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The Magic of Oil: The Uniqueness of Musician Aidyn Nuralin
The Magic of Oil: The Uniqueness of Musician Aidyn Nuralin
Black Cumin Oil (Maslo Chyornogo Tmina) is arguably the most mysterious musician from Kazakhstan. He doesn't fit the typical Kazakh rap mold. Critics and fans break down his music endlessly, discovering something new with every listen. From a love of jazz and cloud rap to Quranic references and even hooligan-football-inspired tracks—The Voice Media writer Madina Nurkina analyzes the artist's work in her personal column.
Black Cumin Oil, or Aidyn Zakariya (real surname Nuralin), was born 32 years ago in Karaganda, where he spent his entire childhood. In an interview with The Flow, Aidyn recalled the moment he realized he was wasting his time on useless things. He decided to change his life and cut himself off from the internet completely, going long periods without using it at all. Today, the artist holds no active social media accounts, and about a year ago, he pulled all his music videos from YouTube. On top of that, Aidyn gives no interviews and stays strictly out of the public eye. This forces us to piece together the image of our favorite artist bit by bit through his music. Today, his tracks remain available on all streaming platforms, but his videos can only be found through re-uploads posted online by his fans.
Throughout his creative career, the musician changed his pseudonyms several times. Under his first nickname, Dokka Rise, Aidyn released garage-and-street-style rap with references to football. Then he was zulkar.9 and itch.yes. Now he releases tracks under the nickname Black Cumin Oil, abbreviated as MChT. Over so many years, not only his names transformed, but also his music. Nowadays, garage-style rap is no longer relevant to the artist.
How Maslo Sounds Today
So, what genre do his tracks actually belong to? It’s impossible to give a definitive answer, and opinions in the music community are split. A blend of jazz and drawn-out cloud rap-style vocals creates a sound that can truly be described as unique.
Cloud rap is a subgenre of hip-hop. Its defining traits are dreamlike beats built on wordless vocal samples, where performers harmonize or hold long notes to create a majestic, surreal effect—pairing this with abstract, sometimes intentionally absurd lyrics that carry little to no literal meaning.
Cloud rap is a subgenre of hip-hop. Its defining traits are dreamlike beats built on wordless vocal samples, where performers harmonize or hold long notes to create a majestic, surreal effect—pairing this with abstract, sometimes intentionally absurd lyrics that carry little to no literal meaning.
The most accurate description of the artist's music comes from his latest moniker. Here, we invite you to imagine the first associations that spring to mind. What is black cumin oil? It’s something viscous and enveloping, layered with rich background noise and barely decipherable lyrics. Aidyn himself, in the track iam from the album kensshi, describes his music as lacking a fixed shape—possessing only an amorphous structure that flows everywhere.
Oil spills everywhere
Oil makes its way into homes
Oil doubles the score
Oil and dancing in the flames
Oil and Satan himself
She was obsessed with me
But couldn't fit inside of me
This beautiful music was so obsessed with me
But couldn't fit inside of me
Oil makes its way into homes
Oil doubles the score
Oil and dancing in the flames
Oil and Satan himself
She was obsessed with me
But couldn't fit inside of me
This beautiful music was so obsessed with me
But couldn't fit inside of me
Kensshi: What the Lyrics Mean and How to Make Sense of Them
You can’t say Aidyn’s lyrics are meaningless—quite the opposite, in fact. They are packed with references and metaphors, albeit deeply abstract ones. An average listener might struggle to grasp them on the first pass, while seasoned fans know that what matters most here is where your own imagination takes you.
Let's take a closer look at his most popular release—kensshi. The artist himself is quite religious, and this faith formed the underlying concept of the album. It is known that as a child, Aidyn performed the namaz (daily prayers) five times a day, and today he weaves his faith directly into his music. For instance, his adopted surname, Zakariya, is the name of an Islamic prophet sent by the Almighty to Israel to guide the people back to the path of true faith. Furthermore, the promo campaign for the album's release was accompanied by a quote from Surah 30, Verse 49 of the Quran:
Let's take a closer look at his most popular release—kensshi. The artist himself is quite religious, and this faith formed the underlying concept of the album. It is known that as a child, Aidyn performed the namaz (daily prayers) five times a day, and today he weaves his faith directly into his music. For instance, his adopted surname, Zakariya, is the name of an Islamic prophet sent by the Almighty to Israel to guide the people back to the path of true faith. Furthermore, the promo campaign for the album's release was accompanied by a quote from Surah 30, Verse 49 of the Quran:
Koran 30:49
“Although before it was sent down upon them—before the rain fell—they were surely in despair.”
“Although before it was sent down upon them—before the rain fell—they were surely in despair.”
The album hides dozens of references to the Holy Book of Islam. The track “Spi Chelovek” (“Sleep, Human”) plays out at a calm, deliberate pace, with Aidyn whispering the core theme of the entire project while echoing verses from the Quran:
“When your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am creating a human being from clay.’”
“So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down to him in prostration.”
(Surah 38 ‘Sad’, Verses 71–72)
The album’s 13 tracks collectively reflect the distinct style and local color of Kazakh culture. The project flows as a single, monolithic whole with lyrics that are difficult to recall after just one listen. Capturing its atmosphere and mood often takes time. Throughout kensshi, Aidyn speaks to his listeners using his signature abstract storytelling and metaphorical imagery, seamlessy woven with smooth saxophone lines.
“When your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am creating a human being from clay.’”
“So when I have proportioned him and breathed into him of My spirit, fall down to him in prostration.”
(Surah 38 ‘Sad’, Verses 71–72)
The album’s 13 tracks collectively reflect the distinct style and local color of Kazakh culture. The project flows as a single, monolithic whole with lyrics that are difficult to recall after just one listen. Capturing its atmosphere and mood often takes time. Throughout kensshi, Aidyn speaks to his listeners using his signature abstract storytelling and metaphorical imagery, seamlessy woven with smooth saxophone lines.
MChT hasn't overlooked Kazakh culture—an identity he has embraced throughout his entire body of work. Aidyn has admitted more than once that traditional Kazakh music has had a profound influence on him. For instance, the track “Tak za kogo zhe bolet’ na etoy zemle” (“So Who to Root for on This Earth”) features the dombra, while sagyndym includes an entire verse sampled from “Saǵyndym seni” by the iconic Kazakh band Dos-Mukasan.
I miss you, my beloved,
Come to me as a song.
I miss you, my beloved,
Come to me as the dawn.
Come to me as a song.
I miss you, my beloved,
Come to me as the dawn.
Cultural references can also be found throughout the artist's music videos. The visuals for “Bez Nazvaniya” (“Untitled”) unfold across the quiet landscapes of rural Kazakhstan, exposing underlying local struggles with hunger and addiction. In the music video for ayaz, the protagonist lies at the center of a bustling yurt, surrounded by swirling traditional Kazakh ornaments. The album title kensshi translates from Kazakh as “miner”—a direct nod to Karaganda, the musician's hometown.
In summary, one thing is clear: Aidyn’s work truly stands apart and will undoubtedly leave a lasting legacy on the music scene—not just in Kazakhstan, but across the entire Russian-speaking world.
In summary, one thing is clear: Aidyn’s work truly stands apart and will undoubtedly leave a lasting legacy on the music scene—not just in Kazakhstan, but across the entire Russian-speaking world.