Black Star is official. Star team Black Star Mafia: composition, history of creation

Photo: Gennady Gulyaev / Kommersant

On Sunday evening, Novy Arbat is not crowded. Passers-by lazily stroll along the street until they come across a local landmark - the line at Black Star Burger. The restaurant opened in September 2016 and is in demand among fans of the brand, who are willing to wait hours for a burger for 195 rubles. The queues are the most striking example of the hype that the founders of the Black Star label Timati (Timur Yunusov), Pavel Kuryanov (Pasha) and Walter Chassem caught.

The Black Star office in the center of Moscow has an ascetic design, no “luxury”. At the reception there are two stacks of papers - “for Timati’s signature” and “for Pasha’s signature”; in Pasha’s office there is a mourning poster in memory of the deceased DJ Dlee (Alexey Tagantsev), a shelf with music awards, a portrait of his wife and a wooden chessboard. 33-year-old Kuryanov is the CEO of Black Star, he determines the group’s development strategy. The wall opposite his desk is covered with printouts with analytics on artist audiences. Next to it, current and future projects under the Black Star brand are listed in a column - 15 in total.

The driver of business growth remains the label, Pasha says in a conversation with RBC magazine. According to SPARK-Interfax, in 2015, the revenue of the music business tripled, to 142 million rubles, and the Black Star Clothing Line (develops Black Star Wear stores and sells a franchise in Russia and the CIS countries) almost doubled times, up to 385 million rubles. Revenues for both businesses grew last year, Pashu said, with the label outpacing the Clothing Line. And in 2017, the financial champion of the holding will be the Black Star Burger chain, which will add at least two restaurants by the end of the year, Pasha promises.

The total revenue of the Black Star group of companies at the end of 2017 will exceed 1 billion rubles, RBC magazine calculated. In addition to music, clothing and burgers, the group includes the marketing communications agency Global Star, music business software developer Make It Music, barbershop and tattoo studio 13 by Black Star, football agency Black Star Sport, and gaming company BS Gaming. A virtual mobile operator, beverage production and other projects are at the launch stage. The group employs about 600 people. Timati and Pasha own shares in almost all legal entities of the group.

Rapper Timati (Photo: TASS)

Hot dog and Dr Pepper

Tens of millions of rubles are parked at the Black Star office - Ferrari, Bentley, Mercedes are huddled in a cramped area, with gloomy bearded security guards wandering between them. The car park is partly owned by the founders of Black Star, partly by the owners of the building, the Rudyak family of developers. Across the road from the office is Rudyakov’s main asset, the Atrium shopping complex near the Kursky railway station. The first Black Star clothing store opened there at one time. Pasha and Timati are friends with Ernest Rudyak, who manages the family business (Rudyak left no comment on his relationship with Black Star).

The founders of Black Star have long learned to use acquaintances to benefit business. Pasha and Timati became friends during their school years: they both went rollerblading and skateboarding on Manezhnaya Square. Timati grew up in a wealthy family, Pasha in the family of a metro worker and a kindergarten teacher.

Timati’s father is a non-public businessman Ildar Yunusov, allegedly a co-owner of the Swiss investment company Stratus Trade & Finance and a member of the board of directors of the oil pump manufacturer Art Pumping Technologies. Talks that Yunusov Sr. sponsored the start of his son’s career were repeatedly denied by Timati and Pasha. “My parents never gave him money. With my pocket money we bought one hot dog for two and a can of Dr Pepper,” recalls Pasha.

Timati's business partner and best friend is rapper Pasha

Timati became interested in hip-hop as a child and introduced a friend to it. Soon both got a job on the team of producer Alexander Tolmatsky, who was making his son Kirill a rap star Decl. In the shadow of someone else's fame, the friends quickly got bored; their first independent project was organizing parties in the Marika and Most clubs. Later they launched their own establishments as promoters - B-Club and Black October Bar. “Everyone around was relaxing, and Tim and Pasha were plowing. When someone laughed at the fact that the “majors” were running a business, I said: a little time will pass, and the guys will do everything,” recalls a longtime acquaintance of the Black Star founders, Sergei Dok, now the manager of the barbershop and tattoo studio 13 by Black Star.

Organizing parties helped me make connections. One of his new acquaintances, producer Evgeny Orlov, invited Yunusov to “Star Factory 4.” Thanks to the TV project, the whole country learned about Timati; he signed a contract with Igor Krutoy’s ARS Records (musical director of the “Factory” season). Pasha remained close by, helping with organizing concerts, recording songs and other processes. In the mid-2000s, friends decided that hired work was again slowing down their development. According to Pasha, they had to go into debt, but they bought the contract for a “fantastic” amount at that time - $1 million.

