Error (22), Al-Alion (28), Fat Joe (20) and Ne-li (22) are Šutka Roma Rap (SRR), a band from one of Skopje’s poorest communities, Shuto Orizari, also known as Šutka. Located on the outskirts of the Macedonian capital, it is said to be one of the largest Roma communities in Europe. It is here that Emir Kusturica shot his acclaimed film Time of the Gypsies (1988). More recently, the community’s daily life was the subject of the controversial Šutka Book of Records (2005).

What SRR hope to bring is the sheer magic of sound. The music they produce combines hip hop and R&B with traditional Roma music, jazzy influences, punk, hard rock, and a lot more. Southeast Europe: People and Culture caught SRR during a loud rehearsal before a gig in Šutka.

What are your current projects?

We recently performed in Belgrade, Sziget and Vienna. We also had a concert in Subotica in Serbia. Most recently we played at a large festival, Roskilde, in Denmark. It was huge, with many bands playing different music and many DJs present.  We presented our country, and the project Šutka Tani Mo Than, which in Roma means “Šutka My Home.” There were perhaps up to 80,000 people at the festival. We were happy with how the audience received us.

Do you perform in your home country, and what is next for you?

We work on music daily. We write new songs, get together to develop them, work on new music...

We had preparatory concerts at Menada [an arty bar in Skopje’s Old Bazaar], and also at MKC [the Youth Cultural Centre, a well-known concert venue]. We do these gigs before going to festivals abroad. They are a sort of rehearsal.

Do you also use electronics at concerts?

No, everything is live. The four of us sing. We play together with five other musicians. They are the instrumentalists. We have a drums player, two trumpets, a saxophone, and a bass guitar.

We work on music all the time and develop a new song practically every couple of days. If we had the opportunity to record, we could do it immediately.

 

You’ve already produced an album?

The album is not just ours. It is called Šutka Tani Mo Than and it was a project gathering the best young musicians and rappers from Šutka. It was a project supported by the Open Society Foundation. We were the lucky ones to get to go promote the project and the album abroad.

I read that you have already appeared on the international charts.

Yes, we were informed that the album Šutka Tani Mo Than reached the 15th spot on a world music chart. We couldn’t have even dreamed of such success.

I read an interview that the music you are playing is neither hip-hop nor ethno? How do you describe your music?

It combines many different styles... we use R&B, reggae, pop, traditional Roma music, and hip-hop.

People still perceive you as a hip-hop band...

Sure, we are rappers after all. But it appears that what we do is rather different then what most hip–hop artists do... so it is kind of a new sound.

What are your lyrics about?

They are about life, I guess, about many things. We have many songs about love, but we also talk a lot about how people live, poverty, discrimination, crime, and others.

What are your musical influences?

I guess a variety of hip-hop and R&B artists, such as Jay-Z and Dr. Dre, it’s difficult to name them all.

I saw your recent gig in Menada. The sound you produced was awesome. It was really powerful. How does it feel to play before such large audiences at festivals? Do you get nervous?

Well, if you think it was good in Menada, multiply it by a hundred (laughs)... this is how good it turned out. We don’t get nervous, probably because we really like what we do. We enjoy it a lot.

**The European Commission does not accept or recognise in whatever form or content a denomination other than “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.” All references, direct or indirect, to this country used in this article are those of its author.