Kuzma & Shaka Zulu

Kuzma & Shaka Zulu are a duo from Split, Croatia, whose music mixes rap, reggae, dance and Italo disco. Formed at the end of 1993, they are Saša Kuzmić, known as Kuzma, who sings, plays keyboards and DJs and writes the music, lyrics and arrangements, and Galileo Tajč, the "Shaka Zulu" of the name, lead and backing vocalist and MC. They are known for witty, cheerful and often ironic lyrics set to easy-going tunes.

They broke through at the end of 1993 with the singles "Jedna mala Iva", which became a big radio hit in Dalmatia within days, and "Party (Ruke gore)", which caught on all over Croatia. Their first album, Prva liga, came out on Croatia Records in 1994. It was largely a one-man show by Kuzmić, who played, sang and programmed almost all of it, with Nenad Vilović, DJ Žuti and Dado Marušić also producing and Dean Dvornik singing backing vocals as a guest. About 15,000 official copies were sold, and many more pirated ones. "U mojoj ulici", "Vozimo se, vozimo", "Puknuta ekipa" and "Prva liga", which they sang at Melodije hrvatskog Jadrana in 1994, all come from it.

The second album, Lito ide mala (1996), turned towards Italo disco. Its title song and "Zaspala na suncu" were hits, and "Majstori s mora" became a supporters' song along the whole Dalmatian coast, first among KK Zadar fans and then among Torcida and Hajduk Split supporters.

In the long break that followed, Tajč finished his economics degree and Kuzmić electrical engineering, and both travelled, Tajč in Italy and Kuzmić in Germany and Iceland. Idemo na more (2003) brought sunny summer songs such as the title track, "Popi' pivu, skoči u Rivu", "Everybody (Gori trava zelena)" and "Neću sladoled", and Di ćemo večeras (2010) put the duo back on the scene with its title track and "Dvi, tri tunje".

Since then Kuzma & Shaka Zulu have released a new song almost every summer: "Retardi sa fejsa" (2011), "Naloži do kraja MP3" (2012), "Budi mlad, budi lud" (2013), "Eo eo" (2014), "Blagajnica" (2015) and "Jesi li ti..?" (2016), and later "Život u krizi", "Vratit ću se funku" and "Pin Pin". Croatia Records released The Best Of Collection in 2017.

Over the years they have performed at Melodije hrvatskog Jadrana, Kninfest, Melodije Mostara, Zadarfest and the Split festival, and for three decades they have been one of the most popular and entertaining bands in Dalmatia, with a loyal following and well-attended summer concerts and club nights along the Adriatic coast.