How Polish Hip-Hop Remixed Romanticism
Many Polish rappers and their fans have noted links between Polish Romanticism and hip-hop, some going so far as to claim Adam Mickiewicz as the ‘original rapper’. From freestyle battles to otherworldly inspiration, Culture.pl explores how Polish hip-hop remembers and remixes Romantic traditions.
The Polish rapper Dominik ‘Doniu’ Grabowski once told a reporter, ‘If Mickiewicz was alive today, he’d be a good rhymer’. Adam Mickiewicz, the 19th-century poet responsible for some of the most enduring works of Polish literature, was, in fact, not a rapper. The claim that he could have been, however, is not as wild as it might initially appear. While hip-hop’s roots are undeniably in the American communities that pioneered the music, Polish rappers and their fans have also found ways to link the music with Romantic traditions that have been part of Polish culture for centuries.
From Romantic improvisation to hip-hop freestyling
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Alexander Pushkin and his friends listen to Adam Mickiewicz in the salon of Princess Zinaida Wołkońska, 1899-1907, painting by Grigory Grigoryevich Myasoedov from the collection of the Alexander Pushkin Museum in St. Petersburg, photo: Getty Images
For those who claim that Mickiewicz could have been a rapper, his reputation as a gifted improviser offers the first piece of evidence. Much as a rapper’s ability to freestyle – to compose rhymes ‘off the head’ and on the spot – is celebrated in hip-hop, Romantic poets were also acclaimed for their improvisation skills. It was not uncommon for Romantic poets to perform improvised verse at social gatherings, often taking suggestions on subjects from the crowd.
The Russian writer Alexander Pushkin immortalised such a night of Romantic improvisation in his 1837 story Egyptian Nights. In the tale, a foreign improviser stuns his audience, thrilling them with his bewitching stage presence and ability to perform extended extemporaneous verse on any topic. Pushkin was an admirer of Mickiewicz, having met him when the Polish poet was exiled to Russia, and is thought to have based his fictional improviser on him.Mickiewicz was not humble when it came to his talent for improvisation. Just as rappers today might boast of their freestyling skills, Mickiewicz spoke proudly of his ability to invent rhymes on the spot, asserting:
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When it comes to quickness of invention or improvisation I leave [Shakespeare] far behind. More than that, I know of no one who is my equal.
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Quote from ‘Adam Mickiewicz: The Life of a Romantic’ by Roman Koropeckyj
Mickiewicz’s talent and confident swagger cemented him an enduring place in Polish culture, including among the nation’s hip-hop artists. Rapper Ryszard ‘Peja’ Andrzejewski noted:
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Mickiewicz wrote Konrad’s long monologue in one night, which in a way brings him closer to hip-hop freestyle, which involves rhymes on the spot while performing a song.
Though here he is talking about the ‘Great Improvisation’ from Mickiewicz’s drama Forefathers’ Eve, Peja is nevertheless quick to point out that the Romantic poet’s writing process is not too different from the work of rappers. Peja and his peers don’t just appreciate improvisation, they also practice it. Adam Andrzej ‘O.S.T.R.’ Ostrowski, Jakub ‘Muflon’ Rużyłło, Marcin ‘Duże Pe’ Matuszewski, and Adam ‘Te-Tris’ Chrabin are some of the most celebrated names in Polish hip-hop, though there are likely modern-day Mickiