Guf

Guf (Alexei Dolmatov) is a Russian rapper, member and co-founder of the group Center. Date of birth - September 23, 1979.

Guf's biography is compared to a full-fledged Hollywood blockbuster. In his life there were drugs, stays in rehabilitation centers, loud scandals and even repeated reports that the singer is dead. At the same time, he is a very talented performer, whose powerful hits are sure to find their fans.

Childhood and youth

Alexei was born in Moscow. When the boy was 3 years old, his father left the family, and his mother remarried. Most of the time parents spent on business trips, Lyosha's upbringing was taken care of by his grandmother. She could not fully keep track of her grandson, and he began to disappear on the street, skipping classes, in the 5th grade tried to smoke marijuana.

Parents, catching up, took a 12-year-old son in China, where he graduated from school and entered college at the faculty of foreign languages. In 1995, Guf's grandmother comes to Guf and brings him records with hip-hop, which in the Celestial Empire at that time was not. By this time, Alexei is already writing his first poems and compositions. The craving for creativity does not weaken, but he is going to stay in China and go into business.

All plans collapsed after Alexei came on vacation to Moscow and tried heroin. Unable to resist the developing drug addiction, he finds dealers in China, but gets in the sight of the local police and literally flees the country to avoid punishment.

Beginning of his musical career

Returning to Russia, Alexey enters the university and receives a second higher education. At the same time, together with his friend Roman, he creates the rap group RoleXX. In the autobiography of the singer it is mentioned that the duo did not achieve much success and soon broke up. But the newly minted rapper is not discouraged, he writes a song "Chinese Wall" and refers the track to the radio. The composition was liked, and it was accepted in rotation.

In 2004, Guf together with another rapper, known in the music world as Principle, organized the group CENTR and released a debut album called "Gift". Although it sold only 13 copies, it was a promising start. At the same time, Dolmatov's good friend Vadim Motylev (Slim) offered him to record a few songs together. Tracks called "Chief" and "Wedding" aroused great interest among listeners who missed good hip-hop and rap. Slim became the third member of the collective, later the rapper Ptaha joins them.

In 2007 CENTR released their debut album "Swing", which was incredibly popular with the public. Following it comes another disk called "Ether in norm". Not inferior to "Swings", he turns "Center" into a real celebrity. Along with this, Guf continues to engage in a solo career, publishes a debut album "City of Roads", records songs with rappers Basta and Smokey Mo.

In 2009, there is a conflict between the members of the group, and Guf leaves the collective. His creative bank is replenished with such compositions as:

• "Home";
• "Ice Baby";
• "Not all is lost";
• "Under the Balcony";
• "Intro" and others.

In January 2011 in the network there was information that the rapper Guf allegedly died, having become a victim of a terrorist attack that occurred in Domodedovo. The phrase quickly went to the people, and the singer began to attribute death from anything. Despite the repeated refutation of rumors, "dead Guf" in a short time turned into a meme, which was formed for several more years. The rapper himself took it all very painfully, but after he came to terms with it and began to treat what was happening with a certain degree of irony.

The search for himself continues

In 2014, the musicians tried to reassemble their former group and even released a new album. It did not find a response from the general public, and "Center" announced its second dissolution. Despite some disagreements, Guf continues to collaborate with Slim, from time to time recording joint compositions. Details about his creativity can be found in our blog about artists.

In the rapper's personal life, too, not everything is smooth. In 2013, he divorced his wife Aiza Vagapova, from whom he has a son Sam. The young woman was tired of her husband's weak-willedness, his addiction to drugs, and she left Alexei.

After the divorce, the rapper repeatedly started new novels, but nothing serious ended.