Andrey Menshikov, or as rap fans used to “hear” him, Legalize is a Russian rap artist and the idol of millions of music lovers. Andrey is one of the first members of the underground label DOB Community.
"Future mothers" is Menshikov's calling card. The rapper recorded a track, and then a video clip. Literally the next day after uploading the video to the network, Legalize woke up popular. Big fees, concerts, popularity and many fans. Now Legalize has everything you can dream of, but few people know how Andrei Menshikov got fame.
How was your childhood and youth?
Andrei Vladimirovich Menshikov is the real name of the Russian rapper. The future star was born back in 1977 in the capital of the Russian Federation. Andrei's parents least of all imagined that their son would become a rap artist.
Papa Andrei was a prestigious chemist. That is why he had high hopes for his son. Menshikov Jr. was a very mobile and energetic child. The guy's energy needed to be directed in the right direction. Parents decided to give their offspring to karate.
Andrey devoted the whole 7 years to martial art. At press conferences, Menshikov recalled that in sports he also showed himself not bad. In his reserve there are awards and diplomas. It is quite possible that Andrey Menshikov could become an athlete, but as a teenager he begins to be drawn to music like a magnet.
And while Andrei's peers were chasing a soccer ball, he was mastering something new for himself. Menshikov Jr. mastered programs for creating samples and beats.
After receiving a diploma of secondary education, Andrei, on the recommendations of his parents, submitted documents to the Institute of Chemical Technology. Parents were proud of their son, because he entered a higher educational institution. But the joy did not last long. In the fourth year, Andrei left the walls of the institute. The future artist plunged headlong into the world of music.
He announced to his parents that he did not want to do anything other than music. The tracks of the American band NWA influenced Andrey's mind. The young man had a burning desire to create something similar, but on the territory of the Russian Federation.
In 1993 Andrey got acquainted with MC Ladjak. The guys understand that their desires regarding music are the same. Together the guys created a project called Slingshot. Performers begin to record tracks in English, since such musical compositions are very popular in Russia.
Andrei in one of his interviews stated that one American label offered to record a contract for the guys. But the guys were not satisfied with the terms of cooperation. As part of the presented project, the performers managed to record the debut album "Salut From Russia". However, the public heard it only in 2015.
The musical career of rapper Legalize
Legalize started its activity in 1994. Then the young rapper, along with the Slaves of the Lamp, Just Da Enemy and Beat Point, entered the hip-hop formation DOB Community. This year, Andrey Menshikov helped the Slaves of the Lamp band in writing musical compositions for their album.
In 1996, the performer left for the Congo with his wife. Here he begins to rap in French. Andrei changed his views on music.
He realized that the recitative is not a text learned by heart, but the usual kind of improvisation that should be born during the performance of musical compositions. During the civil war, the performer, along with his wife, is deported from the Congo.
The artist returned to Russia with a good amount of experience. Andrey starts fruitful work. The rapper worked on the album "Legal Business$$a", sang in a group Bad balance and collaborated with Declom.
At the end of 2000, Menshikov presented to the public the album "Legal Business$$" - "Rhythmomafia". Rappers, music critics and music lovers note that the musical compositions that were collected in the album turned out to be powerful. Listeners noted that Andrei puts a deep meaning into his texts.
Cooperation with the label "Monolith Records"
Legalize gradually acquires fans. But against the background of this, serious labels are beginning to be interested in the performer. So, in 2005, the Russian rapper attracted the attention of the label-distributor "Monolith Records".
In 2005, the video clip "First Squad" was released, which from the first days of release occupies the leading line of Russian hit parades.
This video submission format was new for Russian viewers. Daisuke Nakayama worked on the music video for Legalize.
The video clip was created in anime style. The plot of the clip perfectly conveyed the struggle of the Soviet pioneers with the Nazis, using edged weapons.
Legalize's popularity peaked in 2006. Then, the youth series "Club" appeared on the screens. The musical composition "Future Moms" became the soundtrack of the youth series.
The rapper's track became a real hit. This is the first candid Russian video clip, which received a huge amount of positive feedback.
Old fans of Legalize's work did not understand the composition "Future Mothers", since Andrei somewhat departed from the usual style of presenting musical compositions.
But thanks to this track, they started talking about it in every corner of Russia. "Future Moms" was played on all TV channels and radio. On this wave of popularity, Legalize presents the album "XL".
Soundtrack to the film "Bastards"
A year later, Alexander Atanesyan's film "Bastards" was shown on Russian screens. The soundtrack for this picture was written by Andrey Menshikov. The track "Bastards" was nominated for the MTV Russia Movie Awards.
It is worth noting that Menshikov wrote worthy works for films. In a way, his soundtracks are the presentation of the picture. The soundtrack "Bastards" is not the last work. It is known that in 2012 the performer wrote and performed the composition “Time to collect stones” for the film “Stones”, in which Sergey Svetlakov played the main role.
In 2012, another worthy work comes out. Legalize presented the mini-album "Legal Business $$" - "Wu". The album received positive reviews from fans and music critics. In the same year, Menshikov participates in the musical project Fury Inc, where he had the opportunity to feel like a real producer.
In 2015, together with Onyx, Legalize recorded the video clip "Fight". The work of rappers was a huge surprise for fans. In 2016, Legalize will present a fresh album called "Live". The rapper officially presented the album at the Yota Space club.
Legalize now
At the beginning of 2018, the rapper will present a video clip with Zdob yes Zdub and Loredana. The song is called "Balkan Mom" and it sounds appropriate. In the spring of the same year, a musical composition appeared on the network, recorded with the legendary group "25/17" called "Destiny (Damned Rap)". In 2018, the rapper presented the album "Young King".
In 2019, the performer "hands out" his concerts. In March 2019, the rapper will present the video clip "Ocean", which traces an interesting and thoughtful plot. Legalize broadcasts that there is very little left before the presentation of the new album.
