For Podgorica rapper Marko Lubarda, better known among hip-hop fans as Random, the past year 2025 was a very active one - from the release of the EP "Pomet", through songs for the compilation "Domaća rabota 2", independently and as half of "Džej Džej Okoče" (with Poetika), to the single "Nikad u dom" with which he closed out December.
In an interview with "Vijesti", Random summarizes the past year, looks back on how much musicians and songs can influence solving social problems, and what fans can expect from him this year.
The past year has been very active for you, could you tell us what was most significant for your career?
The most important thing is that I stayed alive and healthy, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to continue my career. And I spent too much time sitting down for the year to be considered active. As for the rest, the EP project "Pomet", the collaboration with Shtullom on the video "Ako ti basta" and the track "Zdravlje" by "Džej Džej Okoče" on the "Domaća rabota 2" compilation remained the most memorable.
You ended the year with the song “Nikad u dom”. How did this song come about? Did the inspiration come from one of the traffic lights while you were driving?
Well done, and “Nikad u dom” was released right before the end of the year. Yes, the inspiration just came at one of the traffic lights, while I was knocking on people’s windows to ask them to clean their windshields. And saying “drove” is extremely ambitious, expressions like “milio”, “vlak se” and “primicao se” are much more appropriate for Podgorica rush hour. The song was created through hard work and sacrifice with my colleague Lerdifon in Knowhere2run studio and the support of DJ Mono.
This is not the first time that you, either independently or as part of “Džej Džej Okoče”, have drawn attention to some of the problems of your fellow citizens or society in general in your songs. To what extent can musicians, in this case rappers, or songs in general, help solve problems?
Rappers, musicians and artists in general have zero influence on changes in society. I would even say that, for example, since the song “Never Home” came out, the crowds in the city have become even more unbearable. But that has always been the role of artists. A local musician in a village would sit on a fence or climb a tree, singing with the help of a tambourine about the greed of the prince, the dirtiness of the streets or the promiscuity of the ladies. Passers-by would laugh, some would throw stones at him, and that would be the end of their narrative arc. I identify my role with that of the Gallic musician in the world of “Asterix and Obelix”, who does not participate in battles, but is part of everyday life.
Before this song, you released “Autogram” as part of “Domestic Work”, and it opens the compilation. How much does it mean to you that your song is the first?
I paid dearly for a VIP ticket and the privilege of having my song be the first on this magnificent release. Some of my fellow rappers from our studio resented me terribly for it. What I have to say to them is that they should invest more time and effort into their work and careers and one day, maybe, just maybe, they will manage to feel the magic of being the first song on a compilation like this, where the tracks are, by the way, arranged quite “randomly”.
How does working on such songs generally go when you somehow get a matrix and an "assignment"?
It's generally going well, how are you? Each instrumental by the Knowhere2run team is a story in itself and triggers a new avalanche of inspiration and the need to complete it with rhythmic pronunciation of rhymes. I found some peace, put on some music, realized that I "feel like a master", which became the first verses of the song. It continued with an allegory of a home handyman who gets his hands dirty, behaves inappropriately, takes out his tools and offers you his elbow. Everything after that is a song (pun used intentionally, author's remark).
You were part of the crew that filmed Domaća rabota 1. How much has the hip-hop scene changed since then, and how much has your career changed?
The local market research organizations have not yet processed 100% of the data, but based on the analyzed sample, the hip-hop scene has grown by 17% since then, and my career has finally passed the census and now stands at a stable 3,2% in most municipalities in Montenegro. Negotiations are underway to form a coalition with more influential players in the music scene, primarily in the field of folk music, to form a local government. I remain persistent in my dreams of performing at the Bemax Arena and Montesong 2028.
You recently had a performance at Podgorica Market - the performance was postponed due to bad weather, but it wasn't very warm the other day either - how do you cope with the winter conditions at your performances? What are your impressions of this Podgorica Market?
Knowing the severity of the low temperatures that would await me at the performance, I made my preparations on Kopaonik, in the freezer of the local supermarket and in the chambers of my ex-girlfriend's heart. I put on a ski thermal suit underneath, which led to a certain swelling of my constitution and the delight of some female parts of the audience. The impressions from this Podgorica market are incredible, here I am still walking on clouds and shivering from the shivers of the atmosphere and togetherness that was boiling that evening. I regret that I did not manage to trade something, because the etymological nature of the word "market" indicates that everyone should buy something. Then I remembered that I had bought the hearts of many in the audience and I felt like a banjo.
What else can we expect from Random in 2026?
The real question is, what can Random expect from you? From this society, the public, state institutions? What natural disaster will hit us this year, what scandal, what heinous criminal acts will remain undetected and untimely prevented? What ecocide, femicide and pasocide will be tolerated and ignored this year? Which politician will be caught red-handed and go unpunished? Come on, poor thing, let's just talk about music. To end on a brighter note, astrologers are announcing a favorable year for my zodiac sign, it's up to me to bravely set off for new victories in my personal and business life. Happy New Year!
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