Putin wants Kremlin to control rap music in Russia

Moulding rap in the Kremlin’s image – Putin’s new message of co-opting rather than cracking down on music culture.

Russia‘s rap artists have grown increasingly vocal about the country’s social problems, and the Kremlin is not happy about it.

President Vladimir Putin has called for tighter control of rap and other musical genres. But for fear of making them even more popular, he stopped short of calling for an outright ban.

Al Jazeera’s Joao da Silva reports.