Noize MC — rapper / rocker with roots in the USSR
Noize MC (born Ivan Alekseyev) is a Russian rapper and musician born in Yartsevo, Smolensk Oblast who became one of Russia's most politically outspoken artists. He has spoken out against political repression and has been fined multiple times for his performances. After Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine he relocated to Lithuania and has continued performing internationally.
Tracing the roots — Yartsevo
Born in Yartsevo in 1984 and raised in Smolensk, Noize MC built his reputation on socially critical hip-hop that challenged Russian authority in ways few mainstream artists dared. His exile in Lithuania and his continued artistic output place him in the tradition of Russian dissident artists who maintained their voice from abroad.
Yartsevo. At the time, this region was one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union.