Russian President and real-life Bond villain Vladimir Putin wants to see rap “controlled” in Russia.
With a surge in popularity of rap amongst Russian youth, the president has urged cultural figures to contain the raze, but not to ban it.
“If it is impossible to stop, then we must lead it and direct it,” said Putin, clearly not a fan of spitting rhymes.
“Rap is based on three pillars: sex, drugs, and protest,” said Putin, adding that it would lead to the “degradation of the nation.”
Chances are we won’t see Putin appearing on this kind of mixtape anytime soon
Russia has seen a crackdown on the arts recently, with hip-hop well and truly in the firing line.
Last month Russian rapper Husky, who sings about police corruption and poverty, had his concert shut down in the Russian city ofKrasnodar, with the venue warned by police that his music had led to “extremism.”
Love Hip Hop?
Get the latest Hip Hop news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
The rapper climbed onto a car and chanted to fans “I will sing my music, the most honest music!” before he was arrested by authorities.
Gone Fludd canceled two concerts in Russia after encountering pressure from “every police agency you can imagine,” whilst Allj faced threats of physical violence if he went ahead with his show in Yakutsk.
Check out Husky getting onto a car to protest against artistic cencorship
Recent months have seen a spike of cancellations against artists in Russia, prompting cries of protest from the international community.
The 2012 jailing of punk band member Pussy Riot was the first globally witnessed quash on artistic speech in Russia in recent times, with the pressures placed on artists now similar to those dished out by the communist party on rock musicians in the old Soviet Union.
Boris Barabanov, a music columnist at Russia’s top business daily, Kommersant, noted that the crackdown would only fuel “tougher, more biting songs” from Russian artists.
“Now all musicians are equal in front of the main channel for the distribution of content — the internet,” he said.
“Anything that is forbidden only encourages the imagination.”
Watch Pussy Riot talk about Russian propaganda, among other things
