Biography

Dalibor Andonov (Serbian Cyrillic: Далибор Андонов, pronounced [dǎlibɔːr andɔ̌nov]; 8 March 1973 – 9 September 2019), known professionally as Gru, was a Serbian rapper, musician and DJ. His song Biću tu from the 1996 album Gru 2, gained him popularity in Eastern Europe, as well as the 2010 release I dalje me žele alongside Serbian rapper Ajs Nigrutin. His album Gru 2 is the most commercially successful album in Serbia, selling four million copies, and reaching certified gold status in Serbia. Other than his immense popularity in the Balkans, he is well known in other countries of Eastern and Northern Europe. He has been dubbed The Serbian Rap Machine.A native of Dimitrovgrad, Andonov started his career in Belgrade, with his earliest demos in 1994, but rose to prominence with his music work in early 1996. Marking the first wave of Serbian hip hop with his debut album Da li imaš pravo?, Andonov produced five albums as a solo artist, out of which four reached gold and platinum status in Serbia. The albums included critically and commercially acclaimed songs that topped the Balkan charts, including Srce, Biću tu, Kad se popnem na binu, Kiša, and Da li imaš pravo?, winning him three Serbian Oscars of Popularity, an Indexi Award and a World Music Award. The songs were noted as traditional hip-hop compositions with elements of funk and soul. Since Beograd in 2003, Andonov has stepped down from making albums and has been producing singles. His more recent work incorporates radio friendly melodies, which embarked commercial success, including I dalje me žele, Plan B, Kilo koke and Biću tu (20 godina kasnije), winning an Index Award, an Oscar of Popularity and an MTV Platinum Award.Andonov also had done work for television and film, including appearances in Operacija trijumf, Veliki Brat VIP All Stars and Tvoje lice zvuči poznato. He made his film debut in 1997 as Vanja in Land of Truth, Love & Freedom, and actively composed films, including Undisputed II: Last Man Standing and Dorćol-Manhattan. He died on 9 September 2019, following a kite-surfing accident.