Kaliber 44
{{Short description|Polish hip hop band}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{More citations needed|date=August 2009}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Kaliber 44
| image =Kaliber 44 demo cassette Zajawka.jpg
| caption = A demo cassette tape by Kaliber 44 on display at the Silesian Museum, 2019
| background = group_or_band
| alias = K44
| origin = Katowice, Poland
| genre = Hip hop
| years_active = 1993–2003, from 2013
| label = S.P. Records
| associated_acts = Paktofonika
| current_members = AbradAb, Dj Eprom
| past_members = Joka, Magik, DJ Feel-X, Lukatricks, Gano
}}
Kaliber 44 is one of the biggest Polish hip hop groups, formed in 1993 in Katowice. The group is dubbed the most influential Polish hip hop band, while their so-called hardcore psycho rap style is the most prominent. It was formed in the early nineties in Katowice, and its current members are Marcin "AbradAb" Marten and Michał "Eprom" Baj. Over the years, the band was also co-founded by Michał "Joka" Marten, Piotr "Magik" Łuszcz, Sebastian "DJ Feel-X" Filiks, Rafał "Jajonasz" Łukaszczyk and Rafał "Gano" Wywioł.
With over half a million albums sold, it is one of the most popular hip-hop bands in the history of the Polish music market. K44 was awarded the Fryderyk for the album 3:44, and was nominated for the award five times.
Origin of the name
As revealed by Abradab in an interview aired on TVP, "the name comes from the time we weren't completely sane and played gangsta". Later on members provided a revised interpretation: first part of the name indicates the calibre of problems the group sings about. The number 44 is a reference to a prophetic poem Dziady written by Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz.
Musical Career
"Księga Tajemnicza. Prolog", released on November 10, 1996, was the first Polish hardcore psychorap album and the second to use the live-scratching technique. During the recording and release of the album, most of the band were underage, which is why their parents had to sign the contract with the label. The album had a wide resonance in Poland, selling hundreds of thousands of copies and winning many nominations for prestigious Polish awards. Two years later, the band's second album "W 63 minuty dookoła świata" was released. This release was stylistically different from the previous album, which sounded more like jazz-hop. It was also as popular as the previous one. Their next album "3:44" was released on September 2, 2000. The whole album was based on pure hip-hop, and its sound was compared to hip-hop from America. The album brought the band the biggest awards in their career so far. Their last album was titled "Ułamek tarcia" and was released on March 2, 2016. The release was met with great enthusiasm by the audience, and the band once again rose to the top of the charts.
Piotr Łuszcz
Soon after release of the second album "W 63 minuty dookoła świata" Magik retired from Kaliber 44, and formed new band called "Paktofonika" together with Sebastian "Rahim" Salbert and Wojciech "Fokus" Alszer.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
On 26 December 2000, at around 6:15, "Magik" committed suicide by jumping out of the window of his apartment situated on the ninth floor of the building, in Katowice. At around 6:45, he was pronounced dead in a local hospital, leaving his wife Justyna, and a 3-year-old son, Filip.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
Discography
=Studio albums=
=Demo albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1"
! scope="col" style="width:12em;"| Title ! scope="col" style="width:16em;"| Album details |
| scope="row"| Usłysz nasze demo
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| scope="row"| Demo 1995r.
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= Singles =
- "Magia i miecz" (The Magic and the Sword) (1996)
- "Film" (The Trip) (1998)
- "Konfrontacje/Rutyny" (Confrontations/Routines) (2000)
- "Nieodwracalne Zmiany" (Irreversible Changes) (2016)
- "(Why Is It) Fresh" (2016)
- "Czarny Śląsk" (Black Silesia) (2023)
- "TEN STYL, TEN RAP" (THAT STYLE, THAT RAP) (2024)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [http://www.culture.pl/web/english/resources-music-full-page/-/eo_event_asset_publisher/eAN5/content/kaliber-44 Kaliber 44] at Culture.pl
{{Kaliber 44}}
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