Rodoljub Vulović (Serbian Cyrillic: Родољуб Вуловић; born on 1 May 1955), more commonly known by his stage name Roki Vulović (Serbian Cyrillic: Роки Вуловић), is a Bosnian Serbfolk singer and songwriter. He is often described as a turbo-folk singer and is known for his Serbian Yugoslav war songs.[1] He is best known for his 1992 album Semberski junaci and the single "Panteri – Mauzer" about the Garda Panteri, the most elite unit of the Army of Republika Srpska.[2]
Vulović began his music career in 1975 with his first studio album Kristina (Christina).[5] In 1988, he released his second studio album Paša and started a concert tour across Western European countries with a significant population from the Serbian diaspora.[5]
1992–1997: Fame during the Yugoslav Wars
During the Yugoslav Wars, his hometown of Bijeljina was destroyed, which subsequently compelled Vulović to join the 1st Brigade of Semberska. He released a studio album, Semberski junaci, (Heroes of Semberija) in 1992, dedicated to those injured during the Bosnian War. The album made him popular among Serbs across the Balkans in large part due to the song "Panteri – Mauzer" (Panthers of Mauzer) praising the Garda Panteri, a nationalist unit of the Army of Republika Srpska. In part due to the notoriety that followed the album's release, Vulović enlisted into the Garda Panteri himself.[6]
Vulović went on to record additional studio albums with nationalist and anti-NATO overtones, including Panteri (Panthers; 1993)[7][8] and Crni Bombarderi (The Black Bomber; 1995). In the song Crni Bombarderi, Vulović sings about Operation Deliberate Force, an operation during the Bosnian War that took place on August 30, 1995.[8]
Vulović recorded his last studio album Zbog tebe (Because of you) in 1997 and ceased performing after its release. He consequently returned to his hometown to become a professor at the local Mihajlo Pupin Technical School and worked as a chairman of the Serbian Polytechnic and Pharmacy School until 2013.[9][10]
Vulović's Serbian nationalism and anti-NATO views during the war have made him a controversial figure, even though his lyrics are uncharacteristic among other Serb nationalist music in that they do not specifically mention any oppositional nations or countries, and avoid overt bias and xenophobia in the lyrics. However, the implicit bias of his music has made him a popular fixture amongst far-right factions. The recent availability of his music videos online, especially on YouTube, has made Vulović a popular target of meme culture in the ex-Yu diaspora due to their characteristic low-budget aesthetic.[11][12]
Personal life
He is married to fellow Serbian musician Jelica Vulović and has two children, Vladimir and Milijana. He speaks French, German and Italian fluently. He is a fan of international travel, especially to Western European countries with a large Serbian population. Notably, his entry visa to the United States has been denied several times due to his anti-NATO views in the 1990s.[13]
^"Gardijska brigada "Panteri"". Srpski Oklop (information and pictures related to Garda Panteri). Archived from the original on 23 September 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
