Husky (rapper)

Dmitry Nikolayevich Kuznetsov (; born February 10, 1993), better known by his stage name Husky (Russian: Хаски), is a Russian rapper from Ulan-Ude. His music is known for its use of somber and evocative lyricism, complex rhyming schemes, and musical techniques like assonance and alliteration. His provocative songs are known for being poetically contradictory to his gopnik image, his aptitude for coalescing philosophical existentialism, biblical condemnations, and sophisticated references to Russian and European literature seemingly antithetical with his more obscene, anti-humanist characteristics.

Early life

Dmitry Nikolayevich Kuznetsov was born on February 10, 1993, in Irkutsk, Siberia. He moved to Buryatia when he was three months old. At the age of three, he was taught to read using Russian classical literature and at four years old, he was formally baptized, although his mother frequented both Christian churches and Buddhist datsan.

When he started going to school, he moved to Ulan-Ude to live with his mother after living with his aunt in the countryside. He was raised in the Vostochny microdistrict of Ulan-Ude, to which he later devoted the song "Поэма о Родине" (Poema o Rodine/Poem about Motherland). In 2021, he released the song " За Байкалом" (Za Baikalom/Behind the Baikal) dedicated to his life and family in Buryatia. He began writing and performing rap music at the age of 15.

In 2010, when he was 16 years-old, Dmitry Kuznetsov moved from Ulan-Ude to Moscow, passed the Russian language Unified State Exam and began attending Moscow State University's Faculty of Journalism. He lived in Moscow State University's The Residence Hall for Postgraduate Students and Trainee (DAS), where he lived for the next five years.

In 2010, his first year of study at Moscow State University, Kuznetsov worked as a journalist at NTV, VGTRK, and Russia-1, the main, state-funded news channel in Russia. At Russian-1, he worked as a censor for televised, on-screen content: "My duties included watching Ukrainian and European channels and looking for bloopers in their reports, so that later they could be broadcast on the air." This made him desire to make up his own mind and become a journalist, even a war correspondent, and travelled to places like Novorossiya and Donetsk.

It was in 2011, however, when he started becoming politically involved. He started going to opposition protests (2011-2013), a three-year period of concurrent demonstrations and counter-demonstrations across Russia gestated by the government participation in election fraud and rampant abuse of power to control and silence political oppositional leaders. He has stated that protesting among the youth at the time was in vogue and many were there because it was thing to do. But he states that he was there in earnest and his participation in these protests started to show him the societal divides in Russia from a first-person perspective. In 2013, his solo career would begin with his debut album "Sbch life" which referenced the sociopolitical dynamics of the Snow Revolution, Putin, and his views on political oppositionist Alexei Navalny.

In an Interview with The Village in 2016, he stated that he did not finish his degree at Moscow State University and left early without completing the requirements to graduate because of the changing tides of Russian society and his feeling that it was no longer necessary. Because the internal political situation was becoming so highly anxious, he felt he no longer needed or wanted to complete the program.

Middle life

Once leaving University in 2015, he began pursuing rap as a career. In 2016, he stated that he was making very little on rap and living modestly off his earnings. He took odd music jobs, for instance working at the ticket control station for a Big Russian Boss concert, the concert in question occurring in November of that year.

Because Russia's main populations live in approximately 10 cities, of which Moscow is one of them with a population of 12,678,080 people making it the 11th most populous city on Earth, Kuznetsov had said that he felt trapped within the city. He had also said that because the plane fare was expensive, he was unable to go home to Ulan-Ude, although as of 2021 he has visited home multiple times, as evidenced by an Instagram post from October 16, 2020 and his song, 'Beyond Baikal,' whose cover-art feature him back in his native home.

Political views

Kuznetsov professes bipartisan attitudes and anti-positional sentiments, refusing to conform to a left/right identity. He has stated the way he perceives politics is through an artistic lens and does what he feels. He believes that Crimea belongs to Russia (annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation), although he does not consider himself a Putin supporter. He has also shown his sympathy through words and in-person visitation for the Separatist, Ukrainian military leader Arsen Pavlov, otherwise known as 'Motorola.'

