Timati

Biography

Timur Ildarovich Yunusov (Russian: Тимур Ильдарович Юнусов; born 15 August 1983), better known by his stage name Timati (Russian: Ти́мати), is a Russian rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur.

Early life

Timur Ildarovich Yunusov (Tatar: Тимур Илдар улы Юнысов, romanized: Timur İldar ulı Yunısov, Russian: Тиму́р Ильда́рович Юну́сов) was born on 15 August 1983 in Moscow to an ethnically mixed family of Tatar father Ildar Vakhitovich Yunusov and Jewish mother Simona Yakovlevna Yunusova (née Chernomorskaya); he also has a younger brother, Artyom. He grew up in a wealthy industrialist family, saying "I have very wealthy parents", but "I was never spoiled."
He was raised mainly on Mira Avenue in Moscow. His current stage name "Timati" has stuck with him since he was young. Yunusov also lived in Los Angeles for 3 years. At the urgent request of his grandfather, composer and conductor Yakov Chervomorsky, Timur graduated from violin class in music school. He studied at the Higher School of Economics, and finished his third year, but left to focus on his music career. He later became associated with the YPS squad. His first single came out with Konaldo.

Career

He became well known to the Russian community from the music reality show Star Factory 4, but before it he collaborated with Detsl. Member of the group Banda (Russian: Банда; lit. "Gang") and co-founder of VIP 77. Former owner of B-Club nightclub, the bar Black October and the stores Ё-Life. He is the CEO of his label called "Black Star Inc". In 2006, was featured in Heat produced by Fyodor Bondarchuk. In 2008, Timati was featured in a Fat Joe song called "Put U Take It", also featuring German rapper Nox and Raul, produced by Scott Storch, referencing Jacob Arabo. In 2008 Mario Winans featured Timati in the single "Forever×Forever3 August 2012 · SingleSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 3 tracks1Forever (FlameMakers radio edit)3:182Forever (FlameMakers remix)6:213Forever4:03". In the same year, Timati appeared in the comedy film Hitler goes Kaput!. Timati, in 2009, featured Snoop Dogg in the single "Groove On×Groove On27 December 2010 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Groove On: Groove On5:592Groove On: Groove On5:583Groove On: Groove On5:294Groove On: Groove On (Remady remix)3:215Groove On: Groove On3:526Groove On: Groove On3:527Groove On: Groove On3:528Groove On: Groove On3:459Groove On: Groove On3:45".
Michael 'Mike' David is currently Timati's UK producer. He is responsible for Timati's collaborations with foreign artists, such as Snoop Dogg, Busta Rhymes, and Mario Winans, and much of Timati's popularity in the Western world.
In summer 2011, he topped the charts in Luxembourg, Poland, and Romania with the single "Welcome to St. Tropez×Welcome to St. Tropez4 March 2011 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 9 tracks1Welcome to St. Tropez (DJ Antoine vs Mad Mark radio edit)3:152Welcome to St. Tropez (DJ Antoine vs Mad Mark remix)6:143Welcome to St. Tropez (Hard Rock Sofa remix)6:234Welcome to St. Tropez (Chris Avantgarde & Eric Chase remix)5:585Welcome to St. Tropez (Clubzound vs Jack‐E remix)6:116Welcome to St. Tropez (Clubzound remix)6:227Welcome to St. Tropez (Clubzound vs Jack‐E Brazilian remix)6:028Welcome to St. Tropez (Houseshaker remix)5:279Welcome to St. Tropez (Kid Fresh & Tom Bola extended mix)4:28" vs. DJ Antoine and feat. Kalenna Harper from Diddy – Dirty Money, shortly after being nominated for the best clip in Russia's Capital Moscow with "I'm on You" feat. P Diddy. The clip was created by Timati's old friend and partner, Pavel Hoodyakov, in the U.S.
In 2016, Timati gave his biggest solo performance in the Olympic Stadium in Moscow. The concert was attended by 15,000 people and featured a 3D installation, a car on stage and other spectacular show elements.
On the night of 21 June 2018 Timati and Egor Kreed held an unauthorized mass event in Moscow on Bolshaya Dmitrovka by staging an impromptu performance right on the roof of a car, which caused a major traffic jam on the street. This action was devoted to the opening of Timati's beauty salon. The next day, lawyer Alexander Khaminsky filed an application to initiate a case on this incident in the Department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Tver and the Moscow State Traffic Safety Inspectorate. The court was appointed on 1 August 2018.
In 2021, Timati's music video ''Scandal'' featuring Hanza and Oweek received a nomination at the Berlin Music Video Awards for Best Visual Effects. The VFX company behind the music video is HoodyFX.

Friendship with Ramzan Kadyrov

Timati calls the Chechen president Ramzan Kadyrov a friend and brother. In 2017, Timati shared an Instagram post of himself posing in Kadyrov's private jet. When anti-corruption activists highlighted this, Timati removed the Instagram post.

