Russia wants to control rap, not ban it.
That was the message from Russian President Vladimir Putin to cultural leaders Saturday, according to state outlet Russia Today. Putin said efforts to ban and prosecute rappers are “the least effective, the worst ones anyone could come up with,” at a meeting of the presidential council on culture in St. Petersburg.
His comments come following a crackdown on rap concerts and artists, including the arrest and 12-day prison sentence of Russian rapper Husky for trying to perform following a canceled concert, that has led to an outcry in the country, according to Reuters.
Putin criticized rap for its themes of sex, drugs, and protests. “Of all of these, drugs are the most worrying,” Putin said. “They are the route to a nation’s degradation.”
But, he said, authorities need to take the lead on music and youth culture.
“If it’s impossible to stop something, you’ve got to take charge of it,” he said. “How to do this, how to take charge, and guide in the necessary direction … That’s the most important issue.”
Putin told the panel his administration would further weigh the issue.
