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Russian Rapper Ivan Vitalievich Petunin Commits Suicide To Avoid Entering Into A War With Ukraine

Russian rapper Walkie

Amid the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, losses continue to be suffered. However, this time they have been seen in the music industry. Following his enlistment in the Russian Army, Russian rapper Ivan Vitalievich Petunin, better known as Walkie, took his own life in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar.

Russian Rapper Walkie Did Not Want The Act Of Murder To Remain On His Psyche

The U.S. Sun reported that Petunin told friends that following the military operation against Ukraine, he could not “take the sin of murder on my soul.” To continue his brutal war against Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin drafted 300,000 extra Russian citizens. Walker was one of these extras.

Having no control over your decisions and the only way to escape is to commit suicide is a sad experience.

According to local media, Walkie’s body was discovered close to a high-rise building in Krasnodar on Friday after he talked to his fans about his decision.

The Russian Army Isn’t Ivan’s First Service

Furthermore, this was not his first experience serving in the Russian Army. Due to his dissatisfaction with his previous experience, he attempted to gain entrance into a mental hospital to avoid serving again. Sadly, this did not prove effective, and Ivan considered taking his own life his final act of protest.

“If you are watching this video, then I am no longer alive,” he informed supporters in a video. “I can’t take the sin of murder on my soul and I don’t want to. I am not ready to kill for any ideals.”

According to Russian rapper Walkie’s biography, he was born in 1995 and later developed into a rapper. In addition, he started in the improvised music world and released his first album, “Psíquico,” in 2018.

The War Sparked Dissatisfaction Among Public Figures

During this tumultuous period, celebrities of different nationalities have taken to social media sites to voice their discontent with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

For example, Stephen King, the acclaimed horror author, created an analogy to demonstrate his point. As a result, he believes that the world should not remain silent while Russia attacks. Also, actor Mark Ruffalo, who appears in the Marvel Studios films as the Hulk, avoided expressing support for any particular side. Instead, he expressed concern over innocent civilians caught in the crossfire.

Forced participation in a war that you do not believe in is reprehensible. There must be justice for the suffering of those deprived of their rights. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Ivan’s family and friends. Hopefully, there will be no further deaths in the war between the two countries.

Written by Nikiya Biggs | Twitter: @BiggsNikiya | Instagram: @competent_journalist

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FM Politics Trending

Ukraine’s Music Scene Threatened By Russian Invasion

Ukraine's Music Scene Threatened By Russian Invasion
Pro Ukrainian demonstration Philadelphia. Image source: Kylie Cooper.

Musically, it would seem like there’s something for everyone’s taste in Ukraine. But with Russia’s recent invasion of the country, the future of Ukraine’s music scene is now at risk.

In the last eight years since the 2014 revolution, artists from every genre have come to thrive in Ukraine. Fo Sho, an Afro-Ukrainian sisterly trio, offers hip-hop beats blended with Ethiopian roots. Onuka delivers with exciting electro-pop. And Postman’s acoustic indie-pop shows his admiration for the work of Bob Dylan.

The Ukraine music scene also includes hip-hop artists such as Alyona Alyona and the synth-pop of Kurgan & Agregat. These are only a few of the hundreds of noteworthy Ukrainian artists who have grown in popularity in recent years.

The artist behind Postman, guitarist Kostiantyn Pochtar, spoke on how the revolution impacted the growth of music in the country. “After 2014, I felt that my country never experienced such a good time because really, everything was blossoming in a way,” he said. “It all started back then, after the revolution.”

DJ and label owner, Bodya Konakov, added his own thoughts. “A lot of interesting artists had a chance to show their music to the whole world. Everybody was interested what this revolution would bring. It was like a wave,” Konakov said. “Everybody wished to take part in building a new music scene. It was a beautiful time of solidarity, and we can see now that we have a strong music scene.”

But now, like Ukraine itself, that music community is under serious threat. While many musicians have to remain in Ukraine and serve the country, some still struggle to stay or go. Clubs are closed, and events scheduled to take place soon now hang in limbo.

Ukraine’s Music Scene Fights Back

However, some artists have decided to use their talents to boost morale. “There will be songs dedicated to the heroes who laid down their lives defending us,” said the Death Pill drummer Anastasia Khomenko. “To every brave man who went through this terrible war, to Russian battleships which can f*** right off.” 

“Our music will become heavier, filled with anger and hatred. We will never be able to forget and forgive them all the evil they have done to us,” Khomenko added.

Sentiments such as Khomenko’s reflect how personal the war is for Ukrainians and shows their defiance in the face of war. We can only hope the conflict comes to a swift and peaceful end for both sides.

If you want to help Ukrainians, who are now hiding from bombs and struggle to save their country, visit #HelpUkraine.

