“Disregard will not bring a better general situation and prosperity, we do not need it now,” wrote Slovenian rapper Rok Terkaj, better known by his stage name Trkaj, when the epidemic was declared. “We need unity. Wear masks, Sava ninja out. Have a nice Sunday,” the musician wrote on Facebook.
While Zlatan Čordić (Zlatko) considers himself the number one Slovenian rapper, rapper Rok Terkaj with his culture and rational attitude feels that the fate of the community is more important to him than fame in the moments of epidemic. Even when a certain individual on Twitter called on him to come and protest, saying that Zlatko was already there, Terkaj replied simply and sincerely: “I protest all the time, but not in that way. We are building.”
Savsko naselje vs. Fužine
If we take a closer look at Terkaj’s Facebook profile, we notice that he is not exactly a fan of the current government, but we can certainly say that he is aware of the critical situation. It is commendable that Terkaj, although he does not agree with certain measures, is able to go beyond this and put people’s health first. He is aware that now is not the time for political struggles and that it is not appropriate, in the name of political battles, to endanger the health of citizens. With all this, he cares very little about what followers on social media think of his appeals. Some of them also wrote foolishly that they considered him more knowledgeable. “Sorry to disappoint you, I stand by my words, all is well,” replied the rapper from Savsko naselje, apparently to no-longer-his fan.
Rok Terkaj is not only a rapper, he is also a lyricist, a two-time Slovenian freestyle battle winner and holds a bachelor degree in theology. In 2004, he went on the El Camino de Santiago pilgrimage route and walked eight hundred kilometers. He has collaborated with many famous musicians, such as Gibonni, Janez Bončina – Benč, Alenka Godec and Jadranka Juras. The song called “Sam” (translation “Alone”), for which he and Juras recorded a video, has an exceptional note of solidarity, which also shows the intellectual breadth that Trkaj has – unlike his selfish rap colleague.
Mother, we want masks!
We have been following Zlatko for some time now, who does not care how he gains media attention, as long as he does gain it. Among other things, he wanted to interrupt the state celebration, appeared on public television with a torn protective mask, shouted on Trdinova Street that COVID-19 does not exist, and even forcibly snatched a camera from the Nova24TV cameraman. He has turned government measures aimed at curbing the virus and protecting human health into a fight against the current government encouraging the public to follow his example of not using a protective mask. At the same time, quite contradictorily, he compares himself to Ivan Cankar (famous Slovenian writer), whom he probably only approaches by saying that he also likes to drink coffee in the morning.