Meet Vladimir Putin, the rapper

After his shirtless fishing adventures, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has made his foray into the world of rap and break-dancing.

Putin's surprise appearance on a music channel to hand out awards came as a shock even to the journalists his minders handpicked to follow him around not to mention the audience of baseball cap-wearing adolescents.

Dressed in a polo-neck jumper and a sports jacket, 57-year-old Putin looked distinctly awkward among a crowd of head-bobbing hand-waving teenagers.

As the crowd around him writhed to a noisy rap song, he stood motionless with his hands stiffly at his sides while his security detail mingled among the audience 'in youth disguise', The Daily Telegraph reported.

Putin then took to the stage himself and spoke out against drugs and vodka, doing his best to show he knew about what he called 'mass youth culture'.

'Rap, even urban rap and street rap, is kind of crude, but is already filled with social content and addresses the problems of youth. Graffiti is becoming a real art form -- refined and polished. Break dancing is something completely unique,' he was quoted as telling an open-mouthed audience.

One rapper later called an embarrassed looking Putin 'a legend and our idol', saying he dreamed of performing a rap duet with the Russian strongman. But the outing did not garner Putin his usual rave reviews.

Kommersant, the Kremlin-friendly newspaper, called it 'a desperate move' to help raise Putin's popularity rating. Although his rating has fallen a little of late, it is still a stellar 66 per cent and many Russians expect him to return to the presidency in 2012.

Image: Putin takes part in the filming of the programme 'The Fight for Respect - Start Today!' at MUS-TV Television Channel in Moscow.
Photograph: Alexei Nikolsky/RIA Novosti/Pool