We don't get many requests so, as i see someone responded to the Diskoteka Avariya song by saying "SO good, more-more-more russian hip hop", i'm happy to help.

First up, Tarakani (Cockroaches) by Otpetie Moshenniki. Perhaps i'm being a little harsh, but they've always struck me as a slightly low-rent Avariya clone. This song's fantastic though with big disco synths and an insidiously catchy chorus.


Otpetie Moshenniki - Tarakani


Comparatively ancient in the fairly fly-by-night world of Russian techno-pop, Sergei Zhukov’s group remains best known in the West for Penseka, covered by ATC for the uber-hit Around The World a few years ago. Despite their reputation as a band aimed primarily at teenage girls, they pulled off something of a coup for gender ambiguity a few years ago with a video containing a good deal of soft-focus transvestite-boinking. Their back-catalogue is superb and their new album, Fuckin’ Rock ’n’ Roll is a fine addition to it, the title track being a highlight.

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Ruki Vverh - Fuckin' Rock 'n' Roll

Proving that they can do silly commercial hip-hop as well as their neighbours to the North, the Chinese have developed their own breed of "Chopstick" rappers.





Wilber Pan's Kuai Le Chong Bai, a collaboration with Taiwanese pixie Angela Chang, was one of the biggest hits on the mainland when i was over there this time last year. It's bouncy, irresistable pop packed full of fantastic hip-hop cliches. Westside! Find it on Angela's Aurora album.

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Will Pan & Angela Chang - Kuai Le Chong Bai





Slightly more serious was Jin, the New York-based, self-proclaimed "original chinky-eye MC". His Learn Chinese with ex-Fugee Wyclef Jean was a minor hit in the States in 2004 but, after a supporting role in 2 Fast 2 Furious, he decided to stop rapping and start acting. A look at IMDB suggests he didn't work again and he returned to the mic late last year.

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Jin - Learn Chinese

And while i'm at it......





Although i've never met a German who didn't hate them, Die Fantastischen Vier's Troy is really quite enjoyable. Amazingly, they appear to have been doing this for seventeen years without anyone throttling them.


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DF4 - Troy