"Rap battle" for the first time in Podgorica: Which rapper has the best rhyme?

The international rap battle, a battle between rappers who try to humiliate each other in front of the audience by rhyming, will take place on November 21 at the Karver bookstore in Podgorica.

Behind the betel called "Na fer" stands "Rap Skillz", a team of hip hop enthusiasts with a center in Osijek, which has recently been actively working on popularizing and organizing such events throughout the ex-Yu area. The host and presenter of the program will be the most famous Montenegrin and one of the most respected beatlers in the region, Podgorica rapper Marko Lubarda aka Random, whose beats on YouTube have tens of thousands of views and are the most watched beats organized by "Rap Skillz".

"The originator of the 'Rap Skillz' story, Vedran Sokol from Osijek, who was the first to invite me to participate in their previous battle events, had long ago had the idea that this story should not be reserved only for Croatia. Rap ​​Skillz guest appearances in Tuzla and Belgrade followed , I gave the idea to extend it to Podgorica as well and took over the organization," said Random for "Vijesti".

He pointed out that the participants of the battle were chosen in consultation with "Rap Skillz" and based on the interest and availability of the contestants, who come from almost all parts of Montenegro, as well as Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Big Do (Podgorica) against Stat (Mojkovac), Stex (Nikšić) against Sarajevo rapper Stoposto, Dobbla (Budva) against Unconfirmed (Kraljevo) will battle at Carver, and the icing on the cake will be a two-on-two battle between the representatives of Montenegro - Đur Franete and Striko Jevra and Serbia - Samurai Kreka and Web. Among the contestants are rappers who are participating in this kind of event for the first time, through those who have several releases behind them, to beatlers who are among the most famous in the region, such as the aforementioned Krek and Webb.

"For the first time in the Balkans, we will try the concept of a two-on-two battle, in which two contestants from one team have to cooperate, connect and complement each other in order to insult their opponents through rhymes," explained Random, a member of the Podgorica rap duo JJ Okoča. .

Several rap battles have been organized in Montenegro before, but "Na fer" will be the biggest event of this type so far. Random says that because it is a pioneering venture, the organizers do not know how much attendance to expect, but he points out that according to the first information, the interest is huge and he hopes that such events will become a tradition.

Since he is the only representative of Montenegro in "Rap Skillz", the rapper from Podgorica pointed out that "Na fer" should serve to affirm younger battlers, who would later be invited to compete.

"Not much of this would have been possible without Snežana Nikčević from the BiT organization, the NGO 'Artikulacije', the bookstore 'Karver' and the team in charge of filming 'Oni Momci'," emphasized Random.

The events of "Rap Skillz" record an increasing interest of the audience in the region, and the rapper from Podgorica pointed out that the organizers want to create a Balkan league, modeled after the American, Canadian and British leagues. Battles in their organization are "a cappella pre-written", which means that the contestants will not "freestyle" all the time (throw rhymes they come up with on the spot), although they have that option, but will have time to study the opponent and prepare rhymes in advance with which he will humiliate them. It is a trend that is current in the USA and Great Britain, and which allows rappers to be more creative and publish better lyrics than those they would come up with on the spot.

There are no cash prizes

The winners of the battles will be decided by a team of judges, the composition of which is not yet known, and the event, like the previous one organized by "Rap Skillz", will be recorded by the eye of the camera, for which "Those boys" will be in charge.

Although the battles will be of a competitive nature, Random said that the winners, at least this time, do not expect a cash prize. Attendance at the event, as well as the participation of the contestants, will not be charged, and "On the Fair" is scheduled to last from 14 to 16 p.m.

"The only reward for the contestants is a good performance and a YouTube video of their battles that will be watched by tens of thousands of people all over the Balkans via the 'Rap Skillz' channel. always welcome and usually best received by the crowd," Random explained.