Life after Timati

A portrait of 50 Cent hangs above Black Star COO Walter Chassem's desk. Walter, too, was once “connected with criminal people,” Pasha said in an interview with Rap.ru in 2006. Today, the native of Cameroon is the “soul” of the label, he has been with the company from the very beginning. At first, Chassem invested a lot in business development: he made his capital from football transfers, Pasha recalled in an interview with Company magazine. In 2006, a start-up label created by three friends released Timati’s debut solo album, Black Star. “The image of a black star was born to me back in 2001, when I observed an eclipse,” recalls Timati. There were already plans to diversify the business, but in the early years, not all ideas could be implemented due to a lack of experience and funds, Pasha admits.

A graduate of the International University with a degree in finance and credit, he quickly assessed the futility of development according to the canons of Russian show business: “I recorded a song, went around the country with concerts, stuffed money into my pockets - and that’s all.” Pasha also understood that it was necessary to move away from the connection of Black Star to Timati’s personality and look for new artists. But until 2012, the label’s turnover did not exceed $1 million, attempts to develop a non-musical direction failed, and only rapper Dzhigan was able to promote the artists (in 2014, he bought out the contract and left the label). “Pasha structured the processes, and I took care of the artists and my development,” says Timati. According to him, for the first three or four years he “carried” the business on himself and reinvested 80% of the profits into the company.

Business partner Timati Walter Chassem (Photo: Arseny Neskhodimov for RBC)

Consultant Ilya Kusakin helped Pasha set up business processes (he still conducts trainings for Black Star employees). Together they cut costs and built a sales system, for which the label is today praised even by its competitors. They managed to attract another acquaintance of Pasha and Timati from the world of big business to the list of shareholders - Evgeny Zubitsky, co-owner of the Industrial and Metallurgical Holding (No. 190 in the Russian Forbes ranking, fortune - $500 million; Zubitsky's representative left questions from RBC magazine without comment). The breakthrough came in 2012: the label signed Yegor Creed and L’One and hired Viktor Abramov, one of the most experienced managers on the rap scene, as creative director.

"Trushny" label

“If I find someone spreading rumors, I’ll rip their ass off!” — the question about “cheating” views of Black Star’s videos on YouTube causes an explosion of emotions in the creative director of the label. Abramov was one of the producers of “Caste”, launched Rap.ru and the TV show “Battle for Respect”, the finale of which was attended by Vladimir Putin. In 2012, Abramov agreed to come for an interview with Timati and Pasha - it was interesting how Black Star attracted the “true” artist Levan Gorozia (L’One): “Before that, their commercial gloss confused me.” At a personal meeting, the producer became convinced that his views coincided with Pasha’s vision.

The new creative director helped the label change its strategy for working with artists. Today there are 13 artists on Black Star, three of them - Creed, L'One and Mot - compete in popularity with Timati. The label is looking for newcomers through the “Young Blood” casting; the final choice is always up to the founders. Black Star invests up to 15 million rubles in promoting a new recruit.

“Chuika” rarely lets Timati and Pasha down. For example, they considered Creed’s potential three years before the artist shot with the song “The Samaya.” The partners convinced Pasha to dump the performer, but he insisted on his own and hit the jackpot: in 2016, according to Forbes estimates, Creed earned more than Timati - $3.6 million. However, Pasha calls these estimates “unreliable.”

A more recent example of Black Star’s flexible policy towards artists is singer Klava Koka. At the casting, she captivated Abramov with her vocals and ability to play various instruments, and at first the label team came up with the type of “very pleasant artist” for her. But the project did not follow the rails of traditional show business: Klava’s songs were dropped on radio stations with the wording “non-format”, Black Star had to urgently change its positioning. The producers took notice of the popularity of Coca's Periscope broadcasts and decided to experiment with the vlog format. As a result, in less than six months, the singer turned into a “fast-growing blogger” with 250 thousand subscribers. Abramov, with a satisfied smile, sends “greetings” to Koka’s critics: “Our Klava is good and not vindictive. Me not".

With the arrival of Abramov, Timati’s more “adult” image also became an important element of Black Star’s positioning. We had to destroy the halo of the “golden youth” and look for “really big” songs, explains Abramov. Progress is noticeable in the concerts: if in 2012 Timati did not pack the 6,000-seat Crocus City Hall, then in November 2017 he will storm the 35,000-seat Olympic Stadium. Abramov explains the growth in popularity by the quality of the show, sound, marketing and rejects claims of “non-market” methods of promotion. “To get money from advertisers, [companies like Black Star] need a lot of subscribers. And if there is no organic growth, investing in social media is justified,” says Kirill Lupinos, head of the Effective Records label.

