He is called one of the best rappers in the post-Soviet space. A few years ago, he chose to leave the musical arena, but when he returned, he pleased with the release of bright tracks and a full-length album. Rapper Johnyboy's lyrics are a combination of sincerity and powerful beats.
Johnyboy childhood and youth
Denis Olegovich Vasilenko (real name of the singer) was born in the modest Latvian town of Salaspils in 1991. In his interviews, he repeatedly shared his memories that he did not have the easiest and happiest childhood.
He was brought up in an incomplete family. When Denis was still small, his father left home. The head of the family suffered from alcoholism, so he could afford unacceptable behavior in front of all family members. Dad lived in a neighboring house, but despite this, he did not want to communicate with his son.
Surprisingly, only in adolescence Denis got a computer. Until that time, he actively spent time on the street - playing football and basketball.
When he had the opportunity to go to study in England, he did not take advantage of it. Even then, Denis lived in music, so he believed that it would be much more difficult to realize his plans beyond the “hillock”. At the age of 16, Denis recorded several tracks at the school studio.
Rap in the life of an artist
Surprisingly, for the love of rap, he owes his mother, who loved to listen to tracks Eminem. Now Denis has not the easiest relationship with his mother, but despite this, he is grateful to her for her upbringing. Joniboy himself did not enjoy the repertoire of overseas rappers for long. Soon he was taken over by the tracks of Noize MC and the rest of the "cream" of Russian rap.
By the way, Denis bought himself a computer with his own money. He worked at a metallurgical plant, and soon there was enough savings to purchase the coveted equipment. Joniboy's computer was necessary for recording tracks, as well as participating in Internet battles.
Since that time, he has been trying himself at various venues that specialized in conducting remote battles. At the same time, he "lit up" in InDaBattle 2. It was from this battle that he first emerged victorious. Denis realized that it was time to bring his tracks to the masses.
At one of the Latvian battles, he meets the singer Sifo. The latter owned his own recording studio. At Sifo, the rapper recorded the first track under the creative pseudonym Johnyboy. Soon friends organized their own project, which was called Undercatz.
The creative path and music of rapper Johnyboy
In 2010, the presentation of the video clip "Summer in Moscow" took place, as well as the debut unofficial demi-long play "Count to ten". After that, the rapper signed a contract with Moshkanov Films.
Thanks to this company, Denis managed to replenish his videography with a number of worthy clips. The video clip "Unborn" received wide publicity. The guys raised a very urgent problem of society - the topic of abortion. Denis Moshkanov from that moment took the place of the singer's personal manager. The guys stopped working together only in 2015.
A year later, Joniboy's discography opened with a full-length album. We are talking about the longplay "Cold". Even before the official release, the record attracted attention. The fact is that in the announcement it was indicated that the compositions included in the collection are based on real events. Longplay captivated the audience. The rapper managed to sell over 5000 copies of the released album.
In support of the collection, Joniboy went on the Baltic Storm tour. In addition, video clips were filmed for some tracks. In one of the interviews regarding the debut album, Denis said:
“I tried to be as sincere as possible with my fans. This record is all of me. The tracks are based on real experiences and events. I really value my audience.”
In 2012, he received the prestigious Stadium RUMA 2012 Award for Breakthrough of the Year. It is noteworthy that the winner was determined by voting on the Internet. The old-school rap, which was left with nothing, was outraged that a newcomer won the award.
They said about Joniboy then that he was just a mixture of Eminem and Justin Bieber. The rapper did not answer his envious people, only saying that he was flattered by such comparisons.
Contract and new album
Soon he signed a contract with Universam Kultury, and later presented his second studio album. We are talking about the disc "Past the shadows." The rapper collaborated with the company until 2013. In parting, he released the single "At Any Cost".
For a couple of tracks from the new album, he released video clips that were appreciated by the public. But further - more. Since 2013, Denis has been listed as one of the best YouTubers - Versus Battle. Denis mostly battled with little-known performers. But, one day, he plucked up the courage and challenged the rapper Oxxxymiron to a duel. Oksimiron graciously accepted the challenge.
Battle Johnyboy with rapper Oksimiron
In 2014, the rapper's discography was replenished with the third LP. The new disc of Joniboy "My Book of Sins" was warmly received not only by fans, but also by the rap community. Soon there was a presentation of the new single "Solitaire".
2015 was a fiasco year for Joniboy. This year, as planned, he took the stage to battle with Oksimiron. Denis could not resist such a strong opponent. He lost outright. As a result, this fight on video hosting gained over 50 million views.
After the loss, Denis was covered with depression. Later it turned out that Oksimiron agreed to fight with Joniboy, solely for the sake of the hate. He initially did not see him as any rival.
After the battle, Denis went to the bottom. Moreover, the number of performances of the rapper has decreased tenfold. Accordingly, the popularity of the until recently successful rapper also began to fall.
True fans tried to get Joniboy on stage. But, the rapper himself preferred to remain silent. He did not give interviews for a long time, and only pleased the "fans" with the release of two clips - "Bad Boy's Day" and "Before the First Storm". Later, his discography was replenished with the Allin EP mini-album.
When Joniboy returned to the stage, he decided to explain himself to the fans. Denis said that the loss was really very emotional. But that doesn't mean he's ready to quit music. At this time, he traveled a lot around the countries, and he had accumulated a lot of material for recording a full-fledged LP. But Joniboy did not announce the release of the record.
Details of the rapper's personal life
Joniboy does not like to expose the details of his personal life. However, it was known that he was dating a girl named Nadezhda Aseeva. If you believe the publications of journalists, then in 2010 the couple broke up.
A couple of years later, Denis met Anastasia Chibel. Romantic photos with the performer appeared on her social networks, but the rapper himself did not confirm the information that they were together for a long time.
In 2020, it turned out that Joniboy made a marriage proposal to the girl. Anastasia answered the guy: “Yes,” which he joyfully announced on social networks.
Interesting facts about Johnyboy
- Denis worked in network marketing selling fish oil capsules and organic coffee.
- He assures that the reason for his disappearance after the defeat of Oksimiron is an attempt to earn money.
- In his native Riga, he was laughed at after the defeat of Oksimiron. Even those whom he considered friends turned away from him.
- Today, his concert in Moscow is estimated at a million rubles.
- He does not communicate with his mother. She forbade seeing his younger brother.
Johnyboy at present
In 2016, the rapper presented the track "Alcohol and Smoke" (with the participation of Ivan Reys). Then the journalists became aware that Denis dreams of becoming an actor. But, things were not going well, and during this period of time he is trying to develop his small business.
A year later, the track "With me" was released. The rapper commented that from now on, he will delight fans more with the release of new musical works.
In November 2020, Joniboy returned with a full length LP. The new disc has received a very symbolic name - "The Demons Wake Up at Midnight". According to Denis, in the tracks he demonstrated an internal struggle with his fears.
