It all started in 2018 when I saw an ad on the Internet. It was about a hip hop contest called RAP FOR BULGARIA. The ad said the competition was created in order to support and promote Bulgarian artists who wrote and sung hip-hop songs in Bulgarian. The songs had to be in Bulgarian and dedicated to one of the following topics: Bulgarian history, way of life, culture, nature or Bulgarian heroes.
I decided to participate and registered for the competition. My song passed the first and second rounds /jury approval , number of recommendations and FB likes / . The third and most important round was a live concert for all contestants who passed the first and the secound rounds.
So the final concert of the first of its kind musical contest was held on 22.09.2018 in Sofia.
The competition was funded and organized by Mr. Angel Dzhambazki, with the kind assistance of one of the best Bulgarian rap performers - Alex P., who was the chairman of the jury.
I took my wife and kid and went to the concert just to show my boy what a rap concert looks like. I had no high expectations. I thought that passing for the third round would be the furthest I could get and all I cared about was to sing/rap my lyrics without mistakes.
And after all finalists sang their songs....
And after all finalists sang their songs....there was a surprise
The competent jury unanimously appointed me / shemZ as first place winner which gave me the chance to record his song in a recording studio. Here it is:
Original Bulgarian lyrics:
Другари, помните ли
осемдесет и девета,
когато в нашето гето
почна мирния преход?
Всичките правонямащи
в криза бяхме и ето-
даже танкове нямаше
за другаря Младенов.
Вината поехме, обаче само с мезета,
бейзболната шапка замести каскета
Но остана кюфтето и вкуса на ментето
И народът възлюби до грях маането
И простакът повярва, че притежава духовност
И духовната плява се множеше свободно
И жълтата преса се превърна във фактор
И нямахме място във този порно- театър
Два синода, двеста партии и всеки за себе си
И ако не знаеш да траеш за къшей хляб, хайде бегай бе!
Има който посмее, другите все са зле
Колко рядко се смееш…Кажи не си ли добре?
Свободата е робство, а робът свободен -
цял куп парадокси в колективния спомен
Обожаваме Ботев, ама оня от Пловдив
и дербито ЦСКА - Левски във София.
Царят с радост си спомнял за „братя“ Славейкови
Те едва ли си спомнят със радост за дедо му.
Важното е че нема материални претенции
Освен за имоти - хиляди декари
Костинбродският славей и ромската перла
Днес издигат културата към небивал напредък
Пътят към Босфора е и път към Европа
За джебчийските подвизи на братята роми
Не бе, нямам проблем с т‘ва , че некой е циганин
Проблемът изцяло си е в простотията,
че предимство се дава на простака със кинти,
а всичко останало е тинтири-минтири
Господа правоимащи, помислете наистина,
че народ ше си внасате до малко години
Много байганьовци за мъничко кьораво
Внимавайте как ше разделите порциите.
И простакът ще вярва, че притежава духовност
И духовната плява се множи пак свободно
И жълтата преса се превърна във фактор
Нямаме място във този порно театър
Два синода, двеста партии и всеки за себе си
И ако не знаеш да лаеш за хляб, хайде бегай бе!
Има който посмее, другите все са зле
Колко рядко се смееш…Кажи не си ли добре?
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
Are you okay?
Comrades, do you remember 1989
when in our ghetto democracy came to shine
All of us rightless, in permanent crisis
and Mladenov lacked tanks to put down the uprising
We took the blame, but with appetizers,
new baseball caps replaced the old caskets
But the meatball remained and the taste of fake
And the commoners loved the chalga outbreak
And many morons believed in their spirituality
And the spiritual chaff grew freely n rapidly
And the tabloid press became greatly important
no place for us in this den of pornography
Two synods, two hundred parties and each for themselves
And if you fail to keep silent for a piece of bread
remember who dares, wins, the others live in dismay
How seldom you laugh ... Say are you okay?
Freedom is slavery, and the slaves are free -
a great paradox in our collective memory
We love Botev, I mean the team from Plovdiv
and the CSKA - Levski derby in Sofia.
The King gladly remembered the "Slaveikovi brothers"
They can hardly remember with delight his grandfather
His Majesty had no material claims
except a couple of forests and royal estates
The Kostinbrod Nightingale and the Roman Pearl Princess
lead our culture towards unprecedented progress
The road to the Bosphorus is also a way to Europe
For the pickpockets among our beloved Roma bruthas
I got no problem if someone is a gypsy
the problem is really in people`s simplicity,
that an advantage is given to the morons with money,
and everything else is unimportant and funny
Gentlemen, really, think about it carefully
otherwise you`ll have to import people for slavery
we got wealth and hunger in great disproportion
so be careful when you divide the portions.
And many morons believed in their spirituality
And the spiritual chaff grew freely n rapidly
And the tabloid press became greatly important
no place for us in this den of pornography
Two synods, two hundred parties
and each for themselves
And if you fail to keep silent
you `ll loose your bread
who dares, wins, the others live in dismay
How seldom you laugh ...
Say are you okay?
First of all, thank you for sharing this story. It really tells a bit more about you, as until now I could just listen to your cool singing and songs in open mic. So you are doing well in rap too :)
It is great that you could take part in this kind of organized event, where also you got supported. What was for you more important, to participate or the fact you won? I suppose both, as the experience is something very valuable you can take with you :)
Well, the fact that I participated /and the gained experience / was the more important thing. The fact that I won was a great surprise for me because rap was not my main style at that time, I was just experimenting. What I really love to do is write songs. Sometimes I make a few totally different versions of a single song and do it in different styles and genres. I work in many genres /rap, dub, reggae, electronic, rock, jazz/. Labels have trouble "labeling" my music
Hahaha, well, they should work a bit around trying to find out in what genre to classify your music ;D
Or, simply, it can be some mixture of all those you mentioned 🎶
What a nice story you shared! And and and: A unanimous vote? Not sure about their competence though hahahahaha sorry for the somewhat 'bad' joke, but had to make it {LOL}
Congratulations