Understanding the Albanian Hip Hop Scene

As part of the EastEast music issue's features on lesser known genres, we sat down with Enkel Mema, a.k.a DJ Nkee, at a café in central Tirana to discuss the country's relationship with hiphop. Nkee is a musician, producer and host of the “Raptalk” radio show, which covers all the development of the Albanian scene. Through discussions on the impact of immigration, the role of traditional Balkan instruments, and the shift to commercial sounds, Nkee describes its past, present, and future prospects.

EastEast: Where does the hip hop scene in Albania really begin for you and what have been some of the major milestones?

DJ Nkee: So, I'm 25 years old right now, and to be honest, I'm not old enough to talk about things way before my time. When I first started listening to hip hop, especially Albanian hip hop, Noizy was one of the biggest names on the scene. That was around 2005. He made Albanian hip hop more commercial, trendy, and accessible to a large number of people. Some new artists emerged after him, and a lot of them thought: "Okay, if he can do it, I can do it too." Many of them were released under his label, "OTR" (On Top of the Rest). He was also the first Albanian hip hop artist to release his own album. That was important because in Albania, only big names could do that. Most musicians just upload singles with music videos, and that's it. So, to answer your question: in 2005, Noizy was the only big hip hop artist in Albania. Kosovo has different names, so let's just simplify and say it's Noizy for Albania and Unikkatil for Kosovo. Unikkatil was the first who started rapping not just about cars and stuff, but about serious issues like emigration—the problems Albanians faced when leaving Kosovo or Albania. Many people could relate to that, and that's why he became so big. It's important to mention that he's the only artist who became so commercial without ever releasing a music video in his whole career (he’s also famous for dropping one of the hardest diss tracks ever, aimed at an Albanian artist, that completely ended that artist’s career). But the key to his success is the topics he raps about, all of which resonate deeply with Albanians. It’s like listening to a history "song" instead of reading a history book.

EE: How does the fact that a large portion of the Albanian population lives in immigration affect the evolution of the scene? Are people really drawing influences from other artists in other contexts?

NKEE: Of course. First of all, as I said, it's a topic that many people have experienced and can relate to. Another point is that living abroad exposes you to other cultures, allowing you to learn from them and then bring that knowledge back to your home, helping to educate your community. Immigration has played an important role not only in the lyrics, but also in the way people dress, talk, and perform their songs. Noizy was born here in Albania and then emigrated to the UK for a better life. Then he came back to expand in Albania, as it’s really hard to make a name in such a competitive environment like the UK. 

I think the influences have changed over the years. It used to be America, and I think it still is to some extent because there are many big artists, like Drake, Kendrick Lamar, etc. But Albanian music is also influenced by folk, dancehall, and reggaeton. It’s more about dancing than just storytelling. We’re always trying to have fun. Noizy, for instance, was really influenced by the Jamaican music scene. Also, when he raps in English, he has a UK accent, so that’s part of him. But he’s the only one who brought that type of reggae music into the Albanian hip-hop scene. If you want to be known in Albania, you have to make music that Albanians can vibe with and relate to.

EE: So dance is a crucial part of the Albanian hip hop scene? 

NKEE: In Albania, if you want to create a number one hit, it has to be danceable. You will never be number one with just lyrics and spinning bars. People really like to dance in Albania. I think it’s because we deal with a lot of daily life problems here, so when there’s an opportunity to dance, we take it.

It’s like listening to a history "song" instead of reading a history book.

EE: Since we’ve already talked about foreign influences on the Albanian scene, could you tell us, on the contrary, what are some its distinctive local aspects? 

NKEE: I think it's traditional Balkan instruments that we use, like the gajde (bagpipe). We're not sampling; we're actually recording them—sampling is not so popular here. Many of us are actual instrumentalists, and to be honest, in Albanian music, I enjoy the instrumentation and the beat more than the lyrics themselves.

EE: That's quite distinct from many other scenes, especially in the sphere of production. I kind of assumed there was a lot of sampling happening.

NKEE: I think sampling could be more popular because we have a lot of old Albanian songs that are very close to our hearts. Maybe if someone sampled them and gave them a new vibe, it could be great. But there are also a lot of problems with sampling, such as clearance and percentage splits. So, Albanian artists are probably thinking practically and don't really want to deal with all that. 

