life
Timati was in a relationship with Alexa – his colleague from the “Fabrika Zvyozd” – a popular Russian television talent show. The pair split up in 2007.
He was also in a relationship with model Alena Shishkova
Alena Shishkova (russian: Алёна Шишкова, ; born 12 November 1992) is a Russian glamour model and beauty queen. She has modeled for glamour photo shoots with Russian men's magazine Maxim, commercial advertising campaigns and walked a ...
. They share a daughter named Alisa (born 19 March 2014).
Since 2015, Timati has been dating Russian model Anastasia Reshetova. On October 16, 2019, the couple had a son, named Ratmir.
See also
* MD&C Pavlov
References
External links
*
Timati at the Forbes
*
Timati lyrics
*
*
*
{{Authority control
1983 births
Russian hip hop
Russian hip hop musicians
Living people
English-language singers from Russia
Volga Tatar people
Jewish rappers
Rappers from Moscow
Russian Jews
Fabrika Zvyozd
Tatar people of Russia
Jewish hip hop record producers
Russian record producers
Universal Motown Records artists
Russian people of Jewish descent