Please join us Wednesday, July 15th, at 4:00 PM for our Music, Talks, and Tea series! Professor Philip Ewell will be presenting a talk on Russian Rap and Politics.
The spoken word has always held a special place in the hearts of Russians. From Alexander Pushkin’s revolutionary writings, which inspired generations of Russian playwrights and librettists, to poetry recitations by Evgeny Evtushenko, to Russian bards like Vladimir Vysotsky, Russians love oral literary forms. This vibrant tradition lives today in the genre of Russian rap. Artists such as Husky, Noize MC, Oxxxymiron, Timati, and Vasya Oblomov are skilled wordsmiths who advance not just the literary form of poetry, but also political and cultural messages. In this talk I explore this genre from its beginnings to contemporary forms, and I discuss issues of censorship in the current oppressive Russian political climate in which an artist’s career can hinge on taking a friendly or antagonistic stance toward government.
Philip Ewell is Associate Professor of Music Theory at Hunter College and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. His specialties include Russian music and music theory, Russian opera, critical-race studies, and rap and hip-hop music. He has writings published in various academic music journals, which can be accessed at his website, philipewell.com. He is also active as a cellist specializing in contemporary and non-classical music.
