Mysterious Ways (album)

Mysterious Ways is the third studio album by Russian rapper Face, released on September 2, 2018.

On January 17, 2018, the rapper announced an album titled Public Enemy, consisting of 17 tracks, scheduled for release on February 25.^[1] The announcement was accompanied by a spring tour across 20 cities and two major autumn concerts in Moscow and Saint Petersburg. The first and only single was planned for release on February 11, while the teaser and music video for the track “I Drop the West” were scheduled for January 21 and 28, respectively.^[2]

The announcement of new material was accompanied by a large statement in which Face positioned himself as a representative of the punk rock scene, reviving it through rap. He criticized negative trends in youth culture and urged self-expression, resistance to stereotypes, and independence from fashion. Politically, Face sharply criticized the government, calling on young people to ignore the media, reject television, stand up for ideals, resist pressure, and form independent opinions.^[3]

On January 30, Face publicly rejected his old image associated with "Faceguccigang" and the catchphrase "eschkere". He emphasized responsibility, the importance of positive influence on youth, and called for self-improvement and a rejection of drugs, depression, and crime.^[4]

On February 8, Face announced that due to illness, the previously planned release dates were cancelled.^[1] Later, he published several political tweets condemning the political climate in Russia and urging people to boycott the 2018 Russian presidential election and emigrate.

On February 27, in an interview with Dazed, Face explained that the idea of the “I Drop the West” video was to satirize Russian pseudo-patriotism.^[5]

On March 18, Face posted a photo of a spoiled ballot, writing under Vladimir Putin's name: “Dremin Ivan, 1997, rapper. For Russia without a future!”^[6]

On May 18, Dazed published a video featuring Face reading an excerpt from George Orwell’s 1984 with his mouth taped shut.^[7]

On August 14, he expressed support for the upcoming "Mothers' March", which demanded the release of young people arrested in the "New Greatness Case".^[8]

On September 1, Face released a five-minute video on his website where he shaves his head bald, ending with him holding a rifle while wearing a balaclava.^[9] The announcement referenced a verse from 2 Corinthians 5:17: "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."^[10]

On September 2, the rapper released his third studio album, The Ways Are Inscrutable — a socially and politically charged record.^[11] The album features 8 solo tracks addressing corruption, religion, the Russian mentality, authoritarianism, and the injustice of the legal system.^[12]

The album consists of 8 tracks criticizing Putinism, the Government of the Russian Federation, and social injustice, often using explicit language.^[13] The track “Our Mentality” declares Face an “enemy of the state,” while the song “Stolen Air” opens with a line from Osip Mandelstam’s poem “We live, not feeling the country beneath us.”^[14]

Upon release, the album was described as "one of the loudest musical events of recent months."^[15] Critics noted a drastic shift in Face's themes — from self-centered bravado to politically charged opposition hip-hop.^[16]