Spens (born Stanislav Naydenov), is a Bulgarian hip hop artist. He was born in

Pleven Pleven ( ) is the seventh most populous city in Bulgaria. Located in the northern part of the country, it is the administrative centre of Pleven Province, as well as of the subordinate Pleven municipality. It is the biggest economic center in ...

on October 13, 1975. As a high school student he recorded amateur songs using nothing but a

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

and

tape deck An audio tape recorder, also known as a tape deck, tape player or tape machine or simply a tape recorder, is a sound recording and reproduction device that records and plays back sounds usually using magnetic tape for storage. In its present ...

. After graduation in 1994, he moved to the capital city of

Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...

to pursue studies in computer information technologies. He also actively pursued his interest in music and managed to meet a number of like-minded people. Together with DJ Stancho, Slim and O.C.G. he formed Sniper Records, the first Bulgarian label specialised in

rap Rapping (also rhyming, flowing, spitting, emceeing, or MCing) is an artistic form of vocal delivery and emotive expression that incorporates " rhyme, rhythmic speech, and ommonlystreet vernacular". It is usually performed over a backin ...

and

hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...

. Soon several projects were created such as the movie "Hip-Hop Gorilla", its soundtrack in three parts and numerous hip-hop events in

Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...

Albums

With the release of his first solo album in 2000 entitled ''Prekaleno Lichno I (Too Personal, Part I)'', Spens managed to establish himself as one of the biggest names on the Bulgarian hip-hop scene overnight. Two of the biggest hits on that album were "Napravi Me" (Make Me) and the street anthem "Pisna Mi" (I'm Sick of It). Various collaborations with other Bulgarian MCs who were then unknown were found on the Very Personal Part I album such as Slim, Vyara, OCG, etc. The album was released at a time when the hip-hop scene in

was expanding its footprint, along with gaining tremendous interest and support from the sheer number of people who began to acknowledge and embrace it. This was key, as it had an undeniably positive effect on Spens' and other hip hop artists' career. This series of events is also known among the Bulgarian hip-hop fans as The Second Wave (2000–2006). Spens released his second album entitled Prekaleno Lichno II (Very Personal part II) in 2003. Throughout the tracks, he adhered to his patented sound and lyrics, while meeting and exceeding the expectations set by fans and local media. In the album he was able to address a plethora of issues, ranging from the basics in day-to-day existence to political events and personas, nationals interests, and complex emotional relationships - a bit changed style in comparison with the first album. After that, Spens made several tracks featuring known and unknown artists, the most prominent being with Macedonian rappers Skopje Via Sofia and Puka Kosmetika, and the Austrian hip-hop artists Herbe Mischung. In 2007 he appeared on the album of Polish MC

Sokol Sokol, Sokół or SOKOL may refer to: Sports * Sokol movement, a Pan-Slavic physical education movement, and its various incarnations: ** Czech Sokol movement, the original one ** Polish Sokół movement ** Russian Sokol movement ** Sokol mov ...

"Teraz Pieniadz W Cenie" on the most known Slavic joint ever "Nie lekceważ nas" ("Don't underestimate us") featuring rappers from every Slavic country. After the end of The Second Wave, Spens became inactive as an MC and focused on his work in the media (radio nJoy and Bulgarian Television (bTV)). Spens has had the opportunity to work with many other talented artists, including the neo-metal band Skre4, Bulgarian pop icon Grafa, and R&B singer Santra. He is also currently the host of the Bulgarian Top 100 countdown.

Albums

References

See also