Was it as frowned upon when hip hop was introduced in russia as everyone says?
I think it was not as much frowned upon as it was not considered "real music/art" (and it still isn't).
I was a big fan about 15-20 years ago. But I did not listen to Russian rap or hip-hop, they were amateurish and very much subpar to non-Russian rappers.
I guess they got better if you like them.