Intervju: Upoznajte Jaya Munchiea, američkog Youtubera koji komentira i reagira na balkanski Hip Hop i Trap

Još ne toliko davno je način na koji globalno komuniciramo u Hip Hopu – bila jednosmjerna ulica. U Americi se rodila kultura, glazba razvijala i potom putovala svijetom, pri tome rasteći u popularnosti. U cijelom svijetu je ova glazba napravila zamah popularnosti i nedugo nakon toga su nastali reperi u svim zemljama svijeta koji na svom jeziku izvode Hip Hop. Do dolaska interneta je bilo vrlo malo, ako uopće, mogućnosti da prosječni američki slušatelj dođe do pjesama, recimo, Tram 11-a. Rijetki su imali tu priliku, a to su uglavnom bili onda američki reperi koji su dolazili organizacijom Phat Phillie-a nastupati u Hrvatsku i na taj način čuli kako zvuči rap na hrvatskom jeziku. Stoka je u jednom intervjuu (ako se ne varam, za Riječki Radio Korzo i emisiju Freestyle Radio Show – ispravite me ako nije ta emisija) rekao kako su bili oduševljeni samim time kako zvuči rap na našem jeziku. Danas je posve drugačija slika. Dolaskom interneta pomno možemo istraživati underground scenu, recimo, Islanda i totalno se ufurat u to ako nam se svidi. Možemo i doć u kontakt s njima i sudjelovati u kojekakvim raspravama ili čak glazbeno surađivati. Jedan takav primjer je Amerikanac Jay Munchie, koji gaji ogromnu ljubav prema balkanskom Hip Hopu, odnosnu Trapu. U nastavku pročitajte intervju.

For starters, Jay, where are you from in the States? Do you make music yourself? How long have you been active as a YouTuber? What do you do besides reacting to music?

I’m from Trenton, New Jersey. Yes I do rap. I’ve been rapping since I was 9 yrs old. I been active on YouTube for a year, last January 2017. I am a tutor and a certified landscaper for about 10 years now.

Where did you get the idea to start reacting to Trap & Hip Hop music from the balkans (Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, etc)? Which song caught your attention first and how?

I wanted to do something no one has done before on YouTube, make a reaction channel on foreign music especially focus on Russian and Balkan music. But I was reacting to Chinese rap on my first channel and one of my Asian supporters asked me to react to Dora Dhurata and Era Istrefi from Albania. I don’t know if you guys from the Balkans knows this but Asians love y’all music. Then I had my “AH HA!” moment to start a YouTube channel on foreign music. The funny part is that I only heard of Croatia before because my favorite indie wrestler Mario Bakara used that location as a part of his gimmick. And yes, I watch wrestling! Haha! The first song that really caught my attention was “Elena Ft. Jala Brat – Folira” which is still one of my favorites.
First Balkan rapper I heard was Jala Brat from Bosnia. For my first Croatian rapper it was Fil Tilen and for SERBIA was Fox.

As someone who doesn’t understand the language, does that create a barrier to enjoy the music at all?

The only barrier is that I don’t understand most of the lyrics but I am slowly teaching myself to learn how speak Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian so I can understand what is being said in a song better, but I have many other tools I use. ENERGY (VIBE) is key for us artists. For the example like a THCF song (FIND TITLE) video I reacted to had caskets and just gave off this sad feeling that they were rapping about people they have lost. Visuals definitely help because the concept of the video normally matches in the lyrics. For audio it’s almost the same but I go by the cadence and raw energy. All rap is based on mood, so I have a gift of reading between the lines, even if I don’t understand what is being said. Let’s get this straight I don’t need to understand something for me to enjoy it, I love music. If it sounds good, I love it.

Can you make a top 10 list of Balkan songs you enjoyed most? (Doesn’t have to be a particular order).

1. Kukuš – Pusti Me Na Miru
2. Fox – Trap Guru Trap Boss
3. Rasta – Noci Nermine
4. Severina x Ministarke – Uno Momento
5. Stoka – Sportiva 3
6. Elena Ft Jala Brat – Folira
7. Mimi Mercedez – Samo Kes
8. Slaktristica – Terrorista
9. THCF – Kravi Balkan
10. S4MM – Medelina

Not in particular order, not all Trap.

Yeah, Stoka has more of an old school vibe.

Yeah it’s cool I really like him because he promotes staying healthy and in shape. He’s always exercising in his videos I love that, make wanna go work out. Nered is dope too.

Balkan music aside, which USA artists music do you enjoy most? Name a few.

Jay Z my favorite rapper, Prodigy RIP, RICK ROSS, CAMRON/diplomats, Drake, Remy Martin, Lil Wayne/cashmoney, Juelz Santana.

Nice. You’ve gained quite a following over here and people love your content. Have you ever thought of visiting our countries and perhaps see a concert of the artists you reacted to?

Yes I intend to visit the Balkans. Concerts? I will be throwing concerts parties and conduct interviews for my Balkan people. The Jay Mxnchie Empire is the United Balkan. We all love good music so we are all united. It takes adventurous minds to expand and explore the unknown.

Anything else you want to say to your followers from our area?

I am looking forward to meeting and working with you guys! I also have paid promotion available now, for artists who want to build their fanbase. I also want to start conducting interviews via instagram live or messenger. I have a great idea for all my people in the Balkans. It’s to start a YouTube channel for just your music and start a TV series of balkan music. Any sponsors and supporters are welcome. Teamwork makes a dream work! Croatia, I love you guys! Thank y’all so much for supporting me.
Thank you Tony and Blackout Hip Hop for your support! I love you guys! Gang Gang Gang, You Are Now Ganging With Da Gang! Uskoro!!

Thanks Jay, best of luck to you.