LIETUVA, TU MUMS ŠVENTA! ANTITARYBINIS ROKAS IR PATRIOTINIS HIPHOPAS
LITHUANIA, THOU ARE SACRED! ANTI-SOVIET ROCK AND PATRIOTIC HIP-HOP

Summary/Abstract: According to researchers, the Lithuanian rock of the 1970s and 1980s was a hybrid of the Western alternative culture, the Soviet proletarian culture and the Lithuanian dissidentism. Instead of turning into a part of show business as it did in the Western Europe, the Lithuanian rock-music always stayed illegal and prosecuted. Among the most bitter rock groups was Antis, which satirized the Soviet bureaucracy and the official kitschy art. The soloist of the group Algirdas Kaušpėdas was one of the leaders of the Lithuanian movement for freedom. All the power of the national independence movement gave vent in the “Singing Revolution” in 1989. The process of liberation was like a rite, which for many people turned into an unforgettable personal and historical experience. The demonstrators gathered in squares like in churches. Folk, rock and pop-songs performed at that time were regarded as sacred; and this attitude towards them did not change much until nowadays. Political demonstrations of Lithuanian people could be characterized by numerous traits typical to the religious festivals: not responding to force by violence, experiencing brotherhood and sisterhood, praying to Providence and hoping for a miracle. In the song by Algirdas Kaušpėdas Coast of Our Dreams, some biblical images could be noted: “We are a strange young armless troop stepping onto a bright surface of water. Let’s walk ahead, no hesitations, or we’ll forget the destination!” New wave of patriotic songs surged up before another important achievement in the history of Lithuania, i.e. joining the European Union in 2004. Hopes and feelings of the new members of the community were heartily expressed by the Lithuanian rappers. Lithuanian hip-hop of that time was incredibly romantic and patriotic. Listening to the famous album Concrete Tales one could hear: “Our native Vilnius, we’ve been conceived in your underground; that’s where we’ve learned to spell the word and portion it out in doses. <…>

• Details
• Contents