The Montenegrin hip-hop duo once again shows that their territory is not only music - and Mario Đorđević is increasingly important behind the camera as well.
If Who See has proven anything over the course of more than two decades, it is that Montenegrin hip-hop can simultaneously joke, provoke, tell serious stories and look completely different from everything around it. Mario Đorđević - Noyz and Dejan Dedović - Dedduh from Kotor's underground story reached the status of one of the most recognizable regional hip-hop groups, the MTV Best Adria Act award and Montenegro's performance at the Eurovision Song Contest.
At this year's Muzzik Video Awards 5G Who See were nominated in as many as three categories, so they have three chances to win a special winning MUZZIK guitar, specially made for the winners of the Muzzik competition.
In the category Video with a message is "Betonjerka", a collaboration with Random and Niggor. The text is written by Mario Đorđević, Dejan Dedović and Marko Lubarda, the music and arrangement by Mario Đorđević, while the direction is taken by Vasil Vulić. Through Who See's signature humor, the song speaks to a very real subject and shows that a serious message can be even more powerful when packaged without being preachy.
In the Art Direction category, "Pod prozor" was nominated, Who See feat. KidAkki, and this is where an interesting twist happens. Mario Đorđević is not only a performer and author of music: he signs the video and directs it, produced by Rudnik Film. The spot is a kind of visual playground full of familiar regional faces, absurdity, humor and pop culture references, perfectly in line with Who See's poetics.
Sergej Ćetković, Niggor, Wikluh Sky, Ajs Nigrutin, Edo Maajka, Vojko V and many others appear among the guests, so "Pod prozor" seems almost like a small Who See universe in which the border between music video, comedy and visual experiment is completely erased.
The third nomination, in the Editing & FX category, belongs to the song "Mediterranean", Who See feat. Senidah. The author of the video is again Mario Đorđević, while Miodrag Marković and drone videographers Ranko Razić and Darko Marjanović are in charge of photography. The music is by Django Hi Fi, and the song is Who See's perfect Mediterranean postcard - sea, summer, tourism, romance and enough irony to make it much more than just a summer song.
And Mario Đorđević is perhaps the most interesting hidden protagonist of this triple MVA5G story.
In "Betonjerka" we see him as the author of the music and arrangements, while the visual story is taken over by another director. In "Pod prozor" and "Mediterranean" he goes behind the camera himself and builds the visual identity of the songs. Thus, Noyz's authorial handwriting can be seen more and more clearly outside of music.
It's actually a logical continuation of what Who See have been doing for years. Their world was never just rap. He is a combination of music, humor, satire, regional characters and a very precise sense of the image.
The three nominations at MVA5G are therefore not just three different opportunities for the award. They are three different views of the same band – message, visual idea and editing & FX – and proof that Who See still have something to say, but also how to show it.
And at the end of it all, the most beautiful, physical prize awaits them: a specially made MUZZIK guitar for the winner.
Three nominations. Three worlds. One Who See.
And one Mario Đorđević, who obviously thinks more and more often through the lens of the camera.
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