Putin: Rap Can’t Be Banned, Must Be Controlled

Alarmed by the growing popularity of rap among Russian youth, President Vladimir Putin wants cultural leaders to devise a means of controlling, rather than banning, the popular music. Putin says “if it is impossible to stop, then we must lead it and direct it.’’ But Putin said at a St. Petersburg meeting with cultural advisers Saturday that attempts to ban artists from performing will only bolster their popularity. Putin noted that “rap is based on three pillars: sex, drugs and...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - samedi 15 décembre 2018