Author: Oleg Maltsev
Today, rap is the main music in the country. Its representatives gather stadiums and expose the serious problems of society in their lyrics, which, to some extent, relates them to the great poets of the past. They even use their bodies as a space for expression. Fans of hip-hop culture will be interested to know about "1703," Oksimiron's tattoo. What it means, you can find out from his own words.
Peter Bruegil's painting "Natural Selection"
Became one of the artist's first tattoos. It depicts a huge fish from the mouth and belly of which smaller fish fall out. The predator himself is on the shore, having been caught by humans. Thus, the meaning of the picture can be expressed in the phrase "No matter how big and strong you are, there is always someone who is stronger and more dangerous.
Another name for this work "Big fish eat the small ones.". Thus, in order to remain a large predator just need to eat the weaker.
Bruegel in his works says that nowhere and no one knows about what is happening in reality, and what will happen in the next second. The painter lived in the brutal era of Spanish enslavement and the Inquisition, but he knew how to laugh and make people laugh. Nothing could escape Brueghel's sarcastic eye.
In the case of Miron, this tattoo is extremely appropriate. After all, he gained his popularity primarily through winning rap battles by "eating" weaker MCs.
"I was a hungry MC, ate others and got voracious." - track "Signs of Life."
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Oxxymiron: who is this?
Living in 2021 and not hearing about this performer is like not knowing Yakubovich in the '90s. But for those who are "in the tank", it is necessary to make a small lyrical digression in the form of biography of the rapper.:
- He was born into a wealthy, intelligent family in St. Petersburg. But he did not stay long in the Northern Capital. Having witnessed the collapse of the USSR, his parents wisely decided to raise their child in a more prosperous country. So Miron (that is how his real name sounds) ended up in the FRG;
- Despite life abroad, the boy did not forget his native Russian language. Moreover, as a teenager he recorded his first hip-hop track in Russian;
- At the age of 15 his family moves to England, and his future fate will be connected with this country. Here he grew up and received a brilliant higher education;
- However, the Russian-speaking community, which was already quite large in the 2000s, prevented him from completely assimilating. That's how he ended up back in the rap community;
- Within a few years, he made it to the very top of domestic hip-hop. His tracks are characterized by a clear social and political orientation, which has kept them relevant for many years.
The inscription "Do What Thou Wilt" on his right hand.
Any online translator will give you the answer: "Do What Thou Wilt". In fact, it is telema (from Greek θέλημα, will), a religious movement developed by Aleister Crowley.
Aleister Crowley - English poet, occultist, Kabbalist, and tarot scholar. He was known as a black magician and satanist of the XIX-XX centuries, one of the "prominent ideologists of the occult and Satanism. Founder of the Telema doctrine and author of occult works, including the Book of the Law. Creator of the "Tarot of Thoth" deck. Member of several occult organizations, including the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, the Silver Star, and the Order of the Temple of the East. Bruegel's Natural Selection. Wiki
A more correct translation of the phrase would be "Act according to your will." That said, it is important to stipulate that Crowley's teachings are vast and it is impossible to determine exactly what he understood to be the source of the will.
First of all, it is impossible to answer precisely what Crowley saw as the source of the Will. Did he regard it as a hidden in the consciousness True Desire ("The Will belongs to the Unconscious"), or, as Schopenhauer, the Will itself is a thing-in-itself ("[The Will] according to our view is a thing-in-itself, the support of all phenomena" (The World as Will and Submission, §55), and therefore may not have any source by definition? Pruf
Battle of the Bar.
The battle is usually won by the rapper who comes up with good rhymes and is freer and easier to pitch. It's the reaction of the crowd that counts. In this case, only the owner of a cold temper can win. Through participation in such battles it becomes possible to reach the top in rap.
The name of the bar where the battle with the performer Johnyboy took place is the same name as the tattoo. The contest was evidenced by a Versus poster on the wall with graffiti 1703. During the dispute Oksimiron declares his indigenous origins, which Johnyboy can not boast. He tells us that the year Peter was founded is 1703 (Oksimiron's tattoo). Which means more to him than a dry historical date.
The imperium inscription on his fingers
Oxy made this inscription in Italy, during the Back to Europe concert tour. The word does not need a translation because it is consonant with its Russian-language version, empire.
Building an "empire from scratch" is not just a word for Oxymiron. Despite an excellent education, you could say that he achieved great fame almost from scratch.
"Yes, our Empire from scratch, yes, trust is important, family." - Imperial track
Battle with Joniboy.
One of the most iconic events of 2015 in Russian rap was a verbal duel between Oxxymiron and the Russian-speaking performer from Riga, Johnyboy:
- The bout was initiated by Johnyboy, who spoke out against Miron in 2014 on Versus Battle;
- Myron responded immediately, recommending that the arrogant young man (he's six years older than his opponent) "get in line": there are too many people willing to duel with him verbally;
- A full year passed between the challenge and the battle. As a result, Oksimiron blew his opponent away: none of the judges did not give a single vote for the Latvian guest;
- The event became a landmark event in the domestic battle culture. In the first 24 hours, the YouTube video was viewed by over a million people, which was a record at the time;
- This event became a milestone in Miron's life: he was noticed in the West. In particular, the English-speaking MC Dizaster, one of the world leaders in his field, wanted to fight with him, but in the end he was defeated.
The inscription 1703 on the neck
1703, baby - and I don't need another anchor here, I emigrated small, I haven't lived here for 20 years, but I'm a native St. Petersburger.
