Russian president, Vladimir Putin has said that rap music should be controlled in the country, rather than an outright ban.
His comments on Saturday follow a spate of concert cancellations by venue owners and local authorities across Russia and the brief arrest of a popular rap artist, Husky, reports Guardian UK.
The crackdown, that has been compared to Soviet-era censorship of the arts, has sparked controversy discussion in recent months, especially among young people.
Putin said such heavy-handed measures were often counterproductive and suggested an alternative approach. “If it’s impossible to stop something, you’ve got to take charge of it,” he said during a live broadcast of a meeting of his advisory council on culture and the arts.
Husky, who raps in Russian and whose songs have at times been critical of the government, said his concerts were under pressure because authorities objected to lyrics they found offensive.
