Here is the Russian rappers video and the story behind it; Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s surprise appearance on the Muz-TV, ‘Battle for Respect’ contest for MCs, graffiti artists, and break-dancers on a music channel in the country. He handed out awards and declared his public support of hip-hop.
The Prime Minister, casually dressed in a white turtleneck and dark zipper jacket, took to the stage and expressed his approval of the program which promotes a drug and alcohol free lifestyle. As The Telegraph reports, he told the audience:
Rap, even urban rap and street rap, is kind of crude, but is already filled with social content and addresses the problems of youth…Graffiti is becoming a real art form – refined and polished. Break dancing is something completely unique.”
While Putin’s appearance has drawn mixed reactions in the media, USA Today notes that one of the attendees, St. Petersburg rapper Roma Zhigan had rapped that the Prime Minister is “a legendary man, he is our idol” and that he went on to say it would “be cool to write a track with him.”
The Moscow Times said of his appearance on the show:
“Putin won lavish praise from the hip-hoppers…even though he often looked uncomfortably detached, standing in front of a dancing crowd, clapping his hands and not moving his body.”
A photo of his appearance on Muz-TV can be seen here. Additionally, you can see a round-up of reactions from newspapers around the world along with a link to additional video here.
Let us know what you think, readers. Will you be following the evolution of hip hop in a country faraway from the origin of the art form? What do you think of Vladimir Putin’s surprise appearance in support of the genre?
Without doubt, he has certainly brought worldwide attention to Russian rappers.