ATL (rapper)

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ATL
Сергей Олегович Круппов
ATL in 2018
Background information
Born
Sergei Olegovich Kruppov

(1989-01-30) January 30, 1989
Novocheboksarsk, Chuvash ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
OriginNovocheboksarsk, Chuvash Republic, Russia
Genres
Occupations
  • Rapper
  • songwriter
Years active2006-present
LabelACIDHOUZE

ATL (real name Sergei Olegovich Kruppov, Russian: Сергей Олегович Круппов; born January 30, 1989) is a Russian rapper from Novocheboksarsk, Chuvash Republic. He is a former member of the group Aztecs and has been active as a solo artist since 2012. ATL is recognized as one of the most influential figures in the Russian hip-hop scene, known for his literary and metaphor-laden lyrics set to electronic and dance-influenced production.[1]

Early life

Sergei Kruppov was born on January 30, 1989, in Novocheboksarsk, a city in the Chuvash Republic on the Volga River.[2] He grew up in his hometown and became interested in rap music at an early age, inspired by Eminem and particularly by the 2002 film 8 Mile.[2] His stage name "ATL" was originally taken from the IATA airport code for Atlanta airport; he later considered changing it, but kept it upon learning that Atl was the name of the Aztec god of water, which aligned with his group's name.[3]

Career

Aztecs (2006-2012)

In 2006, Kruppov formed the group Aztecs together with Eecii McFly, Cherokee, and SmitBeat.[2] The group initially gathered to listen to Russian rap and practice freestyle, without recording any material. In 2008, the Aztecs contributed the song "Moy mir, moy stil" ("My World, My Style") to a compilation by ST1M released on the Aggobobruysk label.[2] In 2009, the group participated in the hip-hop festival "Kofemolka" and won a prize, after which they released their debut album Seychas ili nikogda (Now or Never).[2]

After a hiatus, the Aztecs released their second and final album Muzyka budet nad nami (Music Will Be Above Us) in 2012, after which the group disbanded.[2]

Solo career

Early releases and Versus Battle (2012-2014)

Following the dissolution of the Aztecs, ATL launched his solo career in 2012 with two EPs: Mysli vslukh (Thoughts Aloud) and Teplo (Warmth).[4] In December 2013, he appeared on Versus Battle, a prominent Russian rap battle platform, where he defeated rapper Andy Cartwright. Despite winning, Kruppov declined further battle invitations, choosing to focus on making music.[4][5]

In 2014, ATL released his debut solo album Kosti (Bones) and the EP Tsentr tsiklona (Eye of the Cyclone), accompanied by his first music videos for the tracks "Prirozhdyonnye ubiytsy" ("Natural Born Killers") and "C4".[2]

Marabu and Limb (2015-2017)

ATL's second album, Marabu (Marabou), was released in November 2015. The album's title and narrative draw from Irvine Welsh's novel Marabou Stork Nightmares, and ATL himself described it as "an audiobook of 10 chapters".[5] The release occurred in the same month as Oxxxymiron's Gorgorod and Scriptonite's Dom s normalnymi yavleniyami, and was later named one of the 20 best Russian rap albums of the 2010s by The Flow.[6]

His third album, Limb (Limbo), came out on March 22, 2017, timed to coincide with the spring equinox.[7] The album fuses electronic dance music with Slavic folk motifs and was written entirely in Cheboksary, which ATL described as "a place detached from the rest of the world, a natural limbo".[7] It was followed by the "Holy Rave" concert tour across Russia. That same year, ATL and his producers from Dark Faders were featured in Episode 25 of Professiya: Reper (Profession: Rapper), a web series hosted by rapper Karandash.[2]

Krivoy efir and later work (2019-present)

ATL released his fourth studio album, Krivoy efir (Distorted Broadcast), on December 13, 2019, with all production handled by Ripbeat.[8]

In subsequent years, ATL released a series of singles and mixtapes, including Radio Apokalipsis (Radio Apocalypse, 2021) and Skalpel (Scalpel, 2024). In January 2025, he released a collaborative album Vechny dvigatel (Perpetual Motion) with fellow Chuvashia-based rapper Ka-tet. His sixth solo studio album, Neobratimye posledstviya (Irreversible Consequences), was released on March 21, 2025.[9]

Musical style and reception

ATL's music blends hip-hop with electronic, rave, and dance elements, often produced by the production duo Dark Faders (SmitBeat and Ripbeat), who work from a studio in an ordinary apartment block in Cheboksary.[10] His lyrics are noted for their density, literary allusions, and use of imagery drawn from mythology, horror fiction, post-apocalyptic themes, and Slavic paganism.[1] Music journalist Alexander Gorbachev of Kholod described ATL as "one of the most highly cultured and influential musicians in Russian hip-hop", placing him on the level of Oxxxymiron and Scriptonite.[1]

ATL is known for his reclusive public persona. He has given very few interviews throughout his career and has reportedly declined repeated invitations to appear on Yuri Dud's popular YouTube show, despite Dud publicly expressing admiration for ATL's work. Multiple guests on Dud's show, when asked to name the best rappers in Russia, have cited ATL alongside Oxxxymiron and Scriptonite.[5][1]

Over the course of his career, ATL has collaborated with artists including Scriptonite, L'One, Noize MC, Zmey (Kasta), and Loc-Dog.[2]

Discography

Studio albums

YearTitle
2014Kosti (Кости)
2015Marabu (Марабу)
2017Limb (Лимб)
2019Krivoy efir (Кривой эфир)
2025Neobratimye posledstviya (Необратимые последствия)

Collaborative albums

YearTitleNotes
2025Vechny dvigatel (Вечный двигатель)with Ka-tet

EPs

YearTitle
2012Mysli vslukh (Мысли вслух)
2012Teplo (Тепло)
2014Tsentr tsiklona (Центр циклона)
2017Distorshn (Дисторшн)

Selected mixtapes

YearTitle
2012#FCKSWG
2013#FCKSWG MMXIII
2014Acidhouze
2016Karma x Koma (Карма х Кома)
2021Radio Apokalipsis (Радио Апокалипсис)
2024Skalpel (Скальпель)

References

  1. Александр Горбачев (December 12, 2022). "ATL не выпустил в этом году ни одной песни, но именно он - главный российский рэпер прямо сейчас". The Flow (in Russian). Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  2. Александр Неверов (January 11, 2018). "ATL - биография, фото, личная жизнь, новости, песни". 24СМИ (in Russian). Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  3. "ATL - биография, песни и альбомы рэпера, его личная жизнь". StarPri (in Russian). Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  4. "ATL биография". ProHipHop.org (in Russian). Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  5. "ATL". MIPTstream (in Russian). October 26, 2019. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  6. "ATL "Лимб"". The Flow (in Russian). March 22, 2017. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  7. Андрей Недашковский (March 30, 2017). "«Переслушал „Лимб" - и знаешь, что? Переделал бы все нахер». ATL о новом альбоме". The Flow (in Russian). Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  8. Данила Головкин (December 15, 2019). "Рецензия: ATL - «Кривой эфир»". InterMedia (in Russian). Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  9. "ATL - Необратимые последствия (Irreversible Consequences)". Genius. Retrieved June 5, 2026.
  10. Николай Редькин (January 30, 2015). "ATL: «На нас жаловались, что мы обряды сатанинские проводим»". The Flow (in Russian). Retrieved June 5, 2026.