On the first album "Playing to the customer" in 2007, the most popular Montenegrin hip hop group Who See made it possible to hear a female voice in domestic rap. Their friend and longtime collaborator Labia will traditionally be a guest at each subsequent edition, paving the way for future female rappers and showing that hip hop doesn't have to be just a "man's game".
Bojana Petrović, who stands behind this pseudonym, has not published a handful of songs so far, but each one was a step of five miles for her. Even 10 years ago, she told "Vijesti" that she misses more female colleagues to share the burden of empowering the female voice on the rap scene. "Maybe then I would have more inspiration and desire to prove myself," she said then. Looks like that time has come.
After a break of several years, the audience finally had the opportunity to hear Labija again, on the song that was the fulfillment of her wish, the "girl power" anthem "ANEMOI", on which three months ago Vibin wit DJ Mono gathered all Montenegrin female rappers. "Metak" followed - a collaboration with Nikšić producer Marko Janjušević Janja, known to the public from the group Manitou, and then the single "Kontrabanda" and Labia seems to be back in full glory, inspired and eager to maintain a creative constant this time.
"I was finishing my specialization in oral surgery and at the same time working on my work in dentistry, which requires a lot of concentration, energy and time. Now, the writing itself never stopped, but I simply did not find time for the realization, without it getting the form it deserves", explains the rapper in an interview with "Vijesti" why we haven't heard anything new from her for a long time.
Today, she is no longer the lone female voice on the local rap scene, and she says that means a lot to her. There are her colleagues with whom she gave birth to the project "ANEMOI", those the audience already knows such as Maria B and Apro, as well as new hopes Jutro and Kurgashian.
"The feeling is relaxing. It is generally sad when a person is 'lonely' in any sphere of life. No motivation. So I'm very glad that this project happened and that there is love and courage to create this kind of music," says Labia.
The motivation is now stronger than ever. The energetic "Metak" brought a sharp critique of society, with a fresh sound mix of dubstep and grime. Both Labia and Janjo pointed out that this is just the beginning of their cooperation.
"I have known Janja for a long time and appreciate his work. That's exactly the concept of my 'presentation' that I would characterize like this - cooperation with nice people and perspective 'from the side', and at the core MC-ing. With Janja, you will surely listen to me again", she promises.
Ten days ago, the single "Kontrabanda" was released, on which Labia collaborated with DJ Mitika from Kotor, another song where the rapper's piercing vocals serve rhymes over a dance rhythm and a bass that makes you move.
"DJ Mitiko is normally involved in disco music, but since he is both musically and technically well-versed, and we have a long-standing friendship, we came up with the idea to use that for this project. It is exactly this concept that I mentioned", emphasizes Labia.
The rapper does not intend to stop there. She announced that in the coming period we can expect collaborations with Marija B and MC Apro, but also some surprises. There will be no shortage of inspiration, because social problems have remained the same for decades. "This government, that one, all the same, we don't budge from guns and crosses", raps Labia on the song "Metak".
"This topic has been repeated, unfortunately, like a vicious circle for years. As a society, it seems that we have not yet developed enough to overcome it, so for now I think we will have material both from the press and from life to continue rapping about it," she concludes.
Janjo: Work on the rest of the album is almost finished
And Marko Janjušević Janjo got hot this year. He announced the album with the single "Komšo je puka" in February, followed by a collaboration with Labija, and "Vijesta" revealed that the next single was mastered at the same time, for which he is waiting for the video to be finished, which should be in front of the audience soon.
"The work on the rest of the album is almost finished, I'm waiting for more verses from the guests, so I believe that everything will be completed and ready for publication by autumn. There will surely be one or two more singles before I release the whole project", he announced and added that he is working on a dubstep EP, as well as on a joint project with Podgorica rapper Ronald Maximum.
With the group Manitou, but also as a producer under the pseudonym Pas Manit, Janjušević was part of the scene in Nikšić, which at one time was among the most vital in Montenegro. However, lately it seems that music making has died in the city under Trebjes. For the aforementioned vitality of the scene, Janjo says that the most deserving was the audience, which is now smaller with the change of generations and the fact that many have moved away from Nikšić.
"It seems to me that people from Nikšić make up at least half of the audience at almost every event in Podgorica now. Hard music, not only guitar, but also electronic and hip hop, has fewer and fewer loyal listeners, so bar owners and event organizers mostly turn to 'stall' bands and DJs. There are few producers of electronic music, and there are a large number of DJs who play a couple of similar genres that they know for sure will go over with the audience, so there is very little diversity in styles, even though electronic music is an ocean of diverse genres. "I don't see that anything will change in order to create a new wave of music in the city, and there are very few active bands and musicians left," said the musician.
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