Jacques-Anthony Menshikov is a bright representative of the new school of rap. Russian performer with African roots, adopted son of rapper Legalize.
Childhood and youth Jacques Anthony
Jacques-Anthony from birth had every chance of becoming a performer. His mom was part of the DOB Community team. Simone Makand, mother of Jacques-Anthony, is the first girl in Russia to start rapping in public.
The boy was born on January 31, 1992 in Vologda. The relationship between mother and father did not work out, so Simone decided to divorce her son's biological father.
Soon Makand remarried the popular Russian rapper Andrey Menshikov (Legalize). Legalize became a real mentor for Anthony. He adopted the boy and gave him his last name.
In 1996, the Menshikov family moved to Simone's homeland - to the Congo. There, the newlyweds opened their own nightclub, which hosted parties for rap fans.
However, Jacques and Andrei Menshikov had to return to Vologda. The country began a civil war. Simone had to stay in the Congo for personal reasons.
For a long time, Jacques lived in the house of Menshikov's mother. Later, Andrei left for the capital and took his adopted son with him. Andrei Menshikov sent his son to the prestigious Moscow school of Sergei Kazarnovsky, where students were taught jazz, blues and acting along with general subjects.
At school, Jacques felt like a fish in water. After all, from the age of 4 he attended a music school, and at the age of 7 he began to write the first punches. Another highlight of the young man was sociability and an excellent sense of humor, which helped him to be in the spotlight.
At the age of 9, the boy was informed that his parents were getting divorced. Then Simone took her son from Moscow and moved with him to St. Petersburg.
Since 2004, Jacques' mother has been writing scripts. Simone did not maintain a relationship with her ex-husband. According to Jacques, Legalize did not help in his development as a performer.
Thanks to his sociability, Jacques quickly joined the rap scene and became friends with the young rapper Yung Trappa. It was with this artist that Jacques recorded the first tracks. In addition to writing rap, he attended dances, sports clubs and studied well at school.
In his teenage years, Jacques-Anthony fell into bad company. Then alcohol, soft drugs and cigarettes are best friends. The future rap star called her childhood "atmospheric". He often ended up at the police station.
Simone tried her best to direct her son on the true path. She even promised him to buy a car, if only he would "get off drugs and stop drinking alcohol." Such persuasion did not work on Jacques, so my mother had to take strict measures.
Simone sent her beloved son to her brother in Africa. The woman's brother was the owner of an oil company, and, according to Jacques, "money can be raked in there with a shovel."
A luxurious life only spoiled the young man. Now he began to disappear in bars and clubs, and he abandoned his studies altogether. Returning to the territory of the Russian Federation, the young man nevertheless graduated from 11 classes and passed the exams.
Having received a matriculation certificate, Jacques-Anthony moved to the capital and became a student of political sciences at RUDN University. The young man stayed in a higher educational institution for two years, and then went to the army. Despite the exotic appearance, Jacques said that he felt comfortable.
After demobilization, he began to seriously think about a musical career. In addition, over these two years, the picture in the rap industry has changed a lot - many bright performers have appeared. The same Yung Trappa, with whom Jacques was friends as a teenager, achieved success and recorded tracks.
The creative path and music of Jacques Anthony
At the beginning of his creative career, Jacques Anthony, like gloves, changed creative pseudonyms and musical styles. He collaborated with the association "TA Inc", which at that time included: Yung Trappa, rapper ST and Yanix.
The young rapper recorded his debut tracks in a cheap St. Petersburg recording studio Reigun Records for 500 rubles per hour. When the money ran out, Jacques recorded songs at his friend's house.
In 2013, Jacques (under the creative pseudonym Dxn Bnlvdn) presented the first video clip for the song Day After Day to music lovers. A few months later, the debut mixtape Molly Cyrus was released, which was recorded for a day.
In parallel with the work on his repertoire, Jacques followed in the footsteps of his mother, and was engaged in filming commercials and video clips. Among the rapper's works, one can note the clip "Hummingbird" by MiyaGi.
However, there were few orders for filming video clips or commercials. Jacques started working as a courier in one of the local restaurants and as a manager in an airline agency.
One day, Jacques and his colleague decided to test new equipment. Young people shot a video clip for the track "Old Testament".
As a result, the guys posted on one of the largest video hosting sites. The video has received a significant number of views. From that moment on, Jacques Anthony abandoned video filming, devoting himself to music.
With the Russian artist Oxxxymiron, Jacques released a joint musical composition "Breathless". The track became the basis for the creation of the debut album. It was followed by the disc “Dorian Gray. Volume 1". Fans and music critics warmly welcomed the collection.
In 2017, the film directed by Fyodor Bondarchuk "Attraction" appeared on the screens - Jacques' song "Our District" became the soundtrack of the film. The music video for this song has over 3 million views. Bondarchuk also opened the door to Russian television for Jacques. The rapper became a frequent guest of various programs.
In 2017, Jacques-Anthony expanded his discography with the third album DoroGo. The album includes 15 solo tracks.
The personal life of an artist
It is known that Jacques-Anthony lives in St. Petersburg. The young man was married to a girl Oksana. The couple recently divorced. A daughter, Michelle, was born in the marriage.
Judging by the social networks of the rapper, at the moment he is in a close relationship with the aspiring singer BADSOPHIE.
Jacques-Anthony today
In 2018, the rapper presented a joint track with the Chayan Famali duet "Awesome". In the same year, Jacques released the album Dorian Gray. Volume 2".
2019 has been an equally productive year. This year, the discography of the Russian artist was replenished with the JAWS album. Jacques' new album is the first after almost a year and a half break.
8 new tracks and one guest in the person of Yanix, the track with which "Counting Machine" was remembered by rap fans for its brightness and excellent fit.
Jacques Anthony in 2021
Many have already written off Jacques Anthony. But in 2021 he is back with a new aggressive LP inspired by the aesthetics of French streets and early 90s European cinema. The release of the Lilium compilation took place on May 28, 2021. The disc contains features from Nedra, Seemee and Apashe.
