"How many rappers fed on my CDs! / You might think they have boobs" - this is something like an artist's autobiography.
I was prophesied from childhood to serve the exact sciences ...
Let's start with officialdom. Andrei Vladimirovich Menshikov was born on July 30, 1977 in Moscow. Parents future star hip-hop, I think, was least expected that their offspring would gain fame in the field of rhyming. Andrey's father is a professor, a value in the world modern chemistry. But Andrei behaved differently than one might expect from a typical child from an intelligent family. The prevailing stereotype depicts such a child as a shy, squishy man with glasses and an unfinished music school over your shoulders. Andrey begins to practice Kudo karate, devoting 7 years to this occupation.
Hip-hop came later: in 1993, Legalize and Ladjack organized the Slingshot project. Legalize - because that was the name of his first group, from which only memories remained. Slingshot turned out to be a more serious project. The guys read in English - in those days, Russian did not seem suitable for rapping - and recorded their first underground album. In 1994, Liga entered the Russian Chemical-Technological University, which, however, he never graduated from. At this time, rap has already become a second life for Legalize (and maybe the first).
Slingshot called integral part the notorious "bastard division" Department Of Bastards or D.O.B. for short. The founder of this group is Sir-J, who had behind him the experience of living in the Bronx neighborhoods. Legalize becomes an integral part of this group and takes part in the recording of the album D.O.B. Russian Roolet. It was also an English-language rap with a hard underground sound.
In the same 1996, Legalize performs one of those unexpected acts with which his artistic career is replete. The League leaves Russia for the Congo. On whole year Africa has become his home. Of course, and there Legalize was engaged in hip-hop in the local French-speaking group AERO Skwadra. According to him, life in the Congo and communication with local rappers enriched him with new impressions and expanded his views on what rap could be. A year later, the League had the opportunity to implement this knowledge in Russian rap: in the Congo, Civil War, foreigners were evacuated. Legalize returned to Moscow.
League distinguished gentlemen
In Moscow, Legalize joins the work on the album D.O.B. "Word Masters". Now his rap has become Russian-speaking. Easily recognizable voice, characteristic pronunciation and unique style, rich in images and vivid metaphors, quickly make Legalize one of the leaders of domestic hip-hop. Now, in addition to fame in the layers of the underground, commercial success is on the horizon.
Breakdance team Jam Style & Da Boogie used his a cappella for two tracks "You Wanted to Party" and "All Together in Place". The first of them became a real hit: the clip was rotated by TV channels and reached the top position in the MTV hit parade. This success attracted the attention of producer Alexander Tolmatsky (yes, the same dad Decl), who created record company Mixmedia and concert agency Mediastar. It was the first experience of the hip-hop industry in Russia.
It was then that the idea of the Legal Business$$ project arose, which seemed more attractive than just a solo MC Legalize. IN in general terms the project looked like this: a talented Russian MC, a colorful black MC and a capable DJ. Vacancies filled by Legalize, N`Pans ( former member Brothers Cash) and DJ Tonic (one of the winners of the Russian DJ championship Grandmaster DJ). The resulting league of outstanding gentlemen kicked off with the hit "Pack of Cigarettes". The use of the chorus of Viktor Tsoi in the track caused active rejection among some fans the deceased singer, but the hit turned out to be one hundred percent. As for borrowing - the same Puff Daddy used the refrain of Sting's song for his imperishable "I`ll Be Missing You", and everyone reacted to this with complete understanding.
The period from 1998 to 2000 was extremely active for Legalize. He was in plain sight - he worked on the disc of Legal Business $$, participated in the Bad Balance group, composed lyrics for Decl. In 2000, the album of Legal Business $$ "Rhymomafia" was released. The record turned out to be strong, clearly demonstrating the skillful and metaphorical battle style of Legalize. His reps were mouth-opening—anyone who has tried knows how hard it is to make good reps without repeating yourself. The league did not repeat itself, giving the impression that it was able to write such texts in tens, hundreds ...
Prague everyday life
The motives of this act in full will remain Legalize's personal secret. In 2001, he left Moscow, leaving for an unknown destination and leaving a farewell note in which he renounced his former self and deprived himself of the right to vote in Russian hip-hop. Note read in live radio program "Freestyle", produced the effect of an exploding bomb. Whether it is correct to draw parallels between these events or not, but some time after his departure, Bad B Alliance also collapsed.
