XPERT

Baku

Xpert is a poet, rapper, and producer. Shahriyar Zahid oglu Atababayev was born on September 30, 1990, in Baku. He holds both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Turkish Language and Literature, and it was during those years that he began his rap career. He is considered one of the pioneers of the local rap wave that emerged after the 2010s. His style, known as the “X style,” seamlessly fuses the classical aruz meter with modern syllabic verse, combining the improvised spirit of meykhana with the hard rhythm of street rap and presenting it to listeners in an aesthetic form. Xpert represents a synthesis of poetic order, battle energy, and theatrical atmosphere. The strong resonance he has created on social media, along with the projects he has carried out with world-renowned mugham singer Alim Qasimov, Turkish underground rap legend Sansar Salvo, the Russian underground group Kaspiyskiy Gruz, as well as beloved Azerbaijani artists such as Jasur Nematov, Pünhan Azim, Uran, Ork