Diversidad

1.Before Diversidad, had you collaborated with foreign artists? If you have, which artists, which project?
Most of my collaborations have been with rappers from the region since I’m rappin in Croatian. I’ve been rappin with Komplex from Switzerland, with Sokol and Pono from Poland, and with my first neighbors, Marcelo and Struka from Serbia, Edo Maajka and Frenkie from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Links:

2.Have you already performed abroad? in Europe? Where?
Not really, the closest I’ve been to EU is Slovenia hehe. But where is a will, there is a way. This is also one of the reasons I’m really looking forward to performing with Diversidad, it will give me a chance to present my rap to different people all over EU. Also, I mustn’t forget Diversidad performance in Paris, it was a short one but best things always come in small packages hehe.

3.If you have, what’s your best / worst memory while performing abroad?
Best memories would have to be perfect organization, organizers who stick to the schedule, professional conduct… I love those things and really respect people who stick to their words.

4.What would be your dream collaboration if you could pick a European artist to record a track with?
I’d pick them, but you did it for me within Diversidad!

5.Where have you always dreamed to perform at and why (in Europe: festivals, venue, cities, countries, random place??)
I’d like to perform in London, again in Paris, and Berlin. I think the music scene in those cities goes best with what I have to give.

6.For the fans who don’t understand your lyrics, can you briefly describe what you usually rap/sing about?
I like to rap about male-female relationships, real life situations, social and political situation, sex, love and hate, girls with guns, boys with toys… Whatever I think is important, whatever makes me tick. It’s hard to define it all in themes, in a single verse you can play with numerous motives, it kinda gets lost in translation…

7.Which city are you from? What do you like/hate most about your city?
I’m from Zagreb and I absolutely love my city. I’m a city gal, through and through. I love it’s streets, concrete jungle, I like the feeling I get when I walk alone in the night with my headphones on… And about the negatives.. Well, I don’t hate the city, I sometimes have a problem with people who inhabit it and don’t seem to respect it too much.

8.What are the coolest hip hop places to hang out in your city (bar, restaurants, clubs, venues, other…)?
Club called “Aquarius” has great hiphop parties (“Blackout” parties) and we have many smaller places where enthusiasts work their asses off to make a great rap party. Also, since rap music has become sort of “mainstream” these last few years, you could hear rap songs in different clubs all over the city.

9.What’s your favorite place in Europe and why?
In EU – Paris, because I love the way the air feels against your skin there… In Europe, Zagreb. It’s my hometown and I have a special bond with it.

10.In about 5 words how do you describe the urban culture in your country?
Alternative, hip, progressive, green, underground.

11.Could you give the English translation to about 3 or 4 key words from the hip hop culture in your own language/slang?
“Rokanje” – rockin rhymes, “fjućuring” – that’s what lame rappers call “featuring” because they don’t know how it’s pronounced, haha, “frula” – joint…

12.What does Diversidad represent for you?
Creative energy and freedom to be what I want to be, to show different faces of my creativity, bonding with people from different countries and to reassure myself, one more time, that rap is universal.

13.What was your motivation in participating in Diversidad?
I went in to in just for fun, I wanted to see what life will bring me with this experience. And it brought me sooo much more than I expected – I got new friends, new memories, new faces and their creative energy, I met some people that before I knew only through the media, it opened my eyes on so many different perspectives… It’s great when you don’t expect anything and in return, you get everything and then some!

14.What’s your best and worst memory from the album recording session in Brussels?
Best memories are times between sessions, parties in hotel rooms and imminently, the creative process. Worst – the food, by far. Luckily, it got better as the days went by, hehe.

15.Did you know any of the other artists from the Diversidad selection before getting to the Brussels studio in March?
Only Frenkie, but he’s a handful haha

16.How do you imagine your music career in 5 years from now?
I really don’t like to plan, I just live and write, create and rap, I love what I do and hope for the best. Who knows, we’ll see. I like to keep my options open.

17.    How many cds have you released so far and what are they called?
Five albums and god knows how many featurings… I’ve been a busy bee.
The albums are:
•    ”Moj, njegov i njen svijet” (2000)
•    ”Tempo velegrada / Demiurg” (2002)
•    ”Male stvari” (2004)
•    ”Pod pritiskom” (2008)
•    ”Vertigo” (2010.)

18.    Any awards or anything you’re particularly proud of in your music career so far?
In 2009. Elemental got a music award for best album (Porin, most prestigious Croatian music award), through the years we got many “Zlatna Koogla” awards (indie music award) for our videos and albums… But I guess I don’t really care for the awards, I care about what people think about our music. Awards are cool, but they’re not the most important things.