The Polish hip hop scene started in the early 1990s, due to the popularity of American rap. Nevertheless, rap style in Polish music has its deep roots in the 1980s Polish punk rock, alternative rock, disco and funk music.

Polish hip-hop artists are well-known performers across Europe, especially in the former Eastern Bloc. Many rappers from Poland have collaborated with artists from Europe, the US and even Cuba.

History

The first Polish performer to use rap was the actor Piotr Fronczewski, who, under the pseudonym Franek Kimono, released an album of the same name in 1984. However, it did not feature the beats typical of hip-hop, but was rather conceived as a parody of disco music. Another pioneer of Polish rap was Kazik Staszewski, who released his first solo album in 1991, which partly featured rap. Staszewski also incorporated rap into his later work, often blending it with other musical genres.

A year later, PM Cool Lee released the album East on the Mic, which featured two songs in Polish. Lee was from Kielce, but in Warsaw in 1991, the duo Trials X recorded the demo album "Fekalia", which was released in the UZI store in 1992. Warsaw soon emerged as a center for hip hop, after KOLOR, a radio station, began broadcasting Kolor Shock, hosted by Bogna Świątkowska, Paul Jackson, an African American expatriate, Sylvia Opoku from London, and DJ Volt, whose crew, 1kHz, became performing stars in their own right in 1995. In 1994, the duo Trials X recorded the album "Prawda, Cel, Przesłanie" (Truth, Purpose, Message) in the S4 studio, which was released in the spring of 1995. Volt also founded the first Polish independent hip hop label, B.E.A.T. Records. Although the label did not last long, it did introduce groups like Trzyha and Molesta. In Poznań, PH Kopalnia's Polski Rap - Zakazane Piosenki (Polish rap - Forbidden Songs).

Now known as Liroy, the former PM Cool Lee released Alboom in 1995, which included the hit "Scyzoryk" (Penknife).

The most recognizable Polish hip hop band abroad is Kaliber 44 which is definitely the most popular hip-hop band in Poland. This band was the first Polish music band to give concerts in the USA, including in Chicago and New York. One of the members AbradAb achieved numerous successes after the group's suspension, winning 4 Fryderyk Awards or MTV Europe Music Awards.

Hardcore psycho-rap

Hardcore psychorap (also called psychorap) - a subgenre of rap music, created in the nineties by the Polish music band Kaliber 44. This genre is characterized by a large amount of psychedelia in the lyrics, productions and the atmosphere itself. Psychorap lyrics are sung in a loud tone, sometimes even shouted, which is intended to more effectively convey emotions to the human mind. Psychorap is sometimes enriched with additions in the form of female howling or a choir. Polish romanticism, as well as fantasy literature, are strong inspirations for its lyrical layer of psychorap. Marijuana use also has a certain stigma in the genre.

List of best-selling hip-hop music artists in Poland

MCs:

  1. AbradAb - 1,540 000
  2. Liroy – 800,000
  3. Taco Hemingway – 750,000
  4. O.S.T.R. – 630,000
  5. Paluch – 610,000
  6. Peja Slums Attack – 580,000
  7. KęKę – 550,000
  8. Quebonafide – 520,000
  9. Sokół – 510,000
  10. Szpaku – 480,000
  11. Bedoes – 450,000

Groups:

  1. Kaliber 44 – 1, 200 000
  2. PRO8L3M – 450,000
  3. Nagły Atak Spawacza – 200,000
  4. Taconafide – 170,000
  5. Molesta – 160,000
  6. Polska Wersja – 150,000
  7. WWO – 150,000
  8. Hemp Gru – 140,000
  9. Wzgórze Ya-Pa 3 – 135,000
  10. Paktofonika – 115,000

See also

  • List of Polish musicians and musical groups#Hip-hop/rap

Notes

:a. Based on albums certified by Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry: Alboom (1995) - 4xPlatinum - 800,000 copies sold, Bafangoo Cz.1 (1996) - Gold - 100,000 copies sold, L (1997) - Gold - 100,000 copies sold, Dzień Szakala (Bafangoo Cz.2) (1999) - Platinum - 100,000 copies sold, and Bestseller (2001) - Gold - 50,000 copies sold.

:b. Based on albums certified by Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry: for Slums Attack: Na legalu? (2001) - Platinum - 100,000 copies sold, Najlepszą obroną jest atak (2005) - Gold - 17,500 copies sold, Szacunek ludzi ulicy (2006) - Gold - 15,000 copies sold, Fturując (2006) - Gold - 15,000 copies sold, Reedukacja (2011) - Platinum - 30,000 copies sold, and CNO2 (2012) - Gold - 15,000 copies sold. For Peja: Styl życia G'N.O.J.A. (2008) - Gold - 7,500 copies sold, and Na serio (2009) - Gold - 15,000 copies sold.