“We will find nice jobs in prison for anyone that’s too smart.”
-from “CHAIKA” by Pussy Riot
Outspoken, political punk band, Pussy Riot, are currently protesting Vladimir Putin’s close friend and General Prosecutor, Yuri Chaika, in their catchy song simply titled “CHAIKA.” Singer Nadezhda Tolokonnikova described the video to Vice as “a message from a top Putinist official to his sons and followers. It’s a tutorial on how to pinch money, raid enterprises, send competitors to prison or physically eliminate them.” Tolokonnikova was one of three members of Pussy Riot who were convicted by Chaika in 2012 for performing a protest concert in the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow.
Russia’s anti-corruption campaigner, Alexei Navalny uncovered in his investigation that the sons of General Prosecutor Yuri Chaika, have obtained immense wealth partly from having Tsapok gang connections. This brutal gang terrorized the town of Kushchevskaya in southern Russia leaving a bloody trail of corpses and rape victims. To learn more about the alleged corruption, you can read this article written by Shaun Walker, published in the Guardian:
Or watch Alexi Navalny’s documentary Chaika:
Their video for the song “CHAIKA” is complete with flirtatious camera glances, fishnet stockings, pink heels and national military garb. Throwing money in the air and biting a solid gold bread loaf convey the over abundance government officials obtain. The gold bread is not just a symbol though, (it was left by Ukrainian President Yanukovych after he fled his mansion in 2014.) Torture scenes, including waterboarding, and burnings with irons round out the video along with hand signals of wings and a bird mask as the Chaika name means “seagull”.
Many fans have problems with the high production quality of the video. As it’s a reference to the band “selling out.” I think this is pretty preposterous as Pussy Riot have been around for awhile now with backing from many famous musicians. Pussy Riot is still speaking their mind and standing up to the system while providing groovy music that works even in Russian! Why don’t you go harassing the band the 1975 for being obnoxious and unlistenable! Hearing the beats based direction of this song, I personally like it better than their punk stuff and hope they continue in this direction. TV on the Radio’s Dave Sitek produced this video, and in keeping with their punk attitude, Pussy Riot dressed in Russian uniforms so they could film in a Soviet-era banquet hall. Remember Russia isn’t America, these girls have to sneak around just to make a music video!
It doesn’t look like Pussy Riot will be getting any shade from Vladimir Putin over this video. The Russian leader has been trying to appeal to younger people even appearing on a televised hip-hop concert called, “The Battle For Respect.” He praised the performers and added that, “Street rap may be a little bit rough, but it contains social meaning.” And we can never forget that Putin released members of Pussy Riot in 2013 after they were jailed for over a year by giving them amnesty. Although sources say it was for selfish reasons, Putin was looking to eliminate his poor human rights record. Check out the music video for “Chaika” below!
-Amy Haben
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