Putin says drugs are one of pillars of rap and are ‘the route to a nation’s degradation’

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Alarmed by the growing popularity of rap among Russian youth, President Vladimir Putin said he wants cultural leaders to devise a means of controlling, rather than banning, the popular music.

His comments on Saturday follow a spate of concert cancellations by venue owners and local authorities across Russia and the brief arrest of a popular rap artist, Husky. The crackdown, that has been compared to Soviet-era censorship of the arts, has sparked controversy discussion in recent months, especially among young people.

Putin said such heavy-handed measures were often counterproductive, and suggested an alternative approach. “If it’s impossible to stop something, you’ve got to take charge of it,” he said during a live broadcast of a meeting of his advisory council on culture and the arts.

Russian rapper Husky sentenced to 12 days in jail over gig on car roof Read more

“How to do this, how to take charge and guide in the necessary direction ... That’s the most important issue,” he said, adding that the question would be discussed further by his administration and the culture ministry.

Husky, who raps in Russian and whose songs have at times been critical of the government, said his concerts were under pressure because authorities objected to lyrics they found offensive.

After his concert was cancelled in Krasnodar, in southern Russia, he tried to perform from the roof of a car instead, leading to his arrest for hooliganism.

His arrest and sentence to 12 days in prison led to a public outcry and he was released early, thanks to the intervention of members of the presidential administration, the editor of state broadcaster Russia Today said on Twitter.

Putin was responding to a statement about rap concert cancellations made by music producer and member of the advisory council Igor Matvienko. Among other suggestions, Matvienko proposed creating a parental advisory guidance system for concerts.

Addressing Matvienko, Putin said: “You said that rap [rests on] three pillars: sex, drugs and protests. Of all of these, drugs are the most worrying,” Putin said. “They are the route to a nation’s degradation.”

Putin also addressed regulating rap’s use of bad language. He said a linguist told him “it’s a part of our language. It’s just a question of how you use it.”

Matvienko also suggested guidelines on the use of swear words online and in the media, but Putin said this was a sensitive matter.

Likening swear words to body parts, Putin joked: “We have all sorts of body parts, and it’s not like we put them on display all the time, whether it’s hot or cold.”