“What is not a clip, then real psychotherapy,” these are the comments that can be read under the latest video clips of the Russian rapper Nigative.
Well-thought-out clips combined with razor-sharp lyrics cannot leave any rap fan indifferent.
Nigative is the stage name of Russian rapper Vladimir Afanasiev. Over the years of creative activity, Vladimir managed to prove himself not only as a talented performer, but also as an actor.
In his videos, Afanasyev gives all the best to 100%. It is known that he managed to act in films, even publish his own book.
Childhood and youth of Vladimir Afanasiev
The real name of the Russian rapper is Vladimir Afanasiev. The young man was born in the winter of 1981 in the Krasnodar Territory. The future hip-hop star was brought up in an intelligent family. Mother worked as a mathematics teacher, and father was a talented artist.
Since his mother taught him the exact sciences, after graduating from school he entered a technical institute at the faculty of quantum electronics. Vladimir graduated from high school with honors. During his studies, he was interested in music. However, Afanasiev did not dream of starting a musical career.
At the age of 10, Vladimir was a member of the Cossack choir. This period of time the young man remembers with special love and warmth. During that period of time, he learned to play many musical instruments. But none have mastered professionally.
When Afanasiev was in high school, hip-hop was popular at his school. At that time, the guys really liked foreign performers. For the Russians, it was something new and original. Vladimir was so captivated by the manner of reading foreign rappers that he imitated performances on the "big stage" in front of a mirror.
Vladimir entered the institute, graduated with honors. He quickly mastered the knowledge. After graduation, an adult and independent life opened up before him. He managed to change several jobs, and only in 1997 he realized that he wanted to try to build a musical career.
Afanasiev had a hard time. He basically started from scratch. He had no creative acquaintances and useful connections. But one way or another, the young man decided to develop like a “blind kitten”. He managed to build an excellent musical career, but this was devoted to more than 20 years.
The musical career of the Russian rapper Nigativ
The first attempts to enter the stage were in early 1997. Vladimir and his friend, who was also fond of rap, decided to create a Triple V musical group. Having overcome embarrassment, the guys began to perform in front of the public.
The musicians performed the first tracks exclusively in English. They believed that English was more progressive and relevant.
A year later, the young team teamed up with the Krasnodar rapper Skato and became known as BDX. However, the cooperation was not as desired. Each of the participants saw creativity in the team in their own way.
The pseudonym "Nigativ" appeared with Vladimir when he was studying at the university. Afanasiev adored black clothes. His friends said that he looked like a niger in such clothes.
When Vladimir once again came to the exam in a dark suit, his friend said that he looked like a photograph negative. Over time, this nickname grew into a stage name, written through "and".
"Breakthrough" in the career of Vladimir Afanasiev
In the early 2000s, Afanasyev was invited to the Triada team. Thanks to participation in this group, Vladimir gained long-awaited success and undoubted experience. The debut album with the participation of Afanasyev was presented by the rap group in 2003.
However, its circulation was only 10 thousand copies. Label Karavan Music offered to sign a contract with them for 3 years, and the guys agreed.
The second album of the Triada group was called Antidote. This record has been acclaimed. The video for the song "Dead City" got into the rotation of MTV.
One of the strengths of the Triada group was considered by music critics to be the philosophical nature of musical compositions. This approach to creating songs allowed the musicians to gain loyal and loyal fans.
During its existence, the musical group has released 6 full-length albums. The brightest disc was the album "Orion", which was released in early 2005.
Vladimir began his solo career when he was still a member of the Triad. The contract did not prohibit pursuing a solo career. The debut album of rapper Nigativ was called "Dew Point".
The second album "Fulcrum" was released in two parts at once - "Black Volume" and "White Volume". Some time later, the Rap.ru website included the Russian singer in the top 10 best rap artists in Russia.
After four years of his solo career, Nigativ released the first video clip "Understood". Fans and critics praised the work of the Russian rapper. They advised me to try my hand at cinema. The debut role of the rapper was an unnamed tractor driver, whom he played in the series "Ray".
Vladimir Afanasiev in the cinema
In 2018, Vladimir Afanasiev starred in one of the most popular series "Real Boys". Negative confidently kept in this series. He managed to portray the specific dialect of his character and shared with the audience frantic energy.
On the set of this series, he met Zoya Berber. Later, he invited her to take part in the filming of the new video clip "Weightlessness".
In the spring of 2018, the Triada group announced the official breakup of the musical group. According to Vladimir Afanasiev, the breakup of the group did not change his life. Nigative still continued to rap, but already as part of the Barada team.
Not so long ago, Vladimir published his own book "Astrological Court" - a detective novel with elements of mysticism. According to Nigativ, he is very fond of foreign and Russian literature. For him, reading books is the best rest.
Negative now
In 2018, the Russian rapper released a new album, Jamevu. This album is different from the artist's previous works. Nigative delved into the search for an individual style. The spirit of this album is different from the previous records.
After the release of the Jamevu album, the rapper, together with the Barada group, went to concerts in major cities of the Russian Federation. Their performances are a delight to the ears. It is interesting that the guys perform "live", without the use of a phonogram.
The hit of 2019 was the video clip "I don't care". In it, Nigative again showed his acting talent. The interesting plot of the clip and the deep meaning of the text are the features that allowed it to gain more than 2 million views.
“A phenomenal artist in its simplicity!”, “In simple words about the complex”, “Very convincing presentation”, “And this sincerity captivates!”, “I sincerely wish you many years of creativity!”. These kind comments from fans make Nigative develop further.
