Often there was everything but "Smart in the head"

Among the 30 Montenegrin rappers whose songs were included in the compilation "Domestic Work 2", produced by "Knowhere2run", was Darzi, a member of the hip hop collective Barska 100-ka, who recorded a song called “Pamet u glavu” for the occasion. He also rounded off the past year with his album “Povratak moru”, on which he also worked with Todor Tadić i Marko Ćacić from the production of “Knowhere2run”.

Darzi spoke to "Vijesti" about his new album, the compilation "Domestic Work 2" and his collaboration with Tadić and Ćaćić.

"The collaboration with the 'Knowhere2run' team, which is the leader of this project, began two years ago when I was recording the album 'Vječni dječak'. The successful collaboration continued after that, and I received an invitation to record a song for the compilation. Todor Tadić sent me the instrumental, which was inspiring to me from the first listen. The idea was born immediately, and I think I had the lyrics written after just three days," he recalls.

"As for the song itself, the phrase 'Smart head' is something my father used to say to me when I left the house in some of my crazy years. There was often nothing but smart in my head, so I came up with the idea of ​​using the song to convey a message to others about how important it is to keep your mind sharp amidst the scourges we face today," explains the Bar rapper.

"Unfortunately, the reality is that the environment is increasingly dangerous, especially for young people, and the real challenge is to survive and maintain sanity," he adds.

Darzi believes that projects like "Domestic Work" are "very important both for the performers themselves and for the audience."

"The very opportunity for less established artists to stand shoulder to shoulder with regional rap stars is enough for them, and for the audience who has the opportunity to hear something they haven't heard before. Also, in addition to the initiative of the 'Knowhere2run' team to create something like this, there is also the enormous contribution they made to the unification of the Montenegrin rap scene, and with their creativity and knowledge, they contributed to the sound they create being at an extremely high level and as such acceptable to the ears of a wider audience," concludes the "Vijesti" interlocutor.

And when asked whose songs, besides his own, he would single out from the compilation, he says:

"Apart from really good songs, I would like to highlight, first of all, Random i Poetics - team and individual, Dedduha, Double Valid, of Lerdifon i Joe Shuu Kizza. Also, there is one of the better songs on the compilation 'Don't be a rapper' - Jukel i Tackle".

Darzi also looks back on the album "Return to the Sea", which he released at the end of 2025.

"I worked on all the songs with the 'Knowhere2run' team consisting of Todor Tadić and Marko Ćaćić. They were in charge of the music, recording, mixing and mastering. The lyrics are my own work, and on the song 'Ja sam iz Bar' my friend guest stars." Andrija Marković - Asjko. Cover and visuals for the radio Noyz (Who See),” the rapper said, adding that he had been working on the album for the entire past year.

"So, with certain breaks, let's say it lasted a year," Darzi answers, and reveals the challenges Montenegrin rappers face when recording and releasing albums.

"As far as challenges go, I can only speak for myself. For me, the biggest challenge was finding someone who would make the final sound for the songs I write at a satisfactory level. Also, the infrastructure itself was often a problem in terms of studios and recording and sound processing equipment, which was often at the level of a bedroom," he describes, and emphasizes that this part was overcome when he found collaborators who would do the production.

"By establishing cooperation with the 'Knowhere2run' team, and previously with a young producer from Bar Petar Vujović", all of it has reached the level I always imagined," he pointed out.

Now, he says, he is satisfied with the end result, but also with the album's reception by the audience.

"I'm generally satisfied. It's a great thing that I had the support of the duo Who See, because in order to help me, they uploaded the album to their YouTube channel so that it would be available to as many people as possible. I also received a lot of positive comments from people in the rap world, whose opinion I greatly value," he boasted.

After the songs from the album "Povratak moru" come to life, work on filming a video will follow, but Darzi has not yet revealed which songs will be filmed.

"Yes, there are plans to make a film of some of the songs from the album, so I hope to have my first video in the near future," the rapper replies, hinting at further plans.

"The plans are to live life to the fullest and to write and record new songs, of course if there is inspiration for that. Rap ​​is a hobby for me, which I enjoy while doing it, so I don't like to put pressure on myself in terms of making plans and setting deadlines. What I would like to do at the moment is to collaborate with other rappers from Montenegro and the surrounding area, and I hope that will happen," he said.