Kai Angel

Kai Angel
Birth name	Dmitry Itskov
Also known as	zavet
Born	(1997-02-04) February 4, 1997 Bryansk, Russia
Origin	Russia Russia Israel Israel USA United States
Genres	Rap, hip hop, Hyperpop, rock
Occupation(s)	Artist, rapper, songwriter, music video director, photographer
Years active	2019–present
Labels	DNK Music; Viperr; CPLUS
Associated acts	Viperr

Kai Angel (real name Dmitry Itskov; born February 4, 1997, in Bryansk) is a Russian rapper, songwriter, and visual artist. He is also known by his former stage name zavet. Media and analytical materials describe Kai Angel as an artist whose practice is built on the integration of music, fashion, visual direction, and internet strategies, rather than solely on musical releases.

Since 2022, he has been actively working as Kai Angel and participating in the project Viperr together with 9mice.

Biography

Early years

Dmitry Itskov was born on February 4, 1997, in Bryansk. The artist's early ideas about media presence and visual self-expression were formed in a family context, particularly in connection with the media activities of his mother, Emma Tsayer, who worked as a beauty blogger and content creator.

Dmitry Itskov's family moved to Israel, which contributed to the formation of the artist's cosmopolitan identity and early access to Western cultural codes. In 2023, Itskov publicly expressed concern for his sister, who was serving in the IDF.

Visual practice

Before his active musical career, Itskov worked as a photographer and videographer in the fashion industry, and his experience in filming and directing was later used in creating his own musical and visual project. He collaborated with representatives of the Russian scene, including Boulevard Depo and Saluki, and also worked with the brand Outlaw.

In 2024, Itskov, together with Danil Dmitriev (9mice), was included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in the "Music" category, where the pair's activities were described as a combination of musical production and a carefully constructed visual-fashion strategy.

Musical career

Project zavet (2019–2022)

Itskov's early releases were published under the name zavet. According to streaming platforms, the albums Aton (2019), Kaidan (May 7, 2019), Zhily (April 10, 2020), and velvet heaven (July 3, 2020), as well as the album gotika (October 21, 2021), were released during this period.

This stage was characterized as an experimental phase combining elements of industrial, trap, and gothic imagery. The influence of David Lynch and the aesthetics of surreal nightmare in the early album Aton is noted, as well as the use of Japanese cultural references and samples from movies and video games in Kaidan.

The three-disc project Zhily (Veins), featuring a large number of guest participants, including Husky, stands out as one of the key releases of the period. The release became a significant event in the local scene in early 2020. The album's structure is often described as a demonstration of both personal experiments and recognition within the scene.

The album gotika was the final work of the zavet period, involving long-term work and rewriting of material. The single Doom was released on February 17, 2022, and became one of the closing releases of the zavet era.

Kai Angel later spoke critically of the early material, explaining the closure of the Zavet project by a change in taste and the feeling that the old image no longer reflected his personality.

Transition to Kai Angel (from 2022)

In 2022, Itskov began releasing music under the name Kai Angel, representing a full-fledged artistic rebranding associated with an update of visual language, positioning, and a set of pop-cultural references. The pseudonym can be interpreted as a combination of pop-cultural lightness and religious pathos with a touch of the fallen angel image. The artist himself explains the choice of the name by a personal connection to a tattoo with the word "Angel" on his neck.

The EP kAiCoRe was released on July 1, 2022, and became one of the first major releases of the new period, definitively cementing the break with the Zavet aesthetic.

Between 2023 and 2025, Kai Angel released a number of solo albums:

• Marilyn Manson (March 24, 2023) — a conceptual album interpreted as an homage to Marilyn Manson and the shock rock aesthetic of the 1990s;
• ANGEL MAY CRY (July 7, 2023) — named after the Devil May Cry game series, characterized by a heroic-demonic aesthetic and a European road mood;
• GOD SYSTEM (March 22, 2024) — an album characterized by a transition to a high-tech sound with ambient melodies, soft bass, and glitches;
• ANGEL MAY CRY 2 (April 18, 2025) — a continuation of the series with a calmer, lyrical sound and an aesthetic of cold luxury;
• damage (September 5, 2025) — the third solo album, work on which lasted about a year and a half, demonstrating a departure from high-tech to electronic-indie-rock and pop-oriented melancholy.

The intensity of releases during this period is linked to the platform logic of streaming and social media, where regularity and short formats help maintain audience attention.

Collaboration within Viperr

Since 2022, Kai Angel has been part of the duo Viperr alongside 9mice. The artists met on social media and discovered matching tattoos, after which they began working together. The project's name is a reference to the club The Viper Room (see Viperr). Kai Angel describes the creative union as mutual complementation and a way to structure taste.

Within the duo, the releases HEAVY METAL - EP (February 17, 2023) and Heavy Metal 2 (September 13, 2024) were issued. The EP HEAVY METAL is often described as a breakthrough moment that combined rage rap, drill, and elements of heavy metal, becoming an internet phenomenon. In September 2024, high positions for Heavy Metal 2 were recorded in the charts of Russian streaming services.

In 2025, the status of the Viperr project was discussed in the media against the backdrop of public statements by the members about ceasing joint activities, followed by reports of new release plans.

