Vladimir Putin says the rising popularity of hip-hop in Russian youths should be “controlled” if it can’t be stopped. Following meetings with his cultural advisers it appears that rather than trying to put an outright ban on hip-hop music, Putin plans to put plans in place to control the content and output of hip-hop produced in Russia.
This is unsurprising given Russia’s track record when it comes to suppressing the freedoms of it’s people – an act that would certainly put Putin’s government at odds with it’s hip-hop scene; a genre built on free speech and freedom of expression.
“If it is impossible to stop, then we must lead it and direct it”, the leader said Saturday at a St. Petersburg meeting with his cultural advisers. According to his logic, attempts to ban artists from performing only has an adverse effect and increases the popularity of hip-hop.
He added that rap is based on three pillars: “sex, drugs and protest,” voicing his concern with the “drugs” aspect, citing such themes as a “path to the degradation of the nation.
source:https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/vladimir-putin-says-rap-should-be-controlled-not-banned-in-russia-news.66908.html
While the Russian leader claims to want to act for the good of Russia, it’s worth noting that his interpretation of hip-hop at it’s core isn’t coherent. It’s a common misconception to those with only a surface knowledge or interest in hip-hop music that it’s all about violence, misogyny, money, and drugs – sure, lots of popular artists visit these themes in their music, but it’s widely accepted that “real” hip-hop should be an expression and reflection of the life you live; so many artists refer to these themes in their music (Mobb Deep, Immortal Technique, N.W.A.) because that’s what they experience in their realities. The problem arises when these themes and attitudes become something perceived as a prerequisite to make (money in) rap music.
Putin does have one thing on the money: “protest”. Hip-hop has often been used as a vehicle for protest; from police brutality in the black community to media bias in the news and in the papers. The initial conception of commercial hip-hop was arguably built on the back of Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five’s “The Message“. This track highlighted the stresses of inner-city life in poor black neighborhoods in the 80s – it was a protest of the social & economical conditions of the times.
This new revelation arrives on the heels of a recent string of events in which contemporary artists were targetted in Russia. Last month, popular rapper Husky was jailed after launching a pop-up performance when his official show was shut down in the Russian city of Krasnodar. With lyrics that focus on poverty, police brutality, and corruption, local prosecutors told the venue that Husky’s music had elements of “extremism.”
source:https://www.hotnewhiphop.com/vladimir-putin-says-rap-should-be-controlled-not-banned-in-russia-news.66908.html
Clear comparisons can be drawn between the content of Husky’s music and content of West Coast rappers in the 80s – however it seems that wanting to motivate positive change is extremism in the eyes of the Kremlin. Whilst this may seem a fairly trivial issue compared to other struggles of Russia’s liberal population, it’s certainly one to watch if you have an interest in world hip-hop, or just plain freedom of expression.
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