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Jamaican genre-crossing producer and vocalist Rvssian makes tracks designed for maximum club appeal, often blurring the lines between reggaeton, dancehall, and R&B. He first rose to acclaim working closely with dancehall superstar Vybz Kartel. Beginning with the 2010 song "Life Sweet," Rvssian and Kartel worked together on a string of hits, opening the door for Rvssian's production work to find a voice on songs by Shaggy, Sean Paul, Bad Bunny, and many other big names of dancehall, reggaeton, Latin rap, trap, and other intersecting genres. As founder of the Head Concussion Records label, Rvssian released multiple singles for Kartel as well as fostering new talent with artists like J Capri, Demarco, and Blak Ryno. Rvssian's production credits grew to include work with Juice WRLD, Cardi B, and Carlos Santana, and he continued to steadily release tracks of his own like 2021's wildly popular "Nostalgico" and 2024's "Santa."

Born in Kingston, Jamaica as Tarik Johnston, Rvssian grew up studying piano and drums and collecting dancehall and hip-hop cassettes. Interest in production took over around the time he finished high school, and the young beatmaker put off college, promising himself he would return to school if he didn't have success in music after giving it his all for a year. Things immediately took off for Rvssian, who received moderate interest from his first track, "Liberty Riddim," which materialized in 2008. It was 2010's "Life Sweet" featuring Vybz Kartel that became a huge hit, and the floodgates opened from there.

Up until that point, Johnston was going under the moniker "RUSSIAN," but he modified his artist name to "Rvssian" so it would be easier to search for online. He continued a string of successful singles with Vybz Kartel, slowing down only somewhat when Kartel was arrested in 2011 and sentenced to life in prison in 2014 for the murder of Clive Williams, in what was at that point the longest trial in Jamaican history. Rvssian issued a series of new songs with Kartel both while he was awaiting sentencing and after he was locked up, including "Hi" in 2013 and "Kremlin" in 2017. During this time Rvssian also relocated to outside of Miami, letting the city's bass-heavy sounds sink into new productions he crafted for Head Concussion signees J Capri and Konshens. Each year brought a steady clip of new appearances from Rvssian, with highlights including 2018's collaboration with J Balvin and Farruko, "Ponle," and his feature on Becky G's 2019's hit "Next To You." In 2019 Rvssian would produce a track on Juice WRLD's third album Death Race for Love, as well as the French Montana song "Writing on the Wall," which featured cameos from Post Malone and Cardi B. Before 2019 was over, Rvssian teamed up with Tyga, YG, and Carlos Santana for work on the song "Mamacita." The next few years saw Rvssian doing production work and guest features on new singles alongside Lil Tjay, Anuel AA, Shenseea, and many others. In 2021 he worked with Chris Brown and Rauw Alejandro on the song "Nostalgico," which was streamed over 100 million times in a matter of months. Later that year Rvssian returned with rappers Future and Lil Baby for the track "M&M." More singles followed, including 2022 collaborations with Sfera Ebbasta "Italiano Anthem" and "Mamma Mia," 2023's "Sixteen" with old friend Vybz Kartel and rapper Trippie Redd, and the 2024 smash hit "Santa," which was almost immediately streamed in the hundreds of millions. ~ TiVo Staff

Known for his flashy, swaggering blend of pop and trap, Sfera Ebbasta is one of Italy's most successful rappers. The country's biggest-selling artist during the 2010s, he has reached the top of the Italian singles chart a record 20 times. His full-lengths Sfera Ebbasta (2016), Rockstar (2018), and Famoso (2020) topped the Italian album charts and earned multi-platinum certifications. He collaborated with Rvssian for the 2022 EP Italiano.

Gionata Boschetti (aka Sfera Ebbasta) was born in Sesto San Giovanni in 1992, and raised in nearby Cinisello Balsamo, a fact that he often references in his music. At the young age of 13, his father passed away, leaving Boschetti responsible for his mother and sister -- a responsibility he coped with by writing rhymes. Although he dropped out of school, it wasn't long before he found the means to forge a successful rap career in Italy. Alongside close friend and producer Charlie Charles, Groves spent ten years perfecting his craft; by age 23, he was regarded as an emerging talent within the Italian rap scene. Together with Charles they founded their own brand, Billionheadz, through which they released merchandise and music; their first release was 2013's Emergenza Mixtape Vol. 1. Debut studio album XDVR appeared in 2015, initially as a free download, then later expanded as XDVR Reloaded. It eventually hit the Italian Top 40 and was certified platinum, and its success increased trap music's popularity in Italy.

Cinisello Balsamo -- or Ciny as they referred to it -- was located just outside of Milan, and in order to further pursue their dreams, both Ebbasta and Charles moved to the bigger city, giving them access to a wider variety of media opportunities. Sfera Ebbasta, the rapper's debut solo album, was released in 2016, this time through publication deals with Universal and Def Jam. Sfera Ebbasta featured two collaborative tracks with French rapper SCH, "Balenciaga" and "Papers Cartier." Embracing more of a pop sound, the album topped the Italian charts and was certified triple platinum. The appropriately titled Rockstar arrived in early 2018. It topped the Italian album charts for four weeks, and all 11 of its songs debuted in the first 12 positions on the singles chart. The Standard Edition included guest appearances by Quavo and DrefGold, and the International Edition additionally featured Tinie Tempah, Rich the Kid, and Lary Over. There was also a Popstar Edition with further songs and remixes.

Following appearances on a remix of J Balvin's "Machika" as well as songs by artists including Ronny J, DrefGold, and Gué Pequeno, Ebbasta's third album, Famoso, was released in 2020. The release featured numerous international producers and collaborators, including Future, Diplo, Steve Aoki, and Offset. Italiano, an EP with Jamaican artist Rvssian, appeared in 2022, featuring appearances by BIA, Fivio Foreign, and Myke Towers. ~ Liam Martin & Paul Simpson