In an interview for Invox, Liga commented on these events as follows: "At some point, I washed away from stress - I went to Prague to remember why I started making music in the first place."
The pause was beneficial - in Prague, Legalize crossed paths with young rappers from the P-13 team. What started out as half-joking freestyles turned into a full-length album. The Prague period lasted just over a year, and yet the League returned. "Without roots, without my listener, I don't mean anything either." - he says, - "All global plans are connected with Russia."
Dancing on Sheff
In the fall of 2002, Legalize returned to Moscow and took over the management of hip-hop projects for the D&D Music label, Tolmatsky Sr.'s new company. The return turned out to be loud - the League skillfully regained the interest of the public with a loud disrespect to its former partner Vlad Valov. The track "Doctor Bluff", which addressed Cheff'e with very serious accusations, has no analogues. All other disses that have taken place in Russian hip-hop fall short of "Doctor Bluff" neither in quality nor in resonance. Sheff's "answer", which appeared after a short time, had a pale appearance against the background of the League track.
Album Legalize and P-13 "Provocation" was released only in December 2003. By this time, the League announced the creation of its own label, Intelligent Hooligan Production. In 2004, Legalize released the album D.O.B. on Intelligent Hooligan. "Kings of the Underground", Da Boogie DJs' remix album of "Provocation", Jeep's album "Here I Was" and DJ Nik-One's mixtape "Intelligent Hooligan vol.1".
Despite the fact that the League has been in hip-hop for more than ten years, he still has not had a single solo album to his credit. In 2006, the long-awaited solo album finally saw the light of day. The record was called "XL".
Discography
Legalize- Andrey Menshikov - was born on 06/30/1977 in Moscow. Studied at the "Russian Chemical-Technological University". After studying there for 4 years, he was convinced that it was very far from music, and not for him. He started like everyone else: one fine day he heard rap, which immediately captured him, his favorite group was always Run D.M.C.
The first attempt to create a group: Legalize - this is just the same originally the name of his first group. The guys never signed up, the group fell apart. Only Andrey remained from it, and this name - Legalize passed to him. First acting group was Slingshot, organized with a man like Ladjak. This group was part of the D.O.B. community. D.O.B. stands for Department Of Bustas - "Department of Hooligans". There used to be a group D.O.B., which included Ladjak and Sir-J, then Legalize and Ladjak united in the duet Slingshot and the name D.O.B. became the name of the party. Not just a name musical group, but the name of the party, which included several groups: Bust A.S!, Slingshot, Slaves of the Lamp, Just Da Enemy.
They recorded English-language rap, because they wanted to be original, and that was the trick - Slingshot were the only group that professionally (worthy) read in English. They were staunch underground, ie. went for it consciously and never set themselves the goal of becoming popular group. They did what only experts recognized. It can be summed up like this: rap is only for rappers. But then the League realized that he wanted something more, he wanted a larger audience. Still with English language the audience is very limited, not many can understand. He decided that he had something to say in Russian, something to convey to the ears of the listener, and he just wanted to be understood.
The League happened to live for more than a year in French colony in the African country of the Congo. - I saw a prospect there, there was an opportunity to earn good money. Of course, I would not become a musician there, but I would provide for my family. The colony had close ties with France, and in France, as you know, hip-hop is very developed. There, Legalize communicated with French MCs, with French rappers, worked in a group of four people. They worked in clubs, at private parties. Staying there turned his whole mind upside down. In the Congo, Andrei met with a completely different approach to rap: rap is improvisation, it comes from the soul, and not some memorized text that you chatter to the rhythm. And he brought this approach to Russia. The league has really changed a lot. He couldn't still work at D.O.B. Like before, tried to change it, pull the guys in a new style but failed. Nothing happened, their paths diverged. And the League returned because the war broke out in the Congo, and he and his wife were evacuated as foreigners. There he had no real friends - despite the fact that he was well received, he was a stranger.
Andrei used to go in for sports, but did not set any special records. True, he often got into such stories when he had to dump quickly. So I learned to run, life forced me. He thinks that wide rapper pants are the most comfortable! Clothing in a denim-sports style does not hinder movement, in it you feel relaxed, calm. That's exactly right. And in general, he selects things according to the weather, and not according to the label. The older you get, the calmer. It is common for young people to go on the rampage. According to the League, all showdowns are a waste of time and effort, so he avoids them. - The strength of a man is manifested in the fact that he can resolve the situation in his favor, - he believes, - But when a conflict is inevitable, you have to fight. Music is not going to quit. Everything that he will do in the future will be related to show business: maybe producing musical groups, will write lyrics ... Legalize is the editor of the Hip-Hop Info magazine, writes articles for it, but now he is moving further and further away from him, because he wants to make music more. He loves all kinds of music, but rap is his business, his profession.
