MC Pushkin lives!
Saturday, July 31, 2010 at 12:05AM 
Neat WSJ weekend piece on the “surprise” that is Russian rap!
Anybody who’s traveled this world in the last decade can attest to how pervasively rap/hip hop have spread, with even greater impact, I would argue, than rock ‘n roll in decades previous.
Rock was more about cutting loose, but rap and hip hop tend to have a more critical tone regarding the powers that be, and since the main purveyors tend to come from underprivileged urban youth, that’s a more potent signaling function in this day of superempowered individuals pissed off enough to turn to terror. Not to insinuate a link—anything but, just a powerful association (both terror and jihadism tap into a lot of the same anger and pool of individuals).
But my sense has always been that rap and hip hop are more of a venting than a mobilization—by far. Also more of a stirring for progressive political action, so by and large a very positive impact and, in many ways, a counterbalancing medium.
From the story:
To the surprise of many, Russian rap has emerged as an outlet for social protest, with rappers producing songs on such hot-button issues as drugs, police brutality and the immense power of the Kremlin-backed elite. Although most mainstream, TV-friendly rappers stick to familiar topics, like bling and babes, the Internet has fueled the growth of a vibrant rap underground with socially conscious songs too provocative for the state-dominated media.
Not all that unfamiliar, yes? And hardly that much of a surprise for a Russian society that has loved its dissident poets over the centuries, going all the way to Pushkin.
Reader Comments (2)
FYI y'all:
HIp hop in China (Hilarious!)
http://www.linktv.org/programs/wu-tang-gran
what hip hop is doing politically in Senegal:
http://www.linktv.org/programs/democracy_in_dakar
Noize MC graduated Summa Cum Laude (gold medal in Russia) from High School, learned Classical Guitar in music school.
Here's another one: Noize MC "Из Окна" - "Through The Window"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZRQzm5AN_Y
F* TV Channel One
F* Channel Two
F* all other channels
...
I have thrown TV through the window
On the roof of Gelandewagen
Of local crime boss
(Putin rides Gelandewagen).