Listen to Kazakhstan: Sessions, Clips and personal narratives

A scene begins with concrete music

Kazakhstan cannot be reduced musically to a flag or a single language. A good entry point connects different formats and lets the artists speak for themselves. For this listening path, we’ve selected three well-documented stations: a session with Kislo-Sladkiy and marc drell, an artist interview with ZATON and the clip „MVP“ by Irina Kairatovna. The releases come from different years. Together, they show various approaches to music; they do not form a complete history of Kazakh rap.

Sessions: Putting the delivery at the centre

Red Bull 64 Bars sets a clear framework: 64 lines without a chorus. The Kazakh episode with Kislo-Sladkiy and marc drell was supplemented in 2023 by a joint interview. For new listeners, the appeal lies in the concentration. Pay attention to voice, rhythm and the work of the producer. Compare further episodes, rather than deriving a national sound from a single performance. A similar format facilitates comparison; musical decisions remain individual.

ZATON: Daily life as the starting point

Red Bull published an article about ZATON and his participation in the series on 12 March 2026. In the interview, the artist describes how music evolved from a hobby into a central part of his daily life. As inspiration, he names different moods, people and events. This offers a second perspective on session culture: behind the compact performance stands a personal working method. The article offers a dated point of entry and leads from a performance to the artist’s self-description.

Irina Kairatovna: From sketch to music

Another station is „MVP“, a clip by Irina Kairatovna from 2021. The Flow describes the group as a project from Almaty, which began with sketches and a successful YouTube format and later also found an audience with music. „MVP“ is reportedly part of the debut album „13 выпуск“. The editorial team situates the visual language through film references and societal themes. For your own entry, it’s therefore worth going through it a second time: first follow the music, then consciously pay attention to the storytelling of the images.

A listening path instead of a label

Start with the session, go to the ZATON interview and then open „MVP“ via the linked source. Note what leads you further: delivery, production, visual story or the perspective of an artist. A Russian-language release is not automatically proof of Russian origin. Conversely, a base in Kazakhstan does not describe all languages in a discography. CCCP RAP connects these stations with the artist dossiers, so that concrete discoveries remain findable beyond the country overview.

The next station

In the German-speaking area, this path can be expanded with Jaschka and Adez with „Kasachstan“. The article there considers a different musical connection and has its own scene reference. Both listening paths can stand side by side: the local production in Kazakhstan and a project with a connection in the German-speaking area. New documented sessions, interviews and releases complement this overview, while retaining the dates of older material.

Sources and further listening

CCCP RAP Editorial · Sources checked on 3 October 2026. Historical releases are explicitly dated in the text.