Rubtsovsk Rapper Wins 500,000 Rubles on TNT Show

Dmitry Zaretsky is known in Rubtsovsk under the pseudonym Osobo Trezvy (Particularly Sober). Back in 1998, he began recording his rap compositions and developing in a direction unexpected for the late 1990s, and after some time became a popular performer in narrow circles. He told NGS22.RU about how a lawyer from Rubtsovsk got into music, landed on the TNT show «Konfetka» (16+), and won 500,000 rubles (approximately $5,600).

Instead of Drums — a Washbasin and a Rolling Pin

Dmitry became interested in music at age 10. Back then, among the abundance of cassettes at home, he found several with rap, which captivated him. Over time, his interest only grew, so while his peers listened to «Ivanushki», Dmitry wore out the tapes of «Dr. Alban» and other artists. While still in 10th grade, he released his first track:

— Picture the hungry 1990s, parents« salaries delayed, chaos everywhere. Music became a kind of outlet. I wrote the first lyrics using a formula: about everything and nothing, everything I saw I wrote down in a notebook secretly from my parents, — the musician recalls with a smile.

Recording a track in those days seemed like a challenging task: there was no internet yet, nor specialized studios with equipment, so they had to improvise. Dmitry«s home studio at the time consisted of two old tape recorders, a Soviet yellow microphone — the very one on which his parents once recorded his voice as a child — a TV, and a Dendy console.

Instead of drums, a washing basin and a rolling pin came into play: Dmitry beat out the rhythm himself, recorded it on cassette, and then rapped over the homemade track. Later, eight-bit sounds from console games were added to the recording — in this way he tried to imitate musical instruments. According to Dmitry, he and a friend recorded over 600 similar songs about everything they saw, and he sold his first rap album to a classmate for two rubles at the time.

Gradually he became popular in narrow circles, but did not forget to make himself known on the internet: he got acquainted with performers of his genre, recorded new, higher-quality tracks, and even started a blog titled «Osobo Trezvy Yurist» (Particularly Sober Lawyer), which later became his musical pseudonym, though without the profession qualifier.

They Made a Real Konfetka

Family life temporarily interrupted Dmitry«s creative path, but the pause was short: as early as 2020, Dmitry returned to his beloved rap and began releasing 10–12 tracks a year, and since 2023, his discography has started to include music videos.

Now there are eight of them. «Osobo Trezvy» does not miss the opportunity to musically profess his love for his hometown Rubtsovsk, writes songs about the 1990s, his creative journey, and sometimes even talks about recent city events, creating a kind of musical «news» of Rubtsovsk.

One of the most significant for Dmitry, the autobiographical track «Hip-Hop», was noticed at the end of 2025 by editors of the TNT channel on the social media pages that the musician runs. Then they invited him to participate in the show «Konfetka», where professional artists remake tracks by amateur authors. The musician immediately agreed and quickly passed the selection to become one of the top 50 project participants who went to Moscow.

— It turned out to fulfill two dreams at once: to see Moscow with my wife and to take part in a big television project. The filming took a whole day, nine hours. Two layers of makeup were applied. Only about 40 minutes were given for interaction with the jury. We could only talk to the stars on the set, taking photos separately with anyone was forbidden, and the only person who spoke with us before the show was Marina Kravets, — recalls Dmitry.

According to Dmitry, one of the key features of the show is that the participants, like the audience, do not know who will appear on stage. They can only guess.

In his case, Vitya AK-47 and Buranovskiye Babushki came on stage and together turned the Rubtsovsk resident«s track, as the jury said, into a real candy. This had an effect: the song of the Altai rapper spread across all social networks, and Dmitry first advanced to the finals, and then won 500,000 rubles (approximately $5,600) by winning the audience vote.

Because of this, he faced a sharp wave of attention — for the first two or three days after the show aired, the man hardly slept, replying to viewers« messages.

— According to my estimates, it was about two to three thousand messages. I tried to answer everyone and not get a big head, — he said.

Participation in the project, he says, allowed him to look at the industry and the artists themselves in a new light:

— These are ordinary people, just like us. They just achieved more in show business. And everyone has a chance, the main thing is to work, release material, and not be idle. I liked absolutely everything. It was an effect of euphoria that hasn«t worn off yet, — Dmitry reflects.

The success inspired him to continue working: now the man is considering plans to apply for the fifth season of the show, so he has already begun preparing material for the work. He intends to use the winnings to develop his own studio and for his children, of whom the rapper already has three.