I'm trying to be original, in order to achieve respect for hip-hop culture. If he had not been engaged in "Legal business", then he would not have been engaged in illegal business, it is not in his nature. But there were many bandit friends in the yard, like everyone else. young man Today. Before the eyes of the League, some classmates died from drugs, someone was killed. Someone dealt in drugs, there is, of course, crime, and there was the temptation of money, but somehow he did not get involved and does not regret it. He, thank God, had enough head. Many of his friends also started listening to hip-hop. Legalize was dragged out, and they went the other way. He says that in Russia there is no person yet who would invest in hip-hop. And you have to invest a lot of money. Maybe Tolmatsky (DeCl's father) is the first person in show business who decided to deal with hip-hop and saw the future in it. The lyrics are written mainly by the League. Pans is also a poet, but he needs help with the Russian language. And sometimes Legalize does not have the patience to edit the text written by Pans, and he prefers to rewrite it entirely, without infringing on its authorship, but simply trying to make it understandable to a Russian person.
Legalize participated in such bands as Slingshot, D.O.B. , AERO Skwadra , Legal Business$$, Bad Balance, Bad B. Alliance, P-13 (Czech Republic). Has its own label: Intelligent Hooligan Productions. In pretty bad relationship With famous Vlad Gross.
Legalize discography
Solo albums:
Legalize's fame peaked in the early 2000s; it was then that his best tracks saw the light.
Childhood and the Legalize family
The future popular rap artist was born on June 30, 1977 in Moscow. WITH early age the boy was fond of music exclusively and always knew for sure what he would connect his future with. After completing his studies at school, the young man decided to apply to the Chemical-Technological Institute. Unfortunately, he only lasted 4 years, as he became convinced that the technical specialty was not for him. 
He was more attracted to music and the stage, and that's all. free time the guy dedicated it to her. After Andrei Menshikov first heard the American rappers N.W.A. in 1990, his life changed dramatically. Inspired by their work, he wanted to create something similar in Russian realities.
The beginning of a musical career
In 1993, thanks to a strange coincidence, the young man met the Moscow MC Ladjak. Together, young people created a project called Slingshot. The songs were written in English, since Russian-language rap in those days was complete terra incognita. At some point, it was even about a contract with an American label, but it did not work out. As part of this project, Legalize released the only album(in 2015) - "Salut From Russia". 
In 1994, Legalize entered the hip-hop formation D.O.B. Community" ("Department of bastards"), along with the guys from "Slaves of the Lamp", "Just Da Enemy" and "Beat Point". During this period, he took part in the recording of the group's album "D.O.B." and helped Slaves of the Lamp with early art.
In 1996, the rapper left for the Congo, where he began to rap on French as part of the AERO Skwadra B group new country Andrei's worldview has changed dramatically, and he finally realized that rap is not a memorized text, but pure improvisation that comes from the heart.
A year later, he was forced to leave the country, as a civil war broke out in the Congo. Together with his wife, he was deported as a foreigner.
Upon returning to Russia, Legalize made every effort to change the guys who still recorded rap under the label “D. O.B." Most free time, the guy tried to change the style and direct the mind of the guys in a completely different direction.
In 1999, Legalize, together with Vlad Valov, organized "Bad B. Alliance" and literally a year later released the album "Rhythmomafia". After that, the guy decided to go to Prague, where he recorded another album, Provocation, on his label.
In 2005, he managed to attract the attention of the distributor label Monolith Records. In the same year, he became the most touring rapper in the country. Just a year later, his debut solo album XL was released.
MakSim ft. Legalize - Sky fall asleep
Having succeeded in hip-hop, Legalize opened all doors for himself. Starting from 2007 and ending in 2011, he took an active part in the life of the domestic rap scene and worked on his second solo album, produced by The Alchemist.
Legalize's personal life
Legalize was married to famous singer Simone Yori. Unfortunately, over time, their relationship ran out of steam, and they were forced to divorce, even though they raised their son Jacques together. 
Having matured a little, the young man followed in the footsteps of his father and also began to write rap. Their relationship is rather tense, so they communicate only in in social networks or send greetings through friends.
