Music from Russia: 7 unexpected facts.
Russia has played a major role in music over the past 150 years, especially in classical music. And that's pretty surprising when you look at the size of the country. But is pop music just as popular in Russia? Here are 7 unexpected facts about pop music in Russia.
1. Russians love rap as much as anyone in the West
The best-selling album in Russia right now belongs to Jah Khalib, a Kazakh rapper. He also has the most streamed melody in the country. Rap has been huge in the country since the first groups emerged in the 90s, rapping, like a group of 'Bad Balance' did, about how much they loved graffiti. One of the biggest stars even has a British connection: Oxxxymiron, whose parents left Russia when he was nine and lived in Slough for several years (“one of the most depressing places in the UK,” he said in an interview with Vlad TV ) before studying English at Oxford. Oxxxymiron has made his name as a rapper and more than 40 million people have already watched him on YouTube.
2. The country's most popular group owes its success to cursing
