Vladimir Putin Aims for Street Cred by Praising Hip-Hop

Vladimir Putin appeared on a Muz-TV program, where he extolled hip-hop, graffiti and break-dancing. Photo by AP

Move over, Obama. You’re not the only world leader who has professed a penchant for hip-hop music.

Appearing on “Fight for Respect” a hip-hop show on Muz-TV, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin talked up the musical genre, saying “although rap is kind of rough, it has a social message dealing with problems of the young” and admitting that even the darker sides of hip-hop were probably better than Russia’s usual combination of “vodka, caviar and nesting dolls.”

Britain’s Telegraph was not impressed – saying Putin looked “distinctly awkward among a crowd of head-bobbing hand-waving teenagers.” The Moscow Times was a little more sympathetic, writing that “Putin won lavish praise from the hip-hoppers, even though he often looked uncomfortably detached, standing in front of a dancing crowd, clapping his hands and not moving his body.”

The Russian newspaper Kommersant characterized the prime minister’s appearance as nothing more than a “desperate” effort to prop up his sagging popularity. A spokesman for Putin said, “The sole intention” of the visit “was to promote healthier lifestyle among young people.”