Timati also determines the socio-political reputation of Black Star. Loyalty to Vladimir Putin, friendship with Ramzan Kadyrov, patriotism, healthy lifestyle - these patterns are firmly attached to the artist. Timati's comrades either share his views or refer to his apoliticality. Healthy lifestyle propaganda only interferes with the signing of promising young people based on less traditional values, for example, rapper Pharaoh, notes Pasha.

Artist as an asset

Two young men with laptops are sitting on the sofa next to the reception desk in the Black Star office. They are constantly calling venue owners to sell performances by Black Star artists. “We don’t wait for people to come to us. We come ourselves,” explains Pasha. Artists are the core of Black Star’s “ecosystem” and a highly monetized commodity, he says. The label’s total audience on social networks is 33.2 million users, mainly Instagram and VKontakte.

To realize the advertising potential of artists, Black Star launched the Global Star agency in 2015. It was headed by Pavel Bazhenov, the label's ex-director of marketing. “All artists work in their own niche. For example, L’One is about motivation; in its promotion we focused on the sports component. Now he is a top rapper among football players and other athletes,” says the head of Global Star. Gorozia already has contracts with Nike and VTB United League. L"One himself believes that the label manages to maintain a balance between the interests of the artist and advertising activity. “No one forces you to sign up for uncomfortable projects,” says the rapper.

“For testing,” according to Bazhenov, advertisers often choose product placement in clips. When integrating a brand into videos, the agency uses all marketing resources associated with the artist. Given the power of "social capital", Global Star can guarantee, for example, 2-3 million views per month. The most striking projects of Global Star are Timati and the meme song for “Tantum Verde Forte”, Creed as the face of the Garnier multi-channel campaign, branding of Timati and L’One tour with “Vyatka kvass”, cooperation of L’One with KFC. About 70% of the agency’s projects in 2016 were Black Star contracts. Global Star receives a commission for mediation, its size is not disclosed, as is the agency’s revenue. According to Pashu, advertising accounts for up to 30% of Black Star's revenue.

Other stars are already turning to Global Star: the agency has introduced the Mercedes-Benz and R.O.C.S. brands. in Valeria's video. The singer’s producer Joseph Prigozhin was pleased: “The guys are advanced and talented.” True, it “seemed” to him that the agency fee was a little too high: the amount exceeded 20% of the advertiser’s budget. Bazhenov plans to increase the volume of third-party orders from Global Star to 50% already in 2017, primarily through contracts in the sports industry.

Gold veins

Pasha decided to create clothes under the Black Star Wear brand back in the mid-2000s: “I started this direction myself, invested all my savings, about 6 million rubles, in the delivery of the first product, and 90% of the batch turned out to be defective.” As a result, it took almost ten years to establish the business: I had to go into debt (“they only paid it off last year”), use connections (the first store opened in the Atrium shopping center Rudyakov) and hit the big time in production abroad. When the ruble devalued in 2014, Pasha decided to move the production capacity to Russia: now almost the entire range is sewn at a factory near the center of Moscow. The Black Star Wear network has grown to 40 points (its own and franchise), some of them in the CIS countries. The label’s artists are involved in the clothing business: in stores you can buy collections in the development of which Timati and Mot participated, and L’One is also working on its own line.

Pasha is confident that at the end of 2017, both the music business and retail will be overtaken in terms of revenue by a new “gold mine” - Black Star Burger (BS Burger). Since the fall of 2016, the company has opened two restaurants - on Novy Arbat and Tsvetnoy Boulevard, both of which had a hype effect. “This is the second line in public catering in 25 years, after McDonald’s,” laughs Abramov. They invested 20 million rubles in the first point. (the money was recovered in three months), in the second - 25 million rubles. On peak days, one restaurant prepares 3 thousand burgers.

Ex-shareholder of the First Republican Bank Yuri Levitas came to Black Star two years ago with the idea of ​​a fast food chain. He developed a “unique” recipe for preparing meat for burgers and asked Pasha for a long time to meet Timati. He gave in on the condition that there would be a vegetarian burger on the menu. According to legend, Levitas brought a grill to the first meeting at the Black Star office and cooked a burger for Timati there.

One of the reasons for the success of BS Burger is the secret recipe, Levitas is sure, other “ingredients” of the hype are speed (order in four minutes) and price. BS Burger occupies a niche between McDonald’s and more expensive burger joints: Levitas calculated the cost of a cheeseburger so that the product would cost 100 rubles. cheaper than competitors, and slightly more expensive than the world's most popular fast food. “For you, these hundred rubles are nothing, but for many they are of great importance,” he says. With a burger costing 195 rubles. average bill - 700-800 rubles. In 2017, up to five new restaurants will open in Moscow and one in Grozny. The latest BS Burger will be developed jointly with developer Movsadi Alviev, co-investor of the Akhmat Kadyrov Foundation. Levitas dreams of opening a restaurant in all major cities of the country.

