Before rap became a permanent part of the Bulgarian musical landscape, Spence was already looking for his own rhythm. Born on October 13, 1975 in Pleven, Stanislav Naydenov turns 51 today, and his name remains associated with a period in which hip-hop in our country was recorded on cassettes, spread from hand to hand and was built away from the big music companies.
From „Tim ot Dim“ to „Too Personal“
Spence began to make music in 1995. Soon after, he met Slim, and the two created the group „Tim ot Dim“. In 1998, Spence began working with DJ Stancho and became involved in the environment around „Sniper Records“ -one of the names associated with the early development of Bulgarian rap.
His debut solo album „Too Personal“ was released in 2002. The project placed him among the most recognizable faces of the genre. Songs such as „Make Me“ and „Tired of Me“ are distinguished by direct language, self-irony and attitude to everyday life. A year later, his second album – „Too Personal 2“.
Rhymes Addressed to Time
In Spence's music, personal stories often go hand in hand with social observations and criticism of public life. This makes him recognizable not only by his voice, but also by the way he turns the conversation about problems into rhyme.
Over the years, he has recorded joint songs with Grafa, Santra and Beloslava. Among his projects is „I Don’t Love You“ with Grafa, and the work with Beloslava shows another side of his musical style - more melodic and close to pop and jazz sound.
Spence also performs outside the music studio. He works as a radio and television host, which expands his presence in front of an audience and makes him a familiar face outside the hip-hop scene.
No plan for „40 albums“
On his 50th anniversary in 2025, Spence will also celebrate approximately 25 years on stage. At that time, he told the Bulgarian National Radio that he initially had a much more modest goal: „I was modest in my dreams, to release an album and then I had no ambitions to release 40 albums and have my discography published on Wikipedia.“
It is this lack of aspiration for quantity that explains the place of „Too Personal“ in his career. The album remains her starting point, and the songs from it continue to remind us of the time when Bulgarian rap was building its own language and audience.
Today Spence celebrates 51 years. Behind him are “Tim from Dim“, “Sniper Records“, two iconic albums, numerous collaborations and the reputation of an artist who has never left his words without direction.
Sources: fakti.bg, bnrnews.bg, sled5.bg