Vladimir Putin Says Cultural Leaders Should Control Rap Music In Russia Not Ban It

RUSSIA (CelebrityAccess) – In a speech made to Russia’s cultural advisers over the weekend, President Vladimir Putin expressed concern over the manner in which they have been seeking to ban rap music, reports the Associated Press.

As rap remains ever popular among Russian youth, Putin suggested the country’s leadership instead find a way to control the genre, warning that attempts to ban artists from performing will only backfire and are sure to increase their popularity. He went on to say that “rap is based on three pillars: sex, drugs and protest,” and that he is especially concerned about the “drug propaganda” as it is “a path to the degradation of the nation.”

Putin’s comments arrive amid a recent Russian crackdown on contemporary music and arts that has seen multiple artists subjected to censorship, concert cancellations, and arrest.