Kaliber 44
Encyclopedia
Kaliber 44 is a hip hop
band formed at the end of 1993 in Katowice
, Silesia
, Poland
by Piotr Łuszcz ("Magik
"), Marcin Marten ("Dab") and Michał Marten ("Joka"). 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 originally thought that the name of the group came from a gun
, but later members revealed that it should be explained differently: first part of the name comes from 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
.
"Księga Tajemnicza. Prolog", released in 1996 was the first Polish hardcore psychorap album and the second one where live-scratching technique was used.
Their two other albums - "W 63 minuty dookoła świata" (released in 1998) and "3:44" (released in 2000) were completely devoid of psychorap style.
".
On December 26, 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.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
band formed at the end of 1993 in Katowice
Katowice
Katowice is a city in Silesia in southern Poland, on the Kłodnica and Rawa rivers . Katowice is located in the Silesian Highlands, about north of the Silesian Beskids and about southeast of the Sudetes Mountains.It is the central district of the Upper Silesian Metropolis, with a population of 2...
, Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
by Piotr Łuszcz ("Magik
Magik (rapper)
Piotr Łuszcz known as Magik - Polish rapper, composer and a record producer...
"), Marcin Marten ("Dab") and Michał Marten ("Joka"). 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 originally thought that the name of the group came from a gun
Gun
A gun is a muzzle or breech-loaded projectile-firing weapon. There are various definitions depending on the nation and branch of service. A "gun" may be distinguished from other firearms in being a crew-served weapon such as a howitzer or mortar, as opposed to a small arm like a rifle or pistol,...
, but later members revealed that it should be explained differently: first part of the name comes from the calibre of problems the group sings about. The number 44 is a reference to a prophetic poem Dziady
Dziady (poem)
Dziady is a poetic drama by the Polish poet Adam Mickiewicz. It is considered one of the great works of European Romanticism. To George Sand and George Brandes, Dziady was a supreme realization of Romantic drama theory, to be ranked with such works as Goethe's Faust and Byron's Manfred.The...
written by Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
poet Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz ) was a Polish poet, publisher and political writer of the Romantic period. One of the primary representatives of the Polish Romanticism era, a national poet of Poland, he is seen as one of Poland's Three Bards and the greatest poet in all of Polish literature...
.
- Nad ludy i nad króle podniesiony;
- Na trzech stoi koronach, a sam bez korony;
- A życie jego - trud trudów,
- A tytuł jego - lud ludów;
- Z matki obcej, krew jego dawne bohatery,
- A imię jego czterdzieści i cztery.
- Elevated above peoples and kings;
- He stands on three crowns, but himself is without a crown;
- And his life - the hardest of hardships,
- And his title - the people above other peoples;
- From a foreign mother, his blood is of ancient heroes;
- And his name forty and four.
"Księga Tajemnicza. Prolog", released in 1996 was the first Polish hardcore psychorap album and the second one where live-scratching technique was used.
Their two other albums - "W 63 minuty dookoła świata" (released in 1998) and "3:44" (released in 2000) were completely devoid of psychorap style.
Piotr Łuszcz
Soon after release of the second album "W 63 minuty dookoła świata" Magik retired from Kaliber 44 and together with Sebastian Salbert (Rahim) and Wojciech Alszer (Fokus) he formed new band called "PaktofonikaPaktofonika
Paktofonika was a Polish hip hop group from Katowice and Mikolow, which debuted with the album Kinematografia in 2000. The name Paktofonika comes from the words pakt and fonika , from which derives the idea of "A pact made alongside noise from a speaker", created by band's founders, Magik and...
".
On December 26, 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.
Studio albums
- Księga Tajemnicza. Prolog (The Mysterious Book. Prologue) (1996)
- W 63 minuty dookoła świata (Around the World in 63 Minutes) (1998) POL: Gold
- 3:44 (2000) POL #49
Singles
- "Magia i miecz" (The Magic and the Sword) (1996)
- "Film" (1998)
- "Konfrontacje" (Confrontations) (2000)