For the first time, shown in the third round against Johnyboy. 1703 is the name of the bar where Versus Battle traditionally takes place. Also, this is the year of the founding of St. Petersburg.
Tattoo in honor of Miron's small motherland.
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Oxymiron: a brief biography
The future rap singer was born on January 31, 1985 in one of the maternity hospitals of the city of Leningrad. Until the fourth grade, he studied in Russia, and then his family moved to Germany. His relationships with his classmates did not work out right away, so he became an outcast at school. Over time, he became more and more self-absorbed and became interested in rap music. At the age of fifteen the family moved again. Now to England. Oksimiron has much warmer memories of studying here than in Germany. In 2004 Miron entered Oxford, but he does not feel comfortable there. He graduated from it only on his second attempt. It is connected with the diagnosis made by a psychiatrist.
After graduation, Oksimiron for a long time could not find a job. He could not get a prestigious job due to bad grades in his diploma. So he changed several professions: loader, tutor, guide and so on.
Image on the left hand
On the left arm is a tattoo based on the painting "The dream of the mind gives birth to monsters" (El sueño de la razón produce monstruos - Spanish). A Spanish proverb, the subject of a famous etching of the same name by Francisco Goya from the Caprichos cycle.
To understand the meaning of the tattoo, let us turn to the author's review of his own work: "When the mind is asleep, fantasy produces monsters in sleepy dreams, but in combination with the mind, fantasy becomes the mother of art and all its marvelous creations.
This phrase is now used to emphasize the negative consequences of rash actions.
What is 1703
May 16 (27), 1703, is commonly considered the day St. Petersburg was founded. On St. Trinity Day a fortress was erected on the island. Although the name was given to it on June 29, when the Church of St. Peter and St. Paul began to be built.
The new fortress was named St. Peterburg. The city, which began to appear around Hare Island, was named at the same time. Christian legend has it that the apostle Peter is the keeper of the keys to Paradise. The king saw this as symbolic for the creation of the new city. It was supposed to act as the key to the Baltic Sea. A few years later the Trinity Cathedral was rebuilt in stone. And for some time was the main temple of the capital.
The tsar himself drew a plan of the future fortress. After all, he had to act quickly. The draft was finished by autumn of 1703. And the first walls consisted of earth. A few years later the fortress was called Peter and Paul. This is related to the name of its main cathedral. That is 1703 - Oksimiron's tattoo, which means his respect for the history of his native city.
After the foundation of the fortress there was a wooden house, cut down for Peter. The tsar expressed a desire to decorate the structure in a style reminiscent of the Dutch. Therefore, the walls of the house were painted with oil paint in the form of brickwork. Again, 1703 is Oxymiron's tattoo, which means more than just the symbolism of the date depicted. It is a reverent and enthusiastic attitude towards the past of St. Petersburg.
The city began to develop on Berezovy Island, adjacent to the fortress. The island was named Gorodskoy. In 1721 Peter the Great took the title of emperor.
So Oksimiron is a native St. Petersburger. And for him, the question of what the tattoo (numbers 1703) means is more than history. He was born and raised in this city and respects its specifics and culture. A person who is a newcomer, even in his early childhood, is not capable, in his opinion, of having the feelings for the city that are characteristic of the natives.
"Black Lawyer" on the Shoulder
This is the main character, a very popular in his time series "Banditsky Peterburg", played by Dmitry Pevtsov.
Tattoo looks like this:
The meaning of all Oksimiron tattoos
But let's not dwell on the creativity of this undoubtedly outstanding performer - there are enough articles about it on the web. Instead, let's talk about the laconic wording tattooed on his body, which reflects his views on life and creativity:
- On the inside of his right arm is tattooed the inscription in English, "Do what thou wilt," which can be translated as "Do what thou wilt." It must be said that English is the main language of Oksimiron's tattoos: the years of living in London clearly make themselves felt;
- On his knuckles you can read the word "Impervum". It refers to the song "Imperial", in which the performer calls his friends "empire". Why the sixth letter is replaced by "V" remains a mystery;
- The open suitcase with tongues of flame bursting from its womb speaks of the rapper's cosmopolitan fate. By the nature of his work Miron have to be constantly on the road, so a special attachment to a particular place on the map just does not have time to form;
- The three X's on the wrist contain a whole layer of meanings. This is a reference to a pseudonym ("oXXXymiron"), a famous movie about vampires, and a euphemism for a porn video;
- But what does the character of the film Banditsky Peterburg (Sergei Chelishchev (nicknamed "Black Lawyer"), played by Dmitry Pevtsov) depicted on his forearm mean, fans do not know yet.
Vesrus Battle and 1703.
Oxxymiron fans first saw the new tattoo on the neck of their idol during Vesrus Battle with Johnyboy in April 2015.
Actually, for the record, what is Vesrus Battle? It's an Internet show that shows battles between rappers that take place at different venues. The show is quite popular in Runet. The same battle (mentioned above) was the first in the third season of the show. Then confidently won Oxxymiron - all the judges voted for him. In one day this battle gathered more than a million views, which was a record for the show.
This battle, by the way, was held at a bar called 1703.. During his performance, the rapper ripped a band-aid off his neck and showed everyone his fresh tattoo with numbers. At the same time the performer read the phrase: "You can take me out of 1703, but not 1703 out of me". Logical question: is it all about the bar, where the battle took place? Definitely not. It's a little more serious than that.
