He signs himself as Old Skool Portero, and for him rap is a way of life. Ilija Duev is only 18 years old, and this month he was a guest at a festival in Leskovac, where he performed with songs from the second album, which is currently under construction.

- We are still under the impression of the performance, because not only was it our first visit outside of Macedonia, but we were very well received by the organizers and all the other performers and we showed that the Balkan connection still exists - explains Ilija, adding:

"I performed in Leskovac with D.S.Sh. (Old School Kids), a group consisting of two close friends, Uzi and TriM. We have a group on Facebook called 'Hip-Hop/Rap Scena Otvoreni Balkan', which with the help of several sponsors managed to organize the performance. Only Uzi was invited, but he invited me and TriM as well. Before Leskovac, I have performed in Skopje, in front of the premises of 'Centar-Jadro'. I performed there with one song accompanied by Uzi, Cherman and Deepa, that is, it is a common song that will be part of my second solo album."

Ilia draws inspiration for her songs from books, the internet and everyday life.

– My number one idol from the world rap scene is Eminem, because his writing skills inspire me. From Macedonia, my idols are "Zad ogolagol", "Legijata", Cup De Grasse, Katsar and many others - he says.

The mysterious Teacher is also found in his songs, which Ilia explains strongly influences his musical beginnings.

- I have not been on the music scene for a very long time. The first official song recorded in the studio dates back to 2020. I got into rap thanks to the Teacher, who helped me a lot in the beginning, while I was building the style. He was my history teacher in elementary school. I never expected that I would get close to a teacher, but he had a different approach to students than other teachers, and we are still very close and keep in touch every day - reveals Ilija.

However, working at such a young age has its price.

- While I was recording the first album, I lost friends with whom I had been friends for a long time, but I don't regret it, because I met many new people who gave me support and motivation to continue recording. In some way, my life changed, so I decided to name the first album "Change of Life" - says Ilija, and adds: "Rap as a genre is quite solid and revolutionary and gives a realistic picture of the situation in society. The people have a negative attitude towards rap and the whole culture, because it is badly represented by today's 'rappers'.

He believes that there are many young and talented artists in Macedonia, who contribute in various ways to a solid rap scene, but he still regrets that rap is poorly promoted. Although he records solo, he collaborates a lot with other rappers from Macedonia, and hopes to collaborate with an artist from the Balkan region in the near future.

- During the summer period, I work in a cafe, because I collect funds to finish the second album, make CDs and organize promotion. We are currently preparing a song in which there will be about 15-16 artists from the entire Balkans - announced the young rapper Ilija Duev.

(The text was published in "Kulturen Pechat" number 135, in the print edition of the newspaper "Sloboden Pechat" on July 2-3, 2022)