Already experienced rappers, who are recognized not only for the Montenegrin music scene, but also for the regional one, paved the way for young rappers like Podgoricanin Stefan Jovanović. That's why, he admits in an interview with Vijesti, it was much easier for him to think about the album because he had the support of his colleagues during its recording Ronaldo Maximum, and when his debut with ten songs came out, he advertised it on his channels Random.
Jovanović has been in music for a long time, he was the former bassist of the Shin-ei band, and today he is building a hip hop career under the pseudonym Shtulla. The album was announced with the current single "Pušti me tih priča", in which he goes through the everyday life of Podgorica through the lyrics, and through it he reflected on numerous situations. About what moment was decisive for him to decide to tell such a story, he reveals in an interview with Vijesti:
"I wrote the lyrics for the song 'Pusti me tih prica' when I was 16 years old with minimal changes that happened before the song was published. Both then and now, realizing that nothing has changed and that there are still people who want to present themselves in a different light, I decided to publish that song anyway", says Shtulla at the beginning of the conversation, about how much social networks have contributed to this that today everyone can present themselves in better clothes and how much we have lost our compass and true values as a result, he notes:
"I can freely say that since social networks appeared, the least amount of music is listened to. Influencers with short video content that keeps people's attention have an advantage, and it all boils down to the number of views collected. Social networks are a double-edged sword. As they are used the most today, it is true that they provide an easier opportunity for promotion, but I think they lose the point because everyone sees the profit from them and decides to record anything and everything. Because of this, the true authors are threatened in some way", believes Shtulla.
All these topics he touched on, not only in the current single "Pušti me tih prica", but also in the other songs on the album, bring true stories from real life with a special critical look at those "hunting" that we all have the opportunity to do from time to time. to listen.
"The complete album 'Vakat' follows realistic social themes, so this song is also true and represents our society, in which 'hunting' stories will always circulate. Like every city, ours has a lot of free 'hunters'", admits Shtulla and reveals in which moments he himself tells the interlocutor - "let me go with those stories":
"I used to be able to nod my head to various stories and completely switch off and wander with my thoughts. Over the years, as the threshold of tolerance has decreased, I've learned to say, 'Let me go with that story,' and believe me, that's half the health," advises Shtulla.
Rap was created as a kind of rebellion, and it talked about everything that oppressed hip hoppers at the time. However, today there are much more 'hunting stories' than rebellion through rap/trep songs. The interlocutor of Vijesti believes that such messages leave the wrong impression on young people who most often listen to hip hop.
"Today, everything is called hip hop. I believe that people who make quality hip hop, including Who See and Random, who deal with life topics that accompany our society and describe our mentality can only send a good message to listeners, and primarily to young people. I am of the opinion that more hunting stories can be found among trep performers", he is sure.
Although there are many more hunting stories in the blink of an eye, as Shtulla emphasizes, more and more hip hoppers are turning to it for the sake of a wider audience. Shtulla explains about whether the role of a public figure can be forgotten due to compromise:
"As far as I'm concerned, I'll stick to my direction, even though it's a more difficult path to follow in the world of music, because I'm doing this solely out of love. Considering that I don't do commercial rap, I have a bumpy road ahead of me (laughs). A compromise can be made, but a person must be very careful not to lose the base on which he was built", says Shtulla, who claims that there is no vanity among Montenegrin hip hoppers, on the contrary, they are ready to help each other, and points out that he himself first supports all that what they do.
"I will always support our scene first and give it priority, because there really is something to be heard. We are a nation that always glorifies something else and neglects our own, so I would single out our domestic performers, among them Who See, Random, Ronaldo Maximum, Wicked Ras, Skoveche, Tomorrow, Kurgasian, Big Do, Lerdifon, Losh".
The Montenegrin rap scene is growing day by day, and Shtulla singles out Random and claims that he is "the most promising Montenegrin rapper".
"He broke through a difficult path for himself, and thanks to that for all his other colleagues, and he must be recognized for that. He also promoted my music video, as well as the album, on his channels, and I would like to thank him for this opportunity. Ronaldo Maximum is the most responsible for the fact that I recorded the album at all, because he supported me every day and believed in me. Deda (Dejan Dedovic) from Who See did the matrix for the song 'Pušti me tih prica', so he also contributed to the project itself. And the person who was most happy about my return to the rap scene was Big Do, because I introduced him to the whole story about hip hop and he always wanted me to come back and work together. He is also my great support and the man who accompanies me at all performances as a supporting MC. So I would like to single out four of them in particular and thank them for everything so far", says Shtulla, aware of the fact that many young people look up to their musical idols, and for this reason, he pays attention to the messages in the songs, but also to the behavior on stage, as well as in private life.
"I behave completely relaxed both on stage and in my private life. I never share content on social networks that could endanger young people in some way. So far, I have not come across any negative comments regarding these things", the rapper proudly points out, whose debut album "Vakat" was released on August 15 on all digital platforms.
"As I said before, older and more experienced colleagues paved the way for us and it is much easier to work and consult with them about everything. Also, I have to mention that there are more conditions for recording, which was really difficult before. I was lucky enough to work with the studio 'Knowere2run' that they make Marko Ćacić i Todor Tadic, with whom I had a phenomenal collaboration and this is perhaps the fastest recorded album so far that came out from their production company. Everything went like clockwork, with the recording, with the guests of the album, until the actual realization", concludes Shtulla.
Bonus video:
