Polish hip hop


The Polish hip hop scene was born 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.

Summary

The first album by a Polish performer was East on the Mic by PM Cool Lee, which featured two songs in Polish. Lee was from Kielce, but 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. Volt also founded the first Polish independent hip hop label, Beat 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.
Now known as Liroy, the former PM Cool Lee released Alboom in 1995, which included the hit "Scyzoryk".
The most recognizable Polish hip hop band abroad is probably WWO, which is no longer active since 2006. Sokół since then recorded 3 albums with Pono and 2 with Marysia Starosta. Jędker abandoned the Polish rap scene to make dance music with Robert M as Monopol and DJ Deszczu Strugi is an owner of Otra Barwa Studio.
Polish hip-hop artists are well-known performers across Europe, especially in the former Eastern Bloc. Many rappers from Poland are collaborating with artists from Europe, the USA and even Cuba.

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

General

Rappers

Bands

Duets

Singers

Producers

Foreign

Additional sources