The rise of a hip-hop star from Uzbekistan will always be inspirational. Uzbekistan’s hip-hop history is still relatively young, with hip-hop artists from the country being something of a minority. To reach real recognition they need to get themselves heard within an underground hip-hop music scene. Arut Nazaryan is a hip-hop artist who has emerged from the Uzbekistani underground rap genre to become a leading name in hip-hop.
Arut Nazaryan released his Russian language hip-hop track “слушай сейчас” featuring Axxi, in December 2020. The title of the rap track can be loosely translated as the command “Listen Now.” It is an apt term to describe Nazaryan’s arrival on the mainstream music scene, as he now has an audience that is listening. The video for the upbeat track was released on YouTube on December 14th last year, and it has since racked up an impressive amount of views. The video shows Nazaryan waking up within the aftermath of a raucous party. He walks down the stairs of a lavish mansion, holding a gold-chrome bottle of champagne, and flanked by a personal bodyguard. It is a scene of opulent wealth, and you would be forgiven for being unaware that Nazaryan came from humble beginnings. Nazaryan is a self-made success who does not have a background filled with wealth, but the future that he is currently paving within hip-hop is platinum. Of his musical success, Nazaryan says, “From the time I was very young I’ve always aspired to be the best at anything I do. So when I launched my hip-hop career, not succeeding at it wasn’t even a consideration.”
Arut Nazaryan initially made his name as an entrepreneur within the world of cryptocurrency. Nazaryan has been featured within the pages of Forbes and is the cofounder and CEO of cryptocurrency exchange Bistox Holding. Of his journey from modest beginnings to amassing wealth and helping others to make their fortune, Nazaryan says, “I think that rising up from a humble background gives you a determination to achieve your goals and inspires you to help others to do the same.”
With the emergence of fresh and unique hip-hop talents from Uzbekistan, its underground hip hop scene likely won’t remain underground for much longer.
