Splash of hip-hop in Moscow
Published 01 July, 2008, 17:30
A huge music festival boasting the best of hip-hop from around the world has been held in Moscow. Known as ‘Splash’, organisers say it is Europe’s biggest hip-hop and rap event.
Staged at the city’s Adrenalin skate park, it featured local hip-hop musicians and world headliners on one scene.
American duo M.O.P. were the stars of the show.
Coming from Brooklyn's Brownsville, a part of the city known for its gang warfare, the rappers knew each other from childhood.
M.O.P. is short for ‘Mash-out Posse’ – the name of a gang, headed by the brother of one of the musicians.
The violence, death and blood they saw on the streets and in their private lives had a strong influence on their music – and their first album.
The second CD was more successful and featured performers like Naughty by Nature and Jay-Z.
The self-produced “Cold as Ice”, one of the bands most popular singles, needed almost half of its lyrics to be censored for the radio version.
With alcohol, precious metals and bling-bling, M.O.P. are still on top of hip-hop, but sometimes they look as though the last twenty years have left them exhausted.
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