Being the first in something does not mean anything in itself, if it does not set the foundation stone for others - like that Batrić Belojević, better known as Ronaldo Maximum comments on the fact that he recently released his album "Realnost bez priloga" on vinyl, and thus became the first Montenegrin rapper whose rhymes can be listened to on a record player.
"I am satisfied with the reaction of the audience and colleagues, I think that the album resonated as much as possible in our conditions, the majority of Montenegro that is interested in that culture had the opportunity to hear the songs. I'm not looking for more than that for now...", says the rapper from Podgorica in an interview with "Vijesti".
Ronaldo Maximum started his rap career in the group Brutal, and after several years of inactivity, the debut album "Realnost bez priloga" arrived, so he reveals how long he worked on it and why now was the right time for his return to the hip hop scene.
"The album was generally made, with slight breaks, from April 2023 to January 2024. The time of my return to music was determined by general life circumstances, considering that I spent a period of almost ten years outside of Podgorica and Montenegro, my return home was an opportunity to return to the stage", he says, and then explains how came up with the idea to release the album on vinyl.
"I decided on vinyl because I couldn't be satisfied with just a digital release, feeling a strong need to transfer the album to one of the traditional, solid sound carriers. Discs have lost their utility value, cassettes are slowly coming back into fashion, but very slowly and in limited circles, so vinyl remains a logical choice due to its prestige and sound quality," Ronaldo Maximum believes.
When asked how important it is to be the first in something, given that until now rappers in Montenegro have not shown interest in publishing material on records, he says:
"Being the first in anything and possibly remaining the only one, means absolutely nothing, if the move you made is not the foundation stone on which the others will build. We have to be realistic, Montenegro does not have a very rich musical tradition in the external framework and it is not difficult, under certain conditions, to be the first in some things here, but the real task is to create continuity and animate the environment in the right way in order to get more in the future".
However, the vinyl project was not without problems, and the rapper from Podgorica reveals how the journey from idea to realization took place.
"The project lasted exactly half a year, and with the fact that I organized everything by myself, it was somehow expected that there would be problems," he concludes.
"With the distrust of the community and a very weak response when it was necessary to complete the design work on the cover itself, I was forced to order the design of the album cover from Belgrade. After contacting several designers with us, no one was interested in accepting engagement in the project", continues Ronaldo Maximum.
"After several delays, when everything was finalized and the product arrived on the territory of Montenegro, the problem of importing the plates themselves appeared. I have to underline, the gentlemen from the Customs Administration of Montenegro were just doing their job, because according to the current law of Montenegro, it was necessary for the circulation of 100 copies to be taken over by a legal entity. The Galilleo production company, our great director, came to meet me Nikola Vukčević", points out the interlocutor of "Vijesti" and points to the problem faced by Montenegrin musicians.
"That's where the fact comes to the fore that 90 percent of alternative artists, and probably the entire hip hop scene in Montenegro, is informal, as long as there is no organization behind us in the form of a publishing house that could and should deal with similar administration. Montenegrin hip hop artists do not exist in the legal sense. We are at the level of children who play football behind a two-stone building, not owning a stadium, stands, or changing rooms, except for a small audience, a ball and bare life," describes the rapper vividly.
"Playing like that on the ice, our hope to be noticed in the region is like those kids behind the building hoping for the lights of the Champions League, years and kilometers away from our reality", he believes.
"The project was realized completely independently, far from the interest of any non-governmental organizations dealing with culture, even further from the interest of any state cultural institutions. Here we return to the previous question, where being the first with us usually means being alone. I sincerely hope that the next project of this type, mine or anyone else's, will be at least nominally supported because it requires a lot of time, dedication and resources. If I had anyone with me, everything would be on an even higher level and I could already announce that the next album that I will release at the beginning of next year will also be immortalized on vinyl. This way it depends on other circumstances and my financial possibilities at the given moment", says the rapper.
The album "Realnost bez priloga" also brought several collaborations with colleagues, so Ronaldo Maximum looks back on joining forces, but also on the process of choosing those who will guest on the songs.
"The cooperation went as it should, I am more than satisfied and grateful as it is Random, Poetics, Skoveche, Whitey i Euro stepped forward, most of them will be on the new album, while with some of them, in order not to reveal too much, I am also preparing some joint mini-releases", he hints.
"As for the selection of artists for collaboration, that is dictated by the songs, I would personally collaborate with a lot of people, but the arrangements and the very atmosphere of the song is what dictates who will be invited. It's hard to explain that to people here, through everyday communication I feel that they imagine the gathering of collaborators on the album as some kind of pageant, where we choose who is the coolest to us at that moment and fights for world peace. It all has to make sense and we, as hip hop artists, need understanding if we refuse an offer for cooperation, because we, like other musicians, even in a healthy working environment, have strict criteria and reasons for deciding who we invite to our projects." explains the rapper.
And until the new songs and the second album arrive, fans of Montenegrin hip hop can listen to "Reality without attachments" in the digital version, but also on the gramophone record.
"The distribution of the vinyl itself is in charge of the association NGO Montenegro Records - Gramophone Records Montenegro, although it can also be ordered through the Ronaldo Maximum Instagram page", says the rapper and finally reveals part of what is already planned when it comes to future projects.
"Plans are big, hands only two. Me and Knowhere2Run are currently packing the next album called 'Što pričat' đeci', which we expect to be released in two months. Also a lot of projects in addition to albums in the form of joint releases with several Montenegrin artists. In general, as far as Montenegrin hip hop is concerned, 2024 was an extremely fruitful year, but I can freely tell you that 2025 will be at least twice as interesting in terms of releases, so let's just wait and see," announced the interlocutor of "Vijesti".
"The focus is also on the fight for a space where we could present our music and the general hip hop atmosphere a little more often. We are working on that as well, it is also not something that will happen overnight", believes Ronaldo Maximum.
"Bjeloza Konza" stood out from the start
Several songs from the album Ronaldo Maximum have already been filmed, so he reveals how the selection of the songs that will get a video went, and whether he will record any more.
"'Bjeloza Konza' stood out from the start, as far as she was concerned, there was no doubt as to who would be the first single. It was not difficult for me to choose the others either, the second single that was screened '81106 Directive' is part of our local presentation, while the song 'Bijeg', for which the video was released a few days ago as an announcement of the new album, was the warmest and most relaxed song of all 12 which we are preparing for that aforementioned edition", he points out.
"I'm planning to record a music video for another song from the upcoming album, the song is still in a random title, we haven't even given it a name, but the guys from Knowhere2run and I agree that it would be a good choice for the screen version. The release of the music video is planned to coincide with the release of the album itself, in the middle or end of January", announces the rapper.
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