He has shown support for Russian writers like Zakhar Prilepin, award-winning author and former member of the banned National Bolshevik Party and Eduard Limonov, provocative emigre author and original founder of the National Bolshevik Party. Husky shares a cordial friendship with Prilepin, regarding him as his friend and '''older comrade''.' Notable anti-corruption politician and lawyer Alexei Navalny has expressed public support for the rapper, although according to Kuznetsov's appraisal, has distanced himself from certain expressed views such as the rapper's stance on the DPR (Donetsk People's Republic). Kuznetsov had said he shows no sympathy for him.

Kuznetsov has shown scorn for politicians like Boris Nemtsov, a former Yeltsin-era liberal politician, due to his transitive beliefs, the rapper equating it to prostitution''.' Other include Vitaly Milonov, Orthodox Duma Member, and Yelena Mizulina, controversial Parliament Member, Kuznetsov calling them 'either clowns or crazy.' He is also interested in Russian history and states the need to learn from the past. He cites Stalin as one who cannot be vilified or praised, and only studied and understood. He has also stated he cannot to current Duma members due to their impropriety and media-based narratives.

Career

At the beginning of his career, prior to releasing independent music, in 2010 Husky and fellow contemporary rapper bollywood FM formed the group, 'Just Rhymes,' and released the album, 'Impressed,' in 2010. Many of the tracks were unreleased at the time.

In 2011, Kuznetsov released "Седьмое октября" (October 7) on YouTube, a track which rapidly gained attention due to its title and lyrics - which reference Vladimir Putin's birthday and address major social and political issues in Russia. In 2013, Kuznetsov released his first album under the name Husky, "сбчь жзнь" (sbch' zhzn'/dg lfe). By 2014, Kuznetsov became acquainted with the writer Zakhar Prilepin, who collaborated with him and REECH, another Russian rapper, on the track "Пора валить" (Pora valit'/Time to go).

In 2016, Kuznetsov began releasing music videos for his second studio-recorded album, "Любимые песни (воображаемых) людей" (Lyubimyye pesni (voobrazhayemykh) lyudei/Favorite songs of (imaginary) people). The album was released on April 1, 2017, and became one of the most popular music albums released in the Russian Federation at the time.

Since 2017, Kuznetsov has been active within the cinematic world along with his rapping career. His first project, 'Psychotronics,' was a thriller short film and premiered in Russia on December 10, 2017. Shortly thereafter, he would create three more film projects, although in 2019 the Russian-language documentary, 'BEEF: Russian Hip Hop'rus] would help engender more dynamic cinematic endeavors. In July of 2019, Kuznetsov released the short film, 'Lucifer,' in partership with directors Pavel Karykhalin and Alexey Shevchenko. Detailing his internal grappling with the difficulties of fame and alienation from his sense of self, the film displayed Kuznetsov's struggles with the attention national fame brings.

In March 2018, he performed for the first time in Kaliningrad at the Yalta club.

On April 18, 2018, Kuznetsov released the audio and music video for the track "Иуда" (Iuda/Judas). On November 17, 2018, YouTube blocked the music video for Russian audiences without further explanation. By the fall of 2019, Kuznetsov released "Люцифер" (Lyutsifer/Lucifer), a mockumentary about Kuznetsov's work that premiered in Moscow. His third album, "Хошхоног" (Khoshkhonog), was released on September 25, 2020. As with Kuznetsov's prior work, the album deals directly with controversial political issues in the Russian Federation, including the presidency of Vladimir Putin. Khoshkhonog is a traditional Buryat dish, made of cooked lamb or horse intestine.

Family

Dmitry Kuznetsov is married to Russian film and theatre actress Alina Nasibullina, and is confirmed to have one daughter named Katerina. Little to nothing is known about the relationship, as the rapper does not post photos together with his wife nor his child on his personal social-media. Husky's track 'Song for K', released on May 5 of 2020, is dedicated to his daughter. The two met when Alina was still enrolled at The Moscow Art Theater School