Support for Vladimir Putin

He participated in a political video to support Vladimir Putin during the 2012 Russian presidential election. During the 2018 Russian presidential election, he endorsed and was an official supporter of Vladimir Putin.
During the repression of candidates for the election of the Moscow State Duma, police brutality was used to hold back protestors and Timati collaborated with another rapper "Guf" to make "Москва" (Moscow), a song including the chorus "my best friend is President Putin", dissing the protesters and Russian opposition movement while praising the mayor of Moscow, the Kremlin, and Vladimir Putin and the video amassed 1.48 million dislikes on YouTube, the highest amount for a Russian video on YouTube before Russian rapper MORGENSHTERN broke the record for a music video for song "Pososi". Later, Timati deleted the "Moscow" video due to a "wave of negativity".
On 18 March 2022, Timati sang at Vladimir Putin's Moscow rally, celebrating the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation from Ukraine and justifying the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

AliExpress Scandal

On Timati's merchandise store, Black Star Wear, Timati collaborated with the Russian Army with military-style clothes but users found nearly identical clothing being sold on Chinese online marketplace AliExpress being rebranded and price gouged on Black Star Wear. Similarly, the wireless earphones also sold on Black Star Wear that were branded as "unique" also were traced back to near identical AliExpress counterparts. Timati then did a brand deal with AliExpress, making a short rap video promoting AliExpress, praising AliExpress for delivery speed and good deals on the website.

Business

Timati has several successful businesses including:

"Black Star Wear" - clothing line.
"Black Star Burger" - restaurant opened in 2016 in Moscow, it later became a franchise with several locations such as Los Angeles and Chelyabinsk. The burger restaurant is popular among the youths in Russia.
"13 by Black Star" - barber shop and a tattoo shop in Moscow.
"Stars Coffee", taking over the former Starbucks coffees in Russia after the company withdrew due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Studio albums

Black Star (2006)
The Boss (2009)
SWAGG (2012)
13 (2013)
RELOAD (2013)
Audiokapsula (2014)
G.T.O. (With L'One) (2015)
Olimp (2016)
Tranzit (2020)
Шипы и Розы (2021)
Banger Mixtape (2021)

Collaboration albums

Noviye Lyudi (New People) (2004) – with Banda
The Album (2006) – with VIP77

As lead artist

Others
Forever
Love You
Money in the Bank
Top of the World
Not All About The Money
Gucci (feat. Egor Kreed)
Khavchik (feat. GeeGun & Danya Milokhin)
Rolls Royce (feat. GeeGun & Egor Kreed)

Berlin Music Video Awards

Best Visual Effect ''Scandal'' - 2021 (nominated)

MTV Russian Music Awards

Best Hip-Hop Artist – 2007 (nominated)
Best Hip-Hop Artist – 2008 (nominated)
Best Artist – 2008 (nominated)
Best Male Act – 2008 (nominated)

MUZ-TV Awards

Best Hip-Hop Artist – 2009 (nominated)
Best Hip-Hop Artist – 2010 (won)
Best Album "The Boss×The Boss2009 · Studio albumSpotify (search)YouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 19 tracks1Nocturne ''Boss Life''2:552Время4:193Forever4:344Одноклассница4:085Не Звони3:476Сколько Стоит Любовь3:357Прыгай В Тачку3:578Bossa4:239Cosmos4:5210Welcome to Saint-Tropez3:5111Love You4:0912Zajigalki4:2113Limb by Limb4:0814Groove On3:5015Sexy Bitch2:5116Сюрприз4:4317Ноты-Числа4:4818Наедине4:1319Все Кончается5:45" – 2010 (won)
Best Video "Love You" – 2010 (won)
Best Video "I'm on You" – 2011 (won)

MTV Europe Music Awards

Best Russian Act – 2009 (nominated)
Best Russian Act – 2010 (nominated)
Best Russian Act – 2011 (nominated)

Golden Gramophone Award

Award winner for the "I love you..." song – 2008
Award winner for the "Moscow Never Sleeps..." song − 2009
Award winner for the "London×London27 May 2016 · SingleSpotifyYouTube Music (search)Tracklist · 8 tracks1London3:002London3:323London3:004London3:005London3:006London3:007London2:338London3:00" song (together with Grigory Leps) − 2013

Night Life Awards

Best club hit – 2003
Best club figure of the year − 2007

World Fashion Awards

Best R'n'B artist – 2007
Fashion R'n'B project − 2008

Other awards

2008 − MTV RMA Award (Best club project for the Black Star Club)
2009 − In Da Awards (Best album according to Indarnb.ru)
2010 − Love Radio Awards (Best artist according to Love Radio)
2010 − "Trud" newspaper award - (Best-looking man)
2014 − World Music Awards (Best Russian Artist and Best RnB Artist of Russia)

Other achievements

His 2019 pro-Kremlin and anti-gay music video "Moscow" became the most disliked Russian video on YouTube, with 1.48 million dislikes before it was removed from YouTube.
During the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, he argued in favor of the Russian attack.

Personal life

Timati was in a relationship with Alexa – his colleague from the “Fabrika Zvyozd” – a popular Russian television talent show. The pair split up in 2007.
He was also in a relationship with model Alena Shishkova. They share a daughter named Alisa (born 19 March 2014).
Since 2015, Timati has been dating Russian model Anastasia Reshetova. On 16 October 2019 the couple had a son, named Ratmir.
In 2025, he became a father for the third time. His current girlfriend, Valentina Ivanova, gave birth to a daughter, Emma.