Legalize - Andrey Menshikov - was born on 06/30/1977 in Moscow. Studied at the "Russian Chemical-Technological University". After studying there for 4 years, he was convinced that it was very far from music, and not for him. He started like everyone else: one fine day he heard rap, which immediately captured him, his favorite group was always Run D.M.C.
First musical project
That was about eight years ago. Legalize is just the same originally the name of his first group. The guys never signed up, the group fell apart. Only Andrey remained from it, and this name - Legalize passed to him. The first active band was Slingshot, formed with a man like Ladjak. This group was part of the D.O.B. community. D.O.B. stands for Department Of Bustas - "Department of Hooligans". Previously, there was a group D.O.B., which included Ladjak and Sir-J, then Legalize and Ladjak united in the duo Slingshot and the name D.O.B. became the name of the party. Not just the name of a musical group, but the name of a party that included several groups: Bust A.S!, Slingshot, Slaves of the Lamp, Just Da Enemy. They recorded English-language rap, because they wanted to be original, and that was the trick - Slingshot were the only group that professionally (worthy) read in English. They were staunch underground, ie. went for it consciously and never set themselves the goal of becoming a popular group. They did what only experts recognized. It can be summed up like this: rap is only for rappers. But then the League realized that he wanted something more, he wanted a larger audience. Still, with English, the audience is very limited, not many people can understand. He decided that he had something to say in Russian, something to convey to the ears of the listener, and he just wanted to be understood.
A year in the Congo
The League happened to live for more than a year in a French colony in the African country of the Congo. - I saw a prospect there, there was an opportunity to earn good money. Of course, I would not become a musician there, but I would provide for my family. The colony had close ties with France, and in France, as you know, hip-hop is very developed. There, Legalize communicated with French MCs, with French rappers, worked in a group of four people. They worked in clubs, at private parties. Staying there turned his whole mind upside down. In the Congo, Andrei met with a completely different approach to rap: rap is improvisation, it comes from the soul, and not some memorized text that you chatter to the rhythm. And he brought this approach to Russia. The league has really changed a lot. He couldn't still work at D.O.B. As before, I tried to change it, to pull the guys along with me into a new style, but failed. Nothing happened, their paths diverged. And the League returned because the war broke out in the Congo, and he and his wife were evacuated as foreigners. There he had no real friends - despite the fact that he was well received, he was a stranger.
More about the League
He is very sentimental. He always drinks coffee in the morning, this is already a ritual. Then he eats cold yogurt, and that's it. After such a breakfast, he feels great all day. Andrei is sure that he will never hurt another person, especially a close one. thinks that friendship more important than love. It is to friends that the League keeps loyalty and devotion. Girls come and go, but friends stay. Amorous. IN Lately he feels like a real macho, but there are no girls around whom he would like to take care of. There were many disappointments in Legalize's life, he open man does not wear masks. On the roof, in his opinion, you need to climb, because it is closer to the sun there ... Inspiration comes more often in the morning. Wakes up and writes texts. Although many songs were written at night, in one breath. But usually the text is born gradually: some lines appear in the head, intonations that are not yet connected in any way. Then they intertwine, grow together, and the result is a song. Andrei used to go in for sports, but did not set any special records. True, he often got into such stories when he had to dump quickly. So I learned to run, life forced me. He thinks that wide rapper pants are the most comfortable! Clothing in a denim-sports style does not hinder movement, in it you feel relaxed, calm. That's exactly right. And in general, he selects things according to the weather, and not according to the label. The older you get, the calmer. It is common for young people to go on the rampage. According to the League, all showdowns are a waste of time and effort, so he avoids them. - The strength of a man is manifested in the fact that he can resolve the situation in his favor, - he believes, - But when a conflict is inevitable, you have to fight. Music is not going to quit. Everything that he will do in the future will be related to show business: maybe producing musical groups, will write texts ... Legalize is the editor of the Hip-Hop Info magazine, writes articles for it, but now everything is farther away from him moves away, because I want to make music more. He loves all kinds of music, but rap is his business, his profession. Now Andrei has even lost the line between the music that he listens to for himself, in order to have fun, and the music that he listens to for information, in order to develop further as an MC, as a rapper. To the question: "Is real rap dying?" The League replies: - Rap cannot remain as it was: times change, life changes, the speed of life changes and rap also does not stand still, it moves with time and it seems to