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.