Easy Easy Real Talk: why rappers and it-girls are the ones who can save Russian civil society
Part 1: The Rappers
If you were to ask me what Russian rap is just a couple of months ago, I would most definitely refer you to Timati (who is striving to be Russian Kanye West is a well-known supporter of Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov) and, perhaps, my favorite band Grybi and their Tayet Lyod (it features squatting Slavs in tracksuits - the most famous and foreign_public_apprecaited Russian cultural reality). Everything, however, has changed in August when my favorite news outlet Meduza posted a series of articles about a rap battle between Oxxxymiron and Slava KPSS (the name actually means Glory to the Communist Party)...and then, Russian state-run news channel One dedicated a nine (!) minute segment of its Sunday News program to the battle, where it, of course, is compared to American battle rap culture. Singers, producers, members of the Duma, ministers of all sorts, all major news outlets -everyone talked about the event. Plus add the Huffington Post ( a great article which I highly recommend) and the Times to the list. 12 million views in the first 48 hours (over 25 million as of today).
I'm not going to present you with a detailed analysis of the battle as Anastasia Denisova did an excellent job in the abovementioned Huffington Post article. I am just going to say that when I was first watching the battle I was shocked, my first thought was "Politics? In a Russian rap battle?" I can't say that until August 2017 I lived with a belief that there is no politics in the contemporary Russian art (there is always theater and movies - you, perhaps, have heard of Kirill Serebrinikov's Gogol Center and maybe even seen Zvyagintsev's movie Leviathan)...but rap? Youtube videos that Russian youth is watching? No. I did not expect that. And I felt proud, to say the least. I don't like Russian rap stars nor Alexey Navalny but if it is them who can awaken Russian youth, then let it be and let it thrive.
Of course. I forgot the most important part - Slava won. Get that, Russian intelligentsia! Oxxxymiron graduated from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, grew up in Europe and speaks several languages. Well, those kinds are not exactly welcomed in Russia. Perhaps, a spy? Betrayed the motherland. Forgot of its people. What really can you know of Russia when you were educated in a preppy anglophone institution (btw, all those Brits_Americans_Germans are pretty stupid anyway)? All those questions are from my personal experience but Oxxxy's foreign education is in fact mentioned by his opponents quite often. Slava, on the other hand, is a man of the people...
And that cry from Russian intelligentsia would've been the end of the story if not the last week's event. Oxxxymiron vs. Dizaster in LA, CA.
And if you are (still) reading me then you certainly must and can watch this one. To the big surprise of Russian viewers, it is impossible to understand either unless you speak perfect English, except for, perhaps, Dizaster's verse in Russian but that one is pretty tasteless, take my word for it. Ah, and, of course, don't forget to brush up on your Arabic - which Oxxxy uses multiple times to insult his opponent. This battle is often called the "real meeting of two heads of states". Indeed - almost all the pressing political issues are brought up - from Russian presence in Ukraine to US actions in the Middle East. Unfortunately, no official winner of the battle was declared. I say unfortunately because critics and ordinary viewers alike agree that Oxxxy is the ultimate winner.
So why is this (now international) battle important? I brought up Oxxxy's academic background before and I want to go back to it again. While it certainly is and will continue to be a source of pride for Russian audience, it might also (and I hope it will) make them reconsider the role of those well-educated and slightly complicated Russian expats and cosmopolites (I call Oxxxy complicated because he is well-known for referring to mythology and unconventional literature pieces in his texts). Source of soft power? Might as well be. Sort of an awareness raising and educational tool for Russian youth? Definitely (at least now we can conclude that knowing English is pretty cool). If Oxxxy reads about the importance of participating in elections one day (well, and Slava KPSS, as well, of course) maybe we will see those 12 million in one day at the polls. But the next elections probably will be saved by the Russian it-girl and that is in the next post.
If you were to ask me what Russian rap is just a couple of months ago, I would most definitely refer you to Timati (who is striving to be Russian Kanye West is a well-known supporter of Putin and Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov) and, perhaps, my favorite band Grybi and their Tayet Lyod (it features squatting Slavs in tracksuits - the most famous and foreign_public_apprecaited Russian cultural reality). Everything, however, has changed in August when my favorite news outlet Meduza posted a series of articles about a rap battle between Oxxxymiron and Slava KPSS (the name actually means Glory to the Communist Party)...and then, Russian state-run news channel One dedicated a nine (!) minute segment of its Sunday News program to the battle, where it, of course, is compared to American battle rap culture. Singers, producers, members of the Duma, ministers of all sorts, all major news outlets -everyone talked about the event. Plus add the Huffington Post ( a great article which I highly recommend) and the Times to the list. 12 million views in the first 48 hours (over 25 million as of today).
I'm not going to present you with a detailed analysis of the battle as Anastasia Denisova did an excellent job in the abovementioned Huffington Post article. I am just going to say that when I was first watching the battle I was shocked, my first thought was "Politics? In a Russian rap battle?" I can't say that until August 2017 I lived with a belief that there is no politics in the contemporary Russian art (there is always theater and movies - you, perhaps, have heard of Kirill Serebrinikov's Gogol Center and maybe even seen Zvyagintsev's movie Leviathan)...but rap? Youtube videos that Russian youth is watching? No. I did not expect that. And I felt proud, to say the least. I don't like Russian rap stars nor Alexey Navalny but if it is them who can awaken Russian youth, then let it be and let it thrive.
Of course. I forgot the most important part - Slava won. Get that, Russian intelligentsia! Oxxxymiron graduated from Oxford with a degree in English Literature, grew up in Europe and speaks several languages. Well, those kinds are not exactly welcomed in Russia. Perhaps, a spy? Betrayed the motherland. Forgot of its people. What really can you know of Russia when you were educated in a preppy anglophone institution (btw, all those Brits_Americans_Germans are pretty stupid anyway)? All those questions are from my personal experience but Oxxxy's foreign education is in fact mentioned by his opponents quite often. Slava, on the other hand, is a man of the people...
And that cry from Russian intelligentsia would've been the end of the story if not the last week's event. Oxxxymiron vs. Dizaster in LA, CA.
So why is this (now international) battle important? I brought up Oxxxy's academic background before and I want to go back to it again. While it certainly is and will continue to be a source of pride for Russian audience, it might also (and I hope it will) make them reconsider the role of those well-educated and slightly complicated Russian expats and cosmopolites (I call Oxxxy complicated because he is well-known for referring to mythology and unconventional literature pieces in his texts). Source of soft power? Might as well be. Sort of an awareness raising and educational tool for Russian youth? Definitely (at least now we can conclude that knowing English is pretty cool). If Oxxxy reads about the importance of participating in elections one day (well, and Slava KPSS, as well, of course) maybe we will see those 12 million in one day at the polls. But the next elections probably will be saved by the Russian it-girl and that is in the next post.
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