The bet on the label’s audience has worked: Timati regularly makes burger promos on Instagram. “It’s not surprising that people come after he lovingly films videos of him eating, and the juice flowing down his beard and hands in black gloves,” says Abramov. Timati calls BS Burger his favorite project. “We won’t stop at burgers,” he says. The chain will grow into a division of Black Star Foods. It will include an ice cream parlour, coffee shops and a steakhouse, Timati lists.

It is impossible to calculate hype: this phenomenon does not have a mathematical formula, Levitas admits. Artists from the label often come to BS Burger, Black Star Radio plays in the halls, and clips and photos from Instagram with the burger hashtag are played on the plasmas. The queues are a consequence of the wide audience of Black Star artists who dream of joining the brand’s values ​​for an affordable price, says Maxim Livesey, co-owner of the Brisket BBQ and Ferma Burger restaurants: “Their client takes a bite of the burger, squinting his eyes, and imagines himself on an 80-foot yacht.” .

When Yegor Creed gets his hair cut at 13 by Black Star, he writes on social networks as he leaves the salon. “Otherwise there will be a line of 500 girls lining up here,” laughs manager Sergei Dok. The studio is one of Black Star's initiatives vying for the next business explosion.

The salon, opened at the end of 2016, is fully booked: about 60 people come to get a haircut every day, appointments with tattoo artists are filled several days in advance. Former co-owner of the Tattoo 3000 network, Doc has long dreamed of doing business with Timati and Pasha. But the matter did not go further than discussion for a long time: there was no suitable point. Ernest Rudyak, who had vacated premises on Bolshaya Dmitrovka, helped. “Everyone must be thinking: how did they manage to sit on the street where the Prada and Louis Vuitton boutiques are located?” - explains Doc. He assures that the rental price is “market”; about 2 million rubles. per month (at a rate of 85 thousand per 1 sq. m), commercial real estate consultant JLL provides data.

The cost of haircuts at 13 by Black Star is approximately 15% higher than the market average. The most popular is a men's haircut for 2 thousand rubles. Star craftsmen were lured away from competitors. Co-founder of the Boy Cut network Nazim Zeynalov, from whom Black Star stole several employees, believes that the audience of 13 by Black Star is different from the listeners of the label’s artists: “The artists’ main audience is young guys who are not willing to pay that much. But they are targeting an audience from Dmitrovka, surrounded by the offices of large companies.”

Tattooed from head to toe, Doc notes that the tattoo workshop located on the second floor of the studio is more of an “image story” for Black Star. But you can also make money on it: the cost of an hour-long session is 30% higher than the market average (5 thousand rubles per hour). Doc wants to increase the studio's revenue to 10 million rubles. per month. He does not disclose the current amount of income, but clarifies that after five months of work, investments have “recovered.” Doc is preparing to open a barber academy that will help replicate the business. The plans include a salon for a female audience.

Another ambitious project of Black Star is a football agency led by Yuri Stromberger. This is a project at the intersection of sports and celebrity marketing: Black Star Sport (BS Sport) plans to sign contracts with young football players and turn them into stars for subsequent sale. BS Sport is advised by RFU Vice President Sergei Anokhin. The football players will train at the base of FC Strogino, the head of whose board of trustees is Anokhin, and the head coach is Stromberger’s father. The BS Sport budget includes up to 15 million rubles. in year. The agency can grow into a full-fledged football club, says Stromberger.

By the end of 2017, the holding should be replenished with the virtual operator Stars Mobile; plans include the production of soft drinks, gyms and a boutique hotel. Pasha is inspired by the stories of Sam Walton and Sergei Galitsky and follows the growth of the business empire of rapper Jay-Z.
“Our strategy is this: we have to make a cool product and try to grow the market, not the share of it. It’s better to have 10% in a market of 100 billion rubles than 80% in a market of 100 million rubles,” sums up Pasha. None of the analysts have ever rated the Black Star brand. In response to a question from RBC magazine about what kind of capitalization the label dreams of, Pasha thinks for a second and either jokingly or seriously says: “50 billion. Not rubles, of course.”

Timati recently announced the closure of his grandiose project. Sadly, the Black Star Inc label has come to an end. Such information appeared on the social pages of Timati, Yegor Creed, ILO and L”One. Fans, of course, cannot believe this and consider all this just a big PR campaign before the release of the new album. Therefore, there is no need to despair. Let's better remember and discuss the brightest and most talented representatives of the Black Star Mafia.

