Russian parliament runs rap song contest amid crackdown
MOSCOW — The Russian parliament on Thursday announced a rap song competition amid a crackdown on contemporary music that evoked Soviet-era censorship of the arts.
A dozen rappers have had their shows cancelled recently after warnings from officials who claim that their music promotes the wrong values. At least three musicians have been detained.
In a symbolic gesture of reconciliation, the State Duma announced it would run a competition for the best rap song — but it has to be on the subject of travel in Russia. The winner, according to lawmaker Mikhail Degtyarev, will win a trip around Russian cities.
“We want to give a platform for open discussion and highlight the opportunities as well as drawbacks of this or that town,” he said. “If, for example, there is a bad road near a tourist attraction, there should be a video about it.”