Written by Olan Bryant

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FM Politics Trending

Russia Invades Ukraine, Celebs Get Candid

Russia Invades Ukraine, Celebs Get Candid
Image source: Chris McGrath/Getty Images

The potential nightmare of Russia moving in on Ukraine came true at 4AM on Feb. 24.

This comes after months of Russia assembling military troops around the small country. The number of those troops is now approaching 200,000, as stated in reports from the White House. According to the report by Ambassador Michael Carpenter, the measures taken by Russia can be described as “the most significant military mobilization in Europe since the Second World War.”

The tensions rising between the two European nations might also dramatically impact the rest of the world. Russia has a long history with nuclear warfare. According to the Nuclear Threat Initiative, Vladimir Putin’s state poses a threat of around 6257 atomic warheads. Indeed, it’s an instrumental day for global politics. Since Ukraine’s invasion broke, the celebrity world has given its thoughts. In a mix of sympathetic and strange, some of the world’s biggest stars are making themselves heard on this pressing issue.

Cardi For The Citizens Of Russia And Ukraine

One of the first celebrities to speak out on the Ukraine crisis was New York rapper Cardi B. Earlier this week (Feb. 22), Cardi took to Twitter to vent after a fan asked for her take.

“Wish these world leaders stop tripping about power and really think about whose really getting affected (citizens) besides the whole world is in a crisis,” she typed. “War, sanctions, invasions should be the last thing these leaders should worry about.”

Cardi posted a video doubling down after another Twitter user implied someone else was behind her rant.

“I actually want to say a lot of things, but I’m just gonna mind my business. Sometimes, I feel like I have such a big platform that if I don’t say the right things, I might get killed,” she began.

“I’m really not on NATO’s side or Russian’s side. I’m actually on the citizens’ side. At the end of the day, the world is having a crisis right now. There’s inflation not only in America but everywhere in the world,” Cardi explained. “There is so much shipments and embarkments, backed up. China’s not really messing with us, so a lot of things are behind, a lot of goods are behind. This shit just made it a lot more complicated, so I’m just really annoyed by this.”

The ‘Up’ rapper ended the video with a simple wish. Cardi called for world leaders to come to a “logical conclusion.” This is also a sentiment shared by many citizens of Ukraine, most likely including the dead civilians.

The War Between Russia And Ukraine Is Personal For Some

“Dancing With The Stars” alum Maks Chmerkovskiy is pleading for peace. The Ukrainian-American ballroom dancer posted several videos from Kyiv on Thursday, showing the raw reaction of his hometown invasion. “Honestly, I’ve been getting really emotional. It’s been a little difficult.” He said shakily. “You know me, I stay strong; I don’t show it. But I want to go back home.”

In one of the videos, Maks also explains his privilege as an American citizen. “I realize that I have a way. I realize that I have a different passport, and my family is far away. What I’m realizing is my friends whose kids are here, whose moms/dads are here, and elderly people, and they can’t just escape.”

Similarly to Cardi, Maks expressed what he wants is a peaceful resolution. However, in a more pointed response. He placed responsibility, particularly on Russian citizens. “I think that in 2022 [in the] civilized world, this is not how we do things. And I think as a powerful, forward-thinking nation, not a third-world country, Russia needs to get up and actually say something. No one’s opinion is being heard. This is all one man’s ambition.”

How Not To Speak On The Ukraine Crisis

Andy Cohen and John Cena have also thrown their 2 cents in on the less nuanced end.

The Bravo talk show host posted a screenshot from the popular game Wordle to his IG story this Thursday afternoon.

Clearly, the photo is a blend of too much and not enough. It’s also possible that Andy didn’t want to step on any toes and opted for simplicity. Nonetheless, it’s a little tacky.

While some chastise the 53-year-old for being slightly tone-deaf, The Real Housewives creator subsequently stepped in the right direction. He posted his Ukrainian trainer Stanislav Kravchenko speaking on his personal experience with the invasion. In his story, the trainer detailed the dire conditions of his family and friends are forced to seek shelter from the violence. As quickly as he received flack, he got praise for amplifying a Ukrainian’s voice during these worrying times.

 

 

One thing for sure, it was undoubtedly a better showing than John Cena. Most would choose an inspirational or encouraging message for times like these. clearly, the former wrestler had a different idea.

Yup, The Suicide Squad star used the impending European war to promote his HBO Show Peacemaker. As you can imagine, fans were not happy with the ill-timed promotion. Many Twitter users quickly brought up a May incident where Cena mistakenly called Taiwan a country.

Currently, the tweet has over 3000 quotes and hundreds of angry replies. So hey, the promotion may have worked after all.