1. Timati
Timur Yunusov has long entered the major league of Russian rap. Actually, he created it himself, and then became its unofficial king. He has worked with such legendary artists as Puff Daddy, Craig David, Flo Rida, Xzibit, Snoop Dogg and many other stars. Timati has gained fans and close musical connections all over the world. At 33 years old, he has already received the title of Honored Artist of the Chechen Republic. Among other things, the musician is seriously involved in entrepreneurial and production activities.
Rapper, producer, designer, restaurateur... Timati never stops on his laurels!

2. L'One
His father dreamed of him becoming a certified lawyer, his mother a journalist. But Levan Gorozia (the artist’s real name) always knew that music was his true calling. Although as a child the boy was seriously interested in basketball. And who knows if the country would have found its favorite rapper if not for the injury. Having conquered all the radio stations, TV channels and corporate parties of his native Yakutsk, Levan went to Moscow. Here he, together with his friend Nel, created the group Marcelle. Their single “Moscow” quickly became a hit. In 2011, L’One signed a contract with the Black Star label and released the solo album “Sputnik”. The song “Everyone is dancing with their elbows” from this album became an obvious breakthrough in the musician’s work.

3. Egor Creed
As a child, Egor was a fan of the American rapper “50 cent”. He listened to his CDs for days on end. At the age of 11, the boy himself began to compose music and lyrics, and recorded everything on a voice recorder. Thus began his path to fame. Egor became known to the general public after he posted a video of a cover version of Timati’s song “Don’t Go Crazy” online. Then even the “king of Russian rap” himself became interested in his person and began to negotiate with him. As a result, in April 2012, Yegor Creed signed a contract with the Timati production center and moved to Moscow. There he entered the Gnessin Russian Academy of Music. The guy spends all his free time, despite the many temptations of Russian show business, on music. Keep it up!



4. Kristina Si
Christina Si became the first girl in the Black Star company. Not surprising, she always knew what she wanted from life. The girl grew up in the circus. Christina's father performed stunts as a motorcycle racer. Christina’s mother was involved in raising her, and she introduced her daughter to the world of music. The girl learned notes even earlier than letters. In 2008, Christina moved from her native Tula to Moscow to receive professional education. Already in 2011, the singer released a video clip for the song “I’m Starting to Forget.” This composition was on the top lines of many Russian charts for a long time. It was at this moment that Timati noticed the unusual girl. And already in 2013, Christina became a full member of the label.

5. Mot
Matvey Melnikov, known to everyone under the pseudonym Mot, has never been a “bad boy.” The future Russian rap star spent his happy childhood in sunny Krasnodar. From an early age, Matvey was engaged in ballroom dancing and was the undisputed star of Alla Dukhova’s Krasnodar studio “Todes”. The boy graduated from school with a gold medal, which allowed him to easily enter the Faculty of Economics at Moscow State University. However, music always had a place in his life. Mot released his debut album back in 2011. In addition, he became a full-fledged resident of the acclaimed Soul Kitchen project. The musician gained connections and influence in certain musical circles. Therefore, Timati’s offer to join his gang did not come as a big surprise to him.


6. Nathan
“Hey, why are you so impudent?” – it is difficult to find a person who has not heard this masterpiece composition. But little is known about its performer Natana.
Nathan Mirov was born into a working-class family in distant Kazakhstan. Despite this, he began to reach for the stars from early childhood. The boy began writing poetry while still in elementary school. He began to think about a career as a musician at the same time, although he entered the acting department at the Institute of Arts. His path to fame was paved through thorns, and real success came to him only after meeting Timati. In 2013, Nathan became one of the winners of the show “Young Blood”, which was organized by the production center Black Star Inc. After which Nathan was offered to sign a contract with the label.

7. Claudia Coca
No one could believe that a modest girl from Yekaterinburg could successfully collaborate with the serious production center Black Star Inc. No one except Klava herself. Music has always been her calling. From the age of four, the girl began to seriously study vocals. And a little later - take part in all kinds of music festivals and competitions. Where she received many awards. From the age of 13, Klavdiya Vysokova (her real name) mastered playing the guitar and began composing songs herself. The girl also plays the piano, flute and drums. In 2015, Klava, at just 19 years old, released her first solo album, “Cousteau,” which quickly earned universal recognition and the love of fans. Definitely, Claudia has a great future ahead of her!



8. Karina Cox
It cannot be said that Karina’s collaboration with the Black Star label was fruitful, but definitely bright. We all remember Karina as the permanent leader of the group “Slivki”, whose songs are still played at school discos. And then there is such a sharp turn. According to rumors, Timati paid as much as 1.5 million dollars for Karina’s departure from the group. In addition, there was a huge scandal with producer Evgeny Orlov, who did not want to lose the bright soloist, who, in fact, supported the entire “Slivki” group. But Timati turned out to be more cunning. However, not even a year had passed since Karina terminated her contract with the famous label and, abandoning her “criminal” pseudonym, went into free swimming, completely changing her image.

