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Putin Talks Drugs, Alcohol at Hip-Hop Show
November 16, 2009 10:06 AM
ABC's Alexander Marquardt reports from Moscow:
“Respect, Vladimir Vladimirovich” went the chant at a hip-hop awards show Friday night. No, the young fans weren’t showing their love for Russia’s hottest rapper, but rather their popular prime minister, Vladimir Putin.
Dressed in a decidedly unhip-hop white turtleneck and zip-up jacket, Putin took the stage after a rapper’s performance to warn Russia’s youth about the hazards of drug and alcohol abuse, both of which have reached dizzying levels here.
“Street rap may be a little bit rough but it contains social meaning, raising social problems,” Putin told the crowd at the “Fight for Respect” show on Muz-TV that also featured break dancers and graffiti artists.
“Graffiti has become a real elegant art, break dance is something special. It is really a promotion of a healthy lifestyle. It is hard to imagine break dance being combined with alcohol or drugs,” he added.
Putin stood stiffly in the front row as the audience waved their hands in the air to Russian rapper Zhigan who later said “it would be cool to record a joint track with Mr. Putin because this man is a legend, he’s our icon.” The crowd roared its approval.
The Russian premier is not the first politician to attempt to use hip-hop to get a message across. Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele cringe-inducingly promised an “off the hook” PR campaign for the GOP in “urban-suburban hip-hop settings.”
For his part, the macho Putin is quite familiar with unorthodox methods of promoting healthy living. In recent years he has released a judo DVD (he is a black belt) and famously paraded about shirtless while on outdoorsy vacations.
The prime minister’s spokesman denied that Putin’s Muz-TV appearance had anything to do with sagging approval ratings after the newspaper Kommersant called the appearance “a desperate move.”
According to the Moscow-based Levada Center, Putin’s approval rating has fallen off slightly in the last few months but he still remains the most popular political figure in the country.
Putin will continue to mix with the masses in the coming weeks when he takes calls from Russian citizens on TV later this month.
November 16, 2009 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (1)
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As... In alcohol in wine in a nice
Canadian wine vineyard the contents are 11% to 14%.
If you mix russian vonka and drugs.
It is a deadly mix....
I simply love my goat cheese and wine
and QUAKERS....
Posted by: kellie mckernan | Nov 16, 2009 6:34:05 PM
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