МС Хованский (MC Hovansky)

Yuri Khovansky, born January 19, 1990, in Nikolsk, is a Russian internet personality and musician from Saint Petersburg who built his career on YouTube. He began as a stand-up comedian and songwriter under the alias «Тот парень с гитарой» («That Guy With a Guitar»), gaining early attention with the humorous track «Любовь и Dota», inspired by the video game Dota 2.

Khovansky’s pivot toward rap came after a widely discussed freestyle battle against Dmitry Larin, an exchange that produced a much-memed exclamation about becoming a «gangster». He followed through on the joke, releasing his debut rap single «Батя в здании» in October 2016, and in 2017 put out his first EP, «Моё Гэнгста», which debuted at number two on the iTunes charts. His music blends comedic, self-aware lyrics with mainstream rap and pop-electronic production, often referencing internet culture and other Russian-language artists.

As both a musician and a prominent, controversial YouTube figure, Khovansky occupies a distinctive space in Russian internet and rap culture, known for tracks like «Прости меня, Оксимирон» and «Кто, если не мы», which blend parody, punchlines, and pop hooks aimed at an online audience raised on meme culture.