9. Dzhigan
Another famous ex-gang member. His entire career is an example of hard work and unshakable self-confidence. And it all started in Odessa, when a sailor dad gave his little son a cassette recorder and films of foreign artists. At this moment, the life of Denis Ustimenko-Weinstein, as you guessed this is Dzhigan’s real name, changed dramatically. At the age of 9, he put together his first group with the non-childish name “Shamanic Potion”. In addition to music, Denis was passionate about sports from a young age. At the age of 19, he received the title of Master of Sports of Ukraine, and also twice became the champion of Ukraine in hand-to-hand combat.
Now Dzhigan is deservedly resting at the very top of “Olympus” of Russian show business. In 2015, he received several prestigious music awards. He has two charming daughters growing up. In general, life was good.



10. Dana Sokolova
Every girl dreams of receiving an offer at least once in her life that she simply cannot refuse. Of course, most people dream of marriage, but this is not about Dana. When, after participating in the show “Young Blood,” the producers invited the girl to collaborate with the Black Star label, she was in seventh heaven. However, it is unclear who is luckier here. Dana is an incredibly beautiful and talented girl. She also knows how to shock the public. Today she’s blonde, tomorrow she’s brunette, and the day after tomorrow she’s completely shaved bald. In addition, the girl writes original texts herself. In 2015, her first poetry collection “Zusus” was published. We recommend you read it.

Black Star Inc.(full title - Black Star Incorporated) is a Russian independent music label and production center, whose catalog includes artists from completely different musical genres. In recent years, the marketing emphasis has been chosen in such a way that products promoted under the Black Star brand gravitate towards the dance-hip-hop direction with the massive use of template moves in the spirit of viral videos made under the influence of professional comedians. Founder and owner Black Star label is a hip-hop artist and music producer Timur Yunusov (better known by his creative pseudonym).

sign (logo) of the Black Star label

Team activities Black Star includes the creation and promotion of diverse commercially oriented music, licensing of musical works, comprehensive work with musical artists, etc. Since 2010, this team has been releasing its own line Black Star Wear, which is in fair demand among young people hanging out and is sold both through online store Black Star, and through some retail outlets.

In the fall of 2016, fans were shocked by the sensational statement on the closure of the subordinate label Black Star, made by Mr. Yunusov. However, this turned out to be just another hoax. The speech in a special video message dedicated to it showed that everything is exactly the opposite. The Black Star "Corporation" has developed so much that the time has come for business diversification - that is, division into separate business divisions, with the subsequent development of each of them in a semi-autonomous manner. This was the essence of the explanations of Timothy, the formal owner of the business under discussion.

Black Star inc.
Owner - Timati
Founded - 2006
Founders - Timati
Country Russia
Location - Moscow
Official website of the Black Star label - black-star.ru

In 2006, Timati organized a production center "Black Star Inc.". In 2007 " Black Star Inc." Together with the companies "ARS" and "IlyaKireev Company" they are organizing an R&B/Soul festival called "Version 0.1". After the competition, two festival participants were invited to the Black Star label - B.K. (Boris Gabaraev) and Music Hayk (Hayk Movsisyan).

What do you need to complete your roster? group "Black Star". Format and willingness to fill a niche defined by the label’s in-house marketers and producers - we draw this conclusion based on data on recent acquisitions "Black Star".
They obviously get there either through behind-the-scenes agreements, or through selection through the crucible of popular television competitions (thus, for example, the label signed Nathan and, about Mota, we’re not sure). Timati himself provided several confirmations of this method of working with potential applicants to get into "Black Star" composition. We explain this specifically for those who would like to get on the label.

In 2010 label Black Star Inc. bought the singer Karina Koks, who had previously been the lead singer of the Slivki group, for $1.5 million. During this time, the label released two video singles by the singer - “Fly High” and “Everything Is Decided.” However, something tells us that these investments "Black Star" didn't fight back.

Hip-hop artists L"One and KReeD, signed to the label in 2012, were much more successful.

LABEL General Director - Pavel Kuryanov ( Pasha)
Deputy Director - Kamran Aliyev.