me that people who are fighting for its survival, people, who adapt it to the times are still worthy of respect as well as the people who try to keep it the way it was before. Personally, I'm very interested in listening to new trends from both the west and east coasts of America, and not get hung up on one Wu-Tang Clan. In principle, what difference does it make what sound the group has - pop or underground. The main thing is that her work should be interesting. This also applies to domestic teams. Personally, I like it when there is originality in creativity. I myself try to be original, thereby I want to achieve respect for hip-hop culture. If he had not been engaged in "Legal business", then he would not have been engaged in illegal business, it is not in his nature. But there were many bandit friends in the yard, like every young man today. Before the eyes of the League, some classmates died from drugs, someone was killed. Someone dealt in drugs, there is, of course, crime, and there was the temptation of money, but somehow he did not get involved and does not regret it. He, thank God, had enough head. Many of his friends also started listening to hip-hop. Legalize was dragged out, and they went the other way. He says that in Russia there is no person yet who would invest in hip-hop. And you have to invest a lot of money. Maybe Tolmatsky (DeCl's father) is the first person in show business who decided to deal with hip-hop and saw the future in it. The lyrics are written mainly by the League. Pans is also a poet, but he needs help with the Russian language. And sometimes Legalize does not have the patience to edit the text written by Pans, and he prefers
t rewrite in its entirety, without encroaching on its authorship, but simply trying to make it understandable to a Russian person.
from English. legalise - legalization) - official recognition at the state level of marijuana as a legal, legal drug for sale. Partial L. - the exclusion of marijuana from the list of substances, the possession, sale and purchase of which entails criminal liability. The term gained currency during the peak of Bob Marley's songs, in particular his hit "Legalise it".
To date, complete L. has occurred in one country - the Kingdom of the Netherlands. There, marijuana is sold in special trading establishments - coffee shops. Prices vary depending on the variety. Anyone can buy a joint (joint in the Western style) or a certain amount of "grass" by weight. Marijuana festivals are held regularly.
In essence, the cannabis trade has grown into a thriving travel business and brings both entrepreneurs and the state a considerable profit. However, foreigners are warned that the export of marijuana outside the Kingdom is their personal risk: in the rest of the world, things are not so brilliant with L..
In the countries of the European Community, the attitude towards soft drugs is also very liberal. The maximum that threatens a person who is found to have marijuana (and in a significant amount) is either the confiscation of the potion or a fine. In Britain, they are already preparing for L. - there the grass was removed from the list of criminally prosecuted drugs and, as an experiment, was allowed to be sold in pharmacies for medicinal purposes. Significant legislative relaxations have been adopted in Germany and Denmark.
As for the United States and the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, the situation here is difficult. Most states retain the strictest laws on all types of drugs, making absolutely no distinction between marijuana and heroin. In the Baltics, they tried to carry out a minimal L., mainly for the sake of tourists, but then the undertaking died out. Well, in the CIS for marijuana, they can still be imprisoned for several years, after having thrown more dangerous drugs.
The topic of L., of course, is discussed. But society is completely unprepared for a serious, fact-based conversation. There are many reasons for this. The main one, of course, is the conservative self-consciousness that has been insisting for centuries. The view of cannabis as a terrible drug, addictive almost after the first dose, cannot be changed.
so simple. The criticism by the supporters of L. of the manufacturers of tobacco and alcohol is not without meaning - the latter are not at all interested in the appearance on the market of legal cannabis, which can be a very serious competitor to alcohol and nicotine addiction. In addition, the preservation of the “marijuana” article allows law enforcement officers to imitate an active fight against crime, arresting young people caught with a “jamb” in batches, and opens up the widest opportunities for abuse by the punitive authorities.
For all that, such an attitude does not prevent politicians from using the theme of L. in their own interests. Thus, before the 1999 presidential elections in Ukraine, government PR agents distributed among students a leaflet “Kuchma chooses legalization - we choose Kuchma” (!).
A change in the state of things with L. seems to be in the distant future. This requires the transformation of the entire post-Soviet society. Whatever you say, L. is a luxury that only rich, stable democracies can afford. In a poor, corrupt state, where the level of freedom of an individual depends on proximity to power or the thickness of the wallet, a constantly existing multifaceted enemy is needed in the form of organized crime, drug mafia, etc. To legalize marijuana, you first need to legalize your own diversity - cultural, social, racial . And this is a matter of many, many years.