EE: You mentioned Noizy as the most important figure in the Albanian hip hop scene. Who else do you think is significant?

NKEE: I mentioned Noizy because he's the only big and famous Albanian singer. But if we also consider Kosovo-Albanian rappers, MC Kresha and Lyrical Son should be mentioned. So those are the most important and unique figures, who pushed the culture forward and talked about topics that people really want to listen to. And there are a number of artists who just came and went. For instance, Capital T. But he's not so big right now, people don't really get excited when he drops. 

EE: What about “beefs” between rappers, diss tracks, etc. ?

NKEE: You really can’t run from beefs, because hip hop is a competitive sport. Look at Tupac vs. Biggie in the past or Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake today. Unfortunately, Albanian artists haven’t really had these beefs through lyrics; instead, they fight for real or ban each other from performing in certain cities or neighborhoods. And that’s not a good thing. If you want to have beef in hip hop, it should be just lyrics after lyrics. It can’t be about killing or physical fights. That’s not hip hop, not art; it’s street crime. You end up turning yourself into a criminal, not an artist.

Nevertheless, there have been a few examples of its positive resolutions. For instance, when I was a kid, Noizy and Stresi had a tough beef with violent fights. But in the end, they squashed it. As they got older and achieved more, they said: man, let's just make money and hustle together. They put aside their past conflicts. Now they’ve made a joint track and are even performing together. When it first happened, it was all over TikTok and Instagram for a month straight. Everyone discussed it, and a lot of memes came from it. I think by doing so, they set a good example for the scene.

EE: Tell us about your show "RapTalk." Why did you start it? What was surprising to you about the process? 

NKEE:  It's new for me to be the host, but working in radio is not. My first job, when I was around 17 years old, was as a DJ at a radio station. I learned a lot from that and the idea of doing a show has been close to my heart since then, but I knew I needed more experience and had to be patient. So, I waited until the timing was right and then went for it.

The show is about hip hop culture and everything surrounding it. The idea was the easiest step that I had to take, because I have been a big fan of hip hop since I was a child. I always talk about it with my friends when we hang out or go for a drink. Speaking about it isn’t that hard for me; the challenging part was getting used to doing it in front of the camera.

I think it’s because we deal with a lot of daily life problems here, so when there’s an opportunity to dance, we take it.

Actually, my show is the first radio show in Albania dedicated to hip hop and supporting new artists in the scene. I don’t just interview rappers, but also graffiti artists, breakdancers, DJs, producers, and event organizers. 

The problem is, when it comes to clubbing, everyone wants to listen to reggaeton or house, and hip hop is left for car rides and headphones. As I can see in Albania, hip hop artists aren’t making real hip hop anymore. Instead, they play it safe with reggaeton and commercial tracks that are easy to sell and people can dance to, especially in the summer. That’s why the old school and underground scenes have faded here. There’s no audience for them. Some new artists are trying to change this, but they lack venues because club owners only invite artists with dance hits.

I appreciate hip hop music and production that is linked to Albanian identity, melodies, and instruments. I feel like this tradition is fading because everyone is focused on safer options. My show aims to introduce the audience to hip hop culture and help overcome this situation.

EE: You’ve mentioned some issues with the scene. What positive changes do you think might happen in the next five years? What excites you?

NKEE: I can’t say I’m excited about anything right now, but I really hope Albanian hip hop artists will start creating some real hip hop songs instead of fast food music—tracks people dance to for a couple of months and then forget. I think the rappers who are at the scene right now have done enough and can't do more. The hope lies with upcoming artists, maybe ones whose names we don’t even know yet. That’s one of the main reasons I’m doing the radio show—to promote new rappers who are trying to bring fresh vibes into Albanian culture.

EE: Is there anyone in particular you’d like to shout out who you think is doing something really interesting right now?

NKEE: Yes, it's Elai. Noizy co-signed him and helped him get to where he is now. His beats, hooks, the way he raps and sings, and the overall sonic quality of his songs make him one of the most interesting and distinctive artists not only in Albania but across Europe.