Artists of the Black Star label (main lineup)
Timati founder
Nathan 2013
L"One, 2012
Egor Creed (KReeD) 2013
Kristina Si 2013
ILO 2013
MC DONI 2014
DJ KAN 2014
DJ PHILCHANSKY 2014
Angelina Gagarkina 2015
Jonry Zantaraya 2015
Marina Life 2015

Former artists of the Black Star label: Artist / Years of presence on the Black Star label
Ratmir Shishkov 2006-2007
DJ Dlee 2006-2009 – Karina Koks 2010-2011
Music Hayk 2007-2012
Lucky 2012
Pavel Galanin 2012
DJ M.E.G. 2006-2012
B.K. 2007-2012
Dzhigan 2007-2013

Groups
"Tom"n"Jerry"
"Black Star Mafia"

Black Star Band
Zechariah "Zak" Sullivan - drums
Vladimir "Booba" Yalymov - keyboards
Alexander "Bocha" Bochagov - guitar
Peter "Pit" Dolsky - bass
Vadim "Slap" Chumakov - sound engineer
Philip "DJ Philchansky" Bugaev - DJ
MC Doni - backing vocals
Pavel Murashev - keys/backing vocals

Former members of Black Star Band
Eduard "DJ M.E.G." Magaev - DJ
Boris "B.K." Gabaraev - backing vocals
Hayk "Music Hayk" Movsisyan - backing vocals

Producers
Elena
Konstantin "Kostorch" Matafonov
Mikhail "Michael Yousher" Yushkov
Zechariah "Zak" Sulliv
Pavel Murashov

Former producers
Valery "Garage.Raver" Evsikov
Alexey "DJ Dlee" Tagantsev
Boris "B.K." Gabaraev

Black Star label releases

VKLYBE.TV MUSIC COLLECTION - DJ M.E.G. DJ M.E.G.
Released: March 1, 2012
Type: mixtape
Happy... Music Hayk
Released: March 17, 2012
Type: mixtape
Cold heart Dzhigan
Released: April 4, 2012
Type: studio
SWAGG Timati
Released: June 1, 2012
Type: studio
Satellite L"One
Released: April 23, 2013
Type: studio
Dash (EP) Mot
Released: October 8, 2013
Type: mini album
13 Timati
Released: October 26, 2013
Type: studio
Music. Life. Dzhigan
Release: November 20, 2013
Type: studio
Everything will be Black Star Inc.
Release: December 13, 2013
Type: collection
#QUARRY DJ Philchansky and DJ Daveed
Release: February 18, 2014
Type: mixtape
Azbuka Morze Mot
Release: March 25, 2014
Type: studio
Bachelor Yegor Creed Issue: April 2, 2015
Type: studio

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The Black Star Incorporated label belongs to one of the most successful commercial enterprises in Russian dance music, promoting several projects in the style of rap and hip-hop to the domestic market.

But the company’s activities are not limited to music alone, as evidenced by the stages of brand development.

Black Star members and former label stars on our website

Way of development

The founder and nominal owner of the label is called Timur Yunusov, better known in the musical community as Timati, and the names of the other co-founders of the company are still kept secret. The company's activities are centered around the creation and promotion of diverse musical compositions, filming videos, licensing of musical works, and promotion of artists signed to Black Star.

The company was founded in 2006 and has been growing rapidly since then. Initially, Black Star was conceived as a production center that looked after the brightest representatives of Russian dance music. But a year after the start of work, the company took part in organizing the R&B/Soul festival “Version 0.1”, after which it took under its wing two participants of the event - Boris Gabaraev (V.K.) and Gayk Movsisyan (Music Hayk).

Since the creation of the production center, Timati has stated that he intends to build a real hip-hop monopoly on its basis. A little later, other representatives of the company explained that they take under their wing those performers who adhere to a certain musical format and are ready to fill the niche identified by experienced producers and marketers from the Black Star staff.

In fact, they come to Timothy’s project either through all sorts of behind-the-scenes agreements, or after going through the “sieve” of various television competitions (this is how Klava Koka, Dana Sokolova and Scrooge ended up in Yunusov’s company).

Another way to be part of Black Star is to please the producers so much so that you are bought from other companies. For example, this happened with singer Karina Koks, a former participant in the “Cream” project, who was bought by Timati’s label for one and a half million dollars. Musicologists claim that such an investment did not justify itself, and in 2011, a year after signing the contract, the singer left the project.

Such performers as Ratmir Shishkov, Pavel Galanin, Lucky, Fidel, Sasha Chest did not last long under the tutelage of the company. Black Star’s collaboration with musicians Music Hayk, V.K., DJ M.E.G. has been longer (since 2007). and Dzhigan. But at the turn of 2012-2013 they also left the project. Some of them managed to start a solo career, others also do not throw mud at Black Star, claiming that they gained invaluable experience in Timati’s company.

It is worth mentioning Timati’s friend from the Star Factory and the Banda group, Ratmir Shishkov. The young man died in an accident on March 22, 2007, he was only 19 years old. That day, his musician friends and girlfriend burned in the car with him.

In 2010, the brand launched its signature clothing line, Black Star Wear., which is in great demand among young people. But the brand still places its main emphasis on musical performers. For a long time, the “workhorses” of the project were Timati and Dzhigan themselves, who gave many concerts, had enormous popularity on radio and television, and sounded in ringtones and telephone beeps.

Many musicologists consider Dzhigan’s departure from the project to be Black Star’s greatest loss, which has not yet been compensated for, even despite the signing of other popular performers.

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New faces

In 2012, when a new development director, Viktor Abramov, joined the company, Black Star began a new strategy for its activities. His task was to help the label find its own identity. The company said goodbye to many of its stars and began a massive recruitment of newcomers. Some of the young people soon left the project, others remained in it.

Project participants began creating viral hashtag compositions and other catchy melodies. The main factor in the work of this or that artist in the label was not individual vocal, musical and acting abilities, but the ability to work in a team according to the principle of a single clockwork. Abramov demands from his players at least one hit a year, and three such compositions from one artist, according to him, are the key to success.

The main composition of musicians and performers of the label at different times were:

• Timati
• L'One
• Nathan
• Kristina Si
• Egor Creed
• DJ KAN
• MC DONI,
• DJ PHILCHANSKY
• Marina Life
• Jonry Zantaraja
• Dzhigan

• Angelina Gagarkina
• Scrooge
• Dana Sokolova
• Klava Coca
• Misha Marvin
• Vander Phil
• Terry
• DANYMUSE
• Nazima
• Pabl.A
• SLAME
• Anna Boronina

There are also two groups under the brand’s wing: “Black Star Mafia”, “Tom’n’Jerry”. Several more artists are within the label’s sphere of interests, but, not fitting into the Black Star format, are not yet full members of the company.

Every year the label holds musical castings, looking for talented young people and offering its tutelage to outstanding dance music performers.

The popular face of the brand is L’One (Levan Gorozia), who in 2013 recorded his first absolute hit “Everyone is dancing with their elbows” and shot a video for it, then released two successful albums. Kristina Si and MOT (Matvey Melnikov) are not far behind him. The career of MC DONI (Doni Islamov), who recorded the viral hit “Beard,” is developing successfully; KReeD (Egor Creed) is gaining momentum, surprising fans with the hits “The Samaya” and “The Bride.” From time to time, Black Star members appear in advertisements for famous brands, drawing additional attention to their company.

In 2016, fans of the brand were literally shocked by Timati’s message that the Black Star label was ceasing to exist. In fact, it was about separating the various components of the project and their further development in an independent manner and according to a separate strategy. Such aggressive rebranding only helped the company occupy new niches in Russian show business.

In 2018, several newcomers came to the label thanks to the Songs show on TNT: Terry, DANYMUSE, Nazima and. In the 2nd season of the Song project, Timati is again a mentor, which means new artists will appear on Black Star.

Unfortunately, during the release of Season 2 of Songs, it became known that one of the most popular Black Star artists, Yegor Creed, stopped collaborating with the label. However, unlike Christina C, he was able to come to an agreement with the management and left his stage name. There are rumors that this cost the artist considerable financial expenses, but this information has not been confirmed in any way.

Based on the results of the second season of the show Songs The winner of the SLAME project and Anna Boronina received contracts with the label. Black Star is pleased to welcome new faces to its roster, who get an excellent opportunity to develop their potential on the label.

Black stars are also known for the fact that they often part with their artists not very friendly, for which many listeners and media personalities do not like this label. Almost immediately after Yegor Creed left Black Star, it became known that another artist, who has long been one of the label’s most popular rappers, decided to part ways with the Black Star team.

Rumors about L’ONE’s departure have been circulating online since the end of 2018, and the difficulties of terminating the contract between the rapper and the label were even mentioned in Yegor Creed’s interview with Yuri Dudu. Levan Gorozia's negotiations with the label took a long time and were not very easy. In June 2019, Leva published a post on his Instagram stating that he had not been cooperating with the label since March.

The artist talked about how they wanted to take away his name and songs: “They decided that they could forbid me to sing songs that I had written. Paid for by my own labor. They want to take away my opportunity to perform. They want to shut my mouth so that society doesn’t know all the information I have.” Timati reacted sharply to this information and noted in the comments to the post that all these conditions were provided for in the contract that L’ONE signed 7 years ago.

“They want to take the songs from me, but they can’t take them from you,” he wrote on his blog.Levan. In the comments, the artist was supported by many stars: from Monatik and Olga Buzova to Christina Sargsyan, who also left the creative association with a big scandal.

Black Star is not yet similar to the monopoly that Timati promised to create back in 2006, but it is taking all the necessary steps in this direction. Timur Yunusov is convinced that his flock moves only forward, determining the vector of its route with the beats of its heart.