Putin Gets Down At Hip-Hop Party (VIDEO)

Vladimir Putin may not be hip, but he isn't afraid to mix it up with some hip-hop.

The Russian prime minister, dressed in a somewhat unfortunate turtleneck sweater, decided to get down Friday on "Battle for Respect," a music contest run by Muz TV, Russia's answer to MTV. Putin was there not to dance -- though he did sway ever so slightly and awkwardly to the beat -- but to present awards, spread an anti-drug message, and buff his image as a man of the people.

From the AFP:

"And breakdance is something peculiar," Putin said. "This really is propaganda for a healthy lifestyle because it is hard to imagine breakdancing having anything to do with drinking and dope."

Putin is no stranger to the careful management of his everyman image, as anyone who saw the photos from his summer vacation of him riding shirtless on a horse can attest. As Reuters notes, Putin has been on an image rehabilitation program recently after seeing his approval ratings take a plunge last month.

Comments

[seattleblue]

Putin is a master of the minimalist dance movement.

[KIVPossum]

His facial expressions are a riot. You can almost read his mind - How much longer until I can get out of here?

[SassySafrine]

Painful all around.

[Tulka2]

Is "dweeb" still a word?

"I have found power to be the ultimate aphrodisiac for women." -Henry Kissinger

[Mike4Obama]

The look he gave would be equivalent to the look Sarah Palin would have in the Natural History Museum at the Mall in D.C.

[lemondade]

you can't get more uncomfortable than he looked! i will take a wild guess and say that he does not approve of such behavior or singing. i'm a hootin at putin.

[rudd]

fish out of the water. turtleneck at a party who does that?

[jasev01]

That's rough..

[ForeverXL]

Hahahah, his face at the end, when his head dropped down very very briefly. Oh man this man was in agony.

[Balzac]

Putin was not awkward, it was everyone else who was awkward. You don't want to see President Obama at a hiphop event either. Politicians don't generally dance to hiphop, techno, DnB, heavy metal, or anything without broad appeal across all generations. Politicians favor "easy listening".

[janeycat]

Obama was on the Ellen show and danced with her on tee vee.... he can get down when he wants
to ... Michelle was on there to and she can dance too

they are from a younger generation than other world leaders ...

[EqualMeansEqual]

Putin and Obama/Michelle are from the same age group.

Please know what you are talking about so you don't sound like a Obambot

[Naville]

A changing world, indeed.

[Xwendekar]

Don't 'get down' so hard, Mr. Prime Minister. You might throw a hip out.

[infodoc1]

lol

[ColoradoCool]

The Putin version of "get down" is eerily wooden and expressionless.

Rock on Vladimir.

[flossophy]

He must be crying inside... In the end, the great socialist experiment results in young Russians mimicing hiphop.

[SiberianRat]

Yeah, truly awful music. Russian/Soviet rock used to be quite good too.

[chronic]

Does that guy ever have an expression on his face.

Talk about the walking d3ad.

[globalcitizenlinda]

thanks to the rappers, America is in charge of the youth

[futate01]

Just because they are mimicking your rhythm doesn't mean they are following your style. You have no idea what is happening on that side of the world, and it has not similarity to what is happening here.

[EqualMeansEqual]

Russian youth listen to rock and rap from Russian artist.