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 familyKamenev, 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''. 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 wor ...

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, 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. 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 ...

'' produced by Fyodor Bondarchuk. In 2008, Timati was featured in a Fat Joe song called "Put U Take It", also featuring German rapper Nox and Raul, produced by Scott Storch, which references Jacob Arabo. 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. Wina ...

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,

, and

, 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 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 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 Alexander Mikhailovich Khaminsky ( rus, Алекса́ндр Миха́йлович Хами́нский; born 30 June 1966) is a Russian social activist, lawyer, human rights activist, and health professional. He is a member of Public Council und ...

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 m ...

during the 2012 Russian presidential election. During the 2018 Russian presidential election, he endorsed and was an official supporter of

. 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 sub ...

, 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. It is the best known of the kremlins (Ru ...

, and

and the video amassed 1.48 million dislikes on

YouTube YouTube is a global online video sharing and 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 Google, and is the second most ...

, the highest amount for a Russian video on YouTube before Russian rapper MORGENSHTERN 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 promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devi ...

for song " Pososi". Later, Timati deleted the "Moscow" video due to a "wave of negativity". On 18 March 2022, Timati sang at

'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 Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia ...

from Ukraine and justifying the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

AliExpress Scandal

On Timati's merchandise store, Black Star Wear, Timati collaborated with the Russian Army with military-style clothes but users found near identical clothing being sold on Chinese

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 wa ...

AliExpress being rebranded 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 Clothing (also known as clothes, apparel, and attire) are items worn on the body. Typically, clothing is made of fabrics or textiles, but over time it has included garments made from animal skin and other thin sheets of materials and natural ...

. * "Black Star Burger" - restaurant opened in 2016 in Moscow, it later became a franchise with several locations such as

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 ...

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. ...

Concert tours

*2009–2010 – The Boss Tour *2011 – Carrera Tour 2011 0*2015 – GTO (with L'One) *2016 – Olimp tour

Discography

Studio albums

*''

Black Star Black Star or Blackstar may refer to: Astronomy *Black star (semiclassical gravity), a theoretical star built using semiclassical gravity as an alternative to a black hole *Saturn, referred to as "Black Star" in ancient Judaeic belief Literature ...

'' (2006) *'' The Boss'' (2009) *'' SWAGG'' (2012) * ''13'' (2013) * RELOAD (2013) * Audiokapsula (2014) * G.T.O. (With L'One) (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

* 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. ...
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 Awards

* Best Russian Act – 2009 (nominated) * Best Russian Act – 2010 (nominated) * Best Russian Act – 2011 (nominated)

Golden Gramophone Award

* 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, 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 *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'' *2014 − ''

Brick Mansions ''Brick Mansions'' is a 2014 action film starring Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA, also starring Goûchy Boy, Catalina Denis and Carlo Rota. The film was directed by Camille Delamarre and written by Luc Besson, Robert Mark Kamen and Bibi Naceri. ...

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. 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.

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