  urlLink EurasiaNet Culture -  A Rapper in Baku:  Coolio Gives Concert at Heidar Aliyev Palace :  " The first weekend of April saw what could easily have been taken as April Fool’ s joke come true in Baku,  as the American rap artist Coolio swung through town as part of a seven- month tour across Europe,
 the Middle East and the CIS.  Coolio,  who described himself in an interview as an 'international emcee and entertainer, ' devoted much of his two days in Baku to issues concerning Azeri youth.  Despite an evident desire to serve as a positive role model for young people,  and to live down the Gangster Rapper moniker,  he managed to stir things up during his time in Baku –  offending Azerbaijani viewers with a lewd gesture during a televised interview,  and rattling security at the concert venue by encouraging the audience to get up and dance.
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Azerbaijani teens seek social acceptance just like teenagers everywhere around the world,  but they tend to do this not by asserting their individuality.  Instead,  they seek to establish an identity within a traditional framework,  which stresses obedience to parental and societal norms.  The public actions of many Azerbaijanis of all ages appear to be predicated on the answer to a fundamental question:  'What would my neighbors think? '"
