New York (AFP) – Russian punk feminists Pussy Riot on Thursday turned their fire on Donald Trump with a graphic, dystopian video that imagines the United States if the Republican candidate wins.
The provocative band, whose members were jailed in Russia, intersperses footage of Trump with scenes of real and imagined violence in “Make America Great Again,” the title an allusion to his campaign slogan.
The video depicts police in a Trump America raping and otherwise humiliating members of the all-women band, including measuring them to ensure breast sizes to President Trump’s likings, branding them like cows and forcibly restricting abortion.
The song’s lyrics also take to task Trump’s hardline stance on immigration and champion the rights of African Americans amid outrage over police brutality.
“Let other people in / Listen to your women / Stop killing black children / Make America Great Again,” goes the chorus.
Pussy Riot rose to prominence through heated denunciations of Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump has spoken of in admiring terms.
Frontwoman Nadezhda Tolokonnikova and fellow member Maria Alyokhina were sentenced to prison in 2012 for performing an anti-Putin anthem on the altar of a Moscow church.
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny praised “Make America Great Again,” tweeting: “Pussy Riot has thrown together one hell of a video. It’s very Hollywood and cool.”
The video, available at https://youtu.be/s-bKFo30o2o, is the third release this week by Pussy Riot for an EP to come out on Friday entitled “xxx” in allusion to pornography.
After Pussy Riot’s earlier heavy, swirling guitars, the latest songs mark a sharp change of musical style for the group, which has worked closely with US artists since members’ release from prison in 2013.
“Make America Great Again” has a mellow, bossa nova-influenced rhythm and electronic backdrop while another track, “Straight Outta Vagina,” is energetic hip-hop.
Ricky Reed, who has worked with R&B stars CeeLo Green and Jason Derulo, produced “Make America Great Again.”
While some media once hesitated to use Pussy Riot’s name, the vulgar term for the female anatomy recently figured prominently in the news when a video surfaced of Trump boasting he would “grab (women) by the pussy” and get away with it because of his fame.
The Russian group also referenced Trump on “Straight Outta Vagina” and released the song with the declaration: “Pussy is the new dick, ladies.”
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