The Case Of Terrible Timing

The Weeknd falls in an awkward middle on the scale from appropriate to ill-fitting.

Russia had just begun its missile assault when the “After Hours” star promoted an unknown project. Suddenly, fans were stupefied by his apparent excitement in the midst of receiving information on Ukraine.

https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/1496690244753641472?s=21

https://twitter.com/theweeknd/status/1496617450011389952?s=21

“LET’S GOOOOOOOO,” he typed. “it’s FINALLY HERE ! It’s time .. TOMORROW !!!” This vague announcement was coincidentally sent out before Russia’s attacks became public knowledge. Yikes.

The Weeknd was quick to acknowledge the unintentional mishap. “unfortunately i’m just now seeing what’s happening with the conflict and will pause on tomorrow’s announcement. i pray for everyone’s safety,” he clarified. While it’s apparent that lousy timing was the culprit, It’s good to know his heart is in the right place. This, of course, didn’t stop his own fans from making fun.

It’s important to note that celebrity input is a small piece of this current global conflict. It’s natural to use Hollywood affairs to escape, but the situation below is still the reality. 

Donate to charities like the International Medical Corps, United Help Ukraine, or Global Giving to aid the people of Ukraine. We may not have the platform of Cardi or The Weeknd, but it’s all the same good intentions.

 

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Dreema Carrington|IG @dr3amgirl79|Twitter @notdreema

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FM Politics Trending

Ukrainian Artists Come Together, Speak On War

Ukrainian Artists Come Together, Speak On War

Lead singer of BoomBox Andriy Khlyvnyuk has commented on what has been going on in his country of Ukraine.

In an interview with Euronews, he says, “I’ll take my kids to a safe house, to granny’s. And then I’ll return to follow the instructions of the government, and if there is a need, I’ll take my gun and go fight for my country.”

He continues, “They bombed us. But what I hear now is complete support from everywhere, from everyone who knows me and listens to my music.”

Khlyvnyuk plans to join the war with friends. “Musicians are peacemakers,” he states, but “now it’s not time for playing guitars. It’s time to take the rifles.”

Ukrainian Artists Unite Together

Last Tuesday, the Ukrainian band Elza Ocean performed a special acoustic set in their hometown. Lead singer Sviatoslav Vakarchuk also spoke with Euronews saying, “It was a time when we needed to raise the mood of people, but that was two days ago. Today it’s a real war, and probably it’s time not just for signing, it’s time for fighting. But you can also fight with words.”

“They punish us just for having our own agenda, our own desires, and certainly we will fight,” Vakarchuk continued to say.

“I want to ask everybody to be loud and yell about everything that happens today.”

Other Artist Speak On The Russian-led War

Many artists have spoken out about the horrific events between Russia and Ukraine. Cardi B recently tweeted her thoughts about the conflict. “Wish these world leaders stop tripping about power and really think about who’s really getting affected (citizens) besides the whole world is in a crisis. War, sanctions, invasions should be the last thing these leaders should worry about.”

Yungblud shared his reaction via Twitter as well, writing, “I’m so devastated to see what’s happening in Ukraine right now. my prayers are with you.”

Written By: Roy Lott

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FM Spotlight Trending

Once Upon A Time In LA Festival Announced

Once Upon a Time Los Angeles ㅡ a band of West Coast legends come together for a one-day festival. Snoop Dogg, Live Nation and Bobby Dee are to hold the Once Upon A Time In LA festival on Dec. 18, 2021. The festival was announced back in June with a lineup including Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Cypress Hill, and more goes down at L.A.’s Exposition Park. The rest of the bill seems to be divided into three subgroups. You’ve got your classic funk and soul stars. On top of that, along with 50 Cent, you have Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Three Six Mafia, rap legends from other regions to make an appearance. The festival lineup also includes names such as Al Green, Blueface, and The Isley Brothers for fans of every generation. Special guests Foos Gone Wild, musicians who double as cholo culture parodists on their Instagram meme page will also appear.

Once upon a time, in a city so divine

A lot of impressive festival lineups have revealed themselves in recent weeks. Last year, a similar event called Lovers & Friends that was also helmed by Snoop and Goldenvoice was set to take place prior to the pandemic. Hopefully there won’t be any issues with this like there were last year. In the meantime, tickets for the Once Upon a Time In LA Festival are available for presale June 25 at 10:00 am PST via ticketmaster.  All tickets start at $19.99 down. Per health regulations details on the festival entry process became available back in early July. All patrons are subject to a full and complete search prior to entry. By purchasing a ticket, patrons agree to submit to a full body pat-down and magnetometer screening before entry. Patrons that refuse to comply with the search policy are subject to refusal of entry into the event.

You can find all the relevant details here.