Open Access“My Rap Is a Prayer but with a Razor in the Mouth”: Religious Themes in Russian Rap
Author(s) -
Nikolai S. Poliakov
Publication year - 2019
Language(s) - English
DOI - 10.22250/2072-8662.2019.3.110-116
Subject(s) - lyrics , prayer , poetry , literature , criticism , character (mathematics) , face (sociological concept) , musical , phenomenon , art , russian culture , aesthetics , sociology , religious studies , philosophy , social science , geometry , mathematics , epistemology
The paper presents the analysis of religious themes in the lyrics of Russian rap artists. The songs of such musical groups and artists as “Kasta”, Detsl, FACE, Husky, Noize MC, “Sol’ Zemli”, “25/17” are considered. The article proves that rap in Russia has become a significant cultural phenomenon, and the lyrics of rap artists can be interpreted as poetry, inscribing it in the tradition of Russian literature. The article demonstrates that in Russian rap we can find such religious themes as God-seeking, anti-clericalism, criticism of religion as an institution, philippics against its individual representatives, a premonition of the coming Apocalypse, expressing a general sense of impending disaster. Musicians sensitively capture the atmosphere of the era and reflect it in their lyrics. Despite the fact that rap is a new form of art, in the world’s poetic tradition, dating back to the biblical texts, is reflected the works of Russian rap musicians, and at the same time it has a clear and sharp social character.