Who The Heck Is Oxxximiron?

I am going to attend a concert soon. Already purchased my ticket for the first row. I am going to keep my eyes peeled and my ears twitching while listening to Oxxxi, pardon my French, miron. Oxxximiron, right. Not a literature oxymoron term, but a Russian rapper with an English Literature degree from Oxford University. Quite impressive, I have to admit. A very peculiar character. I am obviously not a fan of rap; of course, I would rather listen to Antonin Dvorzhak from dusk until dawn, or Gershwin, or Vivaldi! But! Whenever there is much hype about something, I – as a real culture vulture – should be there to check it out myself. So… they call him a black sheep of the Russian rap. He is daring and smart, has a tattoo on his neck. You remember the numbers? I am sure you do, you have seen them multiple times on numerous billboards in Kyiv. Oh well, at least we all know when St. Petersburg was founded. Seventeen-o-three, right? He criticizes the Russian government, gathers roaring stadiums of devoted admirers, plus, he's got an X factor. Actually, he has got three – look at those Xs in his name! I was watching the rap-battle the other day. Oxxximiron vs Dizaster. More than 20 million views on YouTube. The rap battle, in case you do not know, is a verbal competition between the two popular rappers: they spit insults to each other calling to action all their language skills and intellectual efforts. The battle was quite interesting (if you leave the obscene aside, of course). Oxxximiron's English language mastery is quite …erm… remarkable. Even I have to admit that. Yes. And the verses he recites are very poetic and sort of philosophical. However, I am rather skeptical about this cultural phenomenon. I am sure it is merely a matter of time. He is at the peak of his popularity today, and tomorrow his nickname might be sadly forgotten. Well, if Demosthenes, the Greek orator, had a cute “delta” as a tattoo on his neck, spit insults to his opponent's face and recited rhythmic verses, he too could gather amphitheaters of spectators. He actually did! Let us see if Kyiv Palace of Sports cracks at the seams welcoming Oxxximiron in Ukraine. Are you, by the way, going to the concert?