Lane rapper wins record deal from Danish talent agency

By Sofi Kerpan

Scandinavia was the last thing on Safet Susterac’s mind when he was watching The Fighter at a friend’s house last Friday night. Minutes later, a Danish frenzy ensued when Susterac, Div. 184, received a phone call from his little brother: Susterac was offered a record deal in Denmark!

Susterac, or “Sa-Yo,” as he refers to himself when rapping, produces his own original songs in which he sings and raps. He often produces the beats himself, but has collaborated on beats created by other producers as well.

Susterac got the record deal by entering a competition for the “Best New Song” through a company called Slikhaar TV, the biggest talent company in northern Europe.

“They scout hairstylists, djs, artists, models, and web developers,” Susterac said.

Having submitted a song featuring himself and his 16-year-old brother rapping, the news of the record deal came as quite a surprise. The deal entails Susterac recording a demo song that the company will promote in Europe. He says he will never let anyone write anything for him, so it will be an original song. If the song receives buzz, negotiations of a full-length album will begin.

“When they said our song was so good, they’d offer us the deal and promotion, my eyes got a little watery,” he said.

But they were happy tears. Susterac has been making mixtapes since the 8th grade, when he wrote his first rap, dedicated to his girlfriend at the time. He has been “hustling to stay fresh” in his raps ever since.

“I draw inspiration from my pops. We’re immigrants. When we came here [from Serbia] we were dirt poor, but he hustled hard to make it so that we hardly noticed our poverty,” Susterac said.

Having come to America in 1995, the aspiring rapper recalls his father walking two hours every morning to get to work because he didn’t have a car. Working as a janitor, Susterac’s father often earned only 20 dollars a day. Today, his father owns his own contracting management business, embodying the American dream.

Now, Susterac has some of his own “hustling” to do. He is currently working on the promo song to be released in Europe. He hopes to visit Denmark this summer to work on his dream, but admits that he cannot commit to moving to Europe permanently. Consequently, he is still trying to make a name for himself, here in the U.S.

“I sent out eight demos to record companies all over the country. I’ve gotten emails back from some of them,” Susterac said.

Next year, Susterac also plans to further his music education by studying music and business at Depaul University. He hopes to combine these disciplines in order to make music for the rest of his life.

Susterac is certain of his rap aspirations, and works toward recognition unceasingly. A major theme in his songs is “trying to make it,” which is exactly what he does.