Serbian Rap is Valid Music

Hip hop, in general, has taken the world by storm. The doubters of the first generation have since become, and bred, fans of our generation. From the beat of the music to the words of a powerful lyricist, it’s addictive. Today, mainstream has brought the value down so much that we search for a better source.

This artist is one of those outlets.

Mihajlo Peric, better known as Valid, is an artist that brings a new light to hip hop music. He still considers himself an MC rather than a rapper; one thing that separates him from the group. The fact that his roots reach back to Serbia is an even bigger one.

Born in Detroit, but raised in Dearborn Heights, Valid found a passion for rap at about 4- or 5-years-old. He said, “But when I really sunk my teeth into it and thought it was the greatest sound ever is when I heard Notorious BIG, when I was like 9-years-old. I think it was the beat in his song ‘Hypnotize’ that really made me fall in love.

“Growing up, if I was lucky, my mom would buy me CDs at the store; it would be stuff like Puff Daddy, 2 Pac, DMX, Jay-Z, and all the mainstream, late 90s artists. She had no idea what they were saying; which, if she did, she probably wouldn’t have bought it for me.”

As he grew up, Valid found a passion in making music. When I asked him what made him choose this particular kind, he said, “I didn’t choose it. I never said ‘I want to make music…hmm…what kind should I make?’ I just love the hip hop culture beyond just its music. It just naturally happened, and as a kid I said ‘Hey, I can do that,’ and started writing lyrics.”

That got me interested in the fact that he became not only a Caucasian MC, but also a Serbian one. Now, hip hop has no color, but looking at who mainly dominates in the game, aside from those like Eminem, you don’t see many that fit into that pocket.

To my surprise, when I asked him what kinds of challenges he faces being from Serbia, he assured me that he has none. “I just do me,” he said. The main point that he got across is that in no way is he trying to use his family ancestry as a platform for his music or as a gimmick to appeal in a different way.

Valid said that hip hop is a “passion and, most importantly, a career. I don’t care to win Grammies, be on BET and MTV, or any of that. I just want to wake up one day and know that I can eat off of music. I can afford a roof over my head, food on the table, and be independent on music, without watering it down and becoming a slave to the industry to do so.”

That seems to be the way a lot of musicians view music due to the fact that the music industry tries to make an artist rather than let the artist be free. In regard to Valid’s interaction with the underground sound, he said, “As an adult, when I think of my inspiration to do music, it’s the local Detroit artists that have highly respected names underground that I’m a fan of. Artists like SupaEmcee, 5ELA, Miz Korona, Black Milk, Guilty Simpson, and Slum Village, or even struggling, hungry MCs like myself trying to make it like Stereo Boyz, Street Justice, and my Titan Record family.

“But as a kid, I have to say, as corny as it sounds, I thought Puff Daddy was the coolest person ever. As a kid I liked the ‘glitz and glamour’ and all of that. I really thought Jay-Z was sweet, and then I remember first getting exposed to Eminem in 1998 when I was about 12. That really made me want to write powerful, emotional words that people can feel, and other than that I’m really into soul music and Motown music. I’m a big R&B head for artists like Jill Scott, Musiq Soulchild, Dwele, Erykah Badu, and India Arie. So it’s obvious I’m a big fan of Common, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, and artists of that branch that make very SOULful hip hop.”