In April 2024, Kai Angel and 9mice were detained in Los Angeles while filming a music video; the incident did not lead to long-term legal consequences for the artists.

Artistic style and public image

Musical features

Kai Angel is a representative of a generation in which musical identity is closely linked to visual and fashion components. His work is built on a combination of aggressive sound design, internet aesthetics, and hybrid genre solutions.

The early zavet period is characterized by Itskov's interest in gloomy and experimental forms, while later Kai Angel releases are seen as a shift toward more globalized pop-culture symbolism and a modern trap/rage sound. Dmitry Itskov became one of the conduits of the Russian rage sound, inspired by global templates.

Visual aesthetics and fashion

Visual strategy is a significant part of Kai Angel's authorial project. The artist uses high fashion and "heavy luxury" aesthetics as a symbolic language; brands with which his stage style is associated include Balenciaga, Rick Owens, and Vetements. This is described as an anti-fashion aesthetic, where expensive items can look worn, and the silhouette challenges customary norms of masculinity. In a VSRAP podcast, the artist explains his attitude toward clothing as a language of self-identification and emphasizes the value of items with a history.

In 2024, The Flow reported on Kai Angel and 9mice participating in a shoot for Kanye West's merchandise (YZY), as well as posts by designer Gosha Rubchinskiy featuring images of the artists, which media interpreted as an episode of their integration into the international fashion context.

American influence

Living in Los Angeles had a significant influence on his work. Kai Angel described his time in the US as an encounter with the mythical cradle of pop culture and a source of creative impulse. The contrasts of the city—from glamour to social problems—became a factor in forming his heavy sound and "dirty-luxury" visuals.

Kai Angel has expressed a preference for a symbiosis of Russian and English languages rather than a complete switch to English, believing that Russian origin can be part of an international charm.

Media practices

Kai Angel uses public conflict frameworks and distances himself from some traditional narratives of the Russian hip-hop scene as elements of media positioning. He constructs the image of an antagonist to the Russian scene, contrasting himself with conservative and locally closed narratives.

At the same time, the artist speaks openly about an inferiority complex, insecurity, and the role of trauma as a driver of creativity.

Cultural significance

Kai Angel has become a mirror of the era of digital artistry, where visual domination and fashion become the primary semantic system, life turns into a permanent performance, and cosmopolitanism provides the opportunity to appear as a global product. His path is described as an evolution from a person behind the camera to the main character of his own universe—from the gloomy experimenter Zavet to the glossy-aggressive, high-fashion, and pop-culturally saturated Kai Angel.

Kai Angel demonstrates the mechanism of popularity in the age of algorithms, where a competent visual image is capable of being the primary carrier of meaning.

Discography

Studio albums and EPs

As zavet

Year	Title	Release Date	Notes	Source
2019	Aton	2019	Debut album with influence from David Lynch and surreal nightmare aesthetics.
2019	Kaidan	May 7, 2019	Album with Japanese cultural references and samples from movies and video games.
2020	Zhily	April 10, 2020	Three-disc project with many guest participants, including Husky.
2020	velvet heaven	July 3, 2020	Release with a minimalistic, light synth sound.
2021	gotika	October 21, 2021	Final album of the late zavet stage, which involved long-term work.

As Kai Angel

Year	Title	Release Date	Type	Notes	Source
2022	kAiCoRe	July 1, 2022	EP	First major release of the new period, cementing the break with Zavet aesthetics.
2023	Marilyn Manson	March 24, 2023	Album	Conceptual homage to Marilyn Manson and 1990s shock rock aesthetics.
2023	ANGEL MAY CRY	July 7, 2023	EP	Named after the Devil May Cry game series with a European road mood.
2024	GOD SYSTEM	March 22, 2024	Album	Transition to high-tech sound with ambient melodies and glitches.
2025	ANGEL MAY CRY 2	April 18, 2025	EP	Continuation of the series with a lyrical sound and cold luxury aesthetic.
2025	damage	September 5, 2025	Album	17 tracks, departure from high-tech to electronic-indie-rock melancholy.

Collaborative releases (with 9mice)

See also: Viperr

Year	Title	Release Date	Format	Notes	Source
2023	HEAVY METAL - EP	February 17, 2023	EP	Breakthrough release combining rage rap, drill, and heavy metal.
2024	Heavy Metal 2	September 13, 2024	Album	Massive sequel with high chart positions.

Music videos

Visual solutions in the Kai Angel and Viperr projects are noted for their professionalization. For example, the music video lovesong involved an expanded production team.

External links

• "Kai Angel on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
• "zavet on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
• Interview with Kai Angel (video). YouTube (in русский). Retrieved 2025-12-06.
• Interview with Kai Angel and 9mice on Studio 21 (video). YouTube (in русский). Retrieved 2025-12-06.
• Research on the work of Kai Angel (video). YouTube (in русский). Retrieved 2025-12-06.
• "Interview with Kai Angel and 9mice on Studio 21". Studio 21 (in русский). Retrieved 2025-12-06.

Category:1997 births Category:Living people Category:Russian rappers Category:Russian musicians Category:Russian music video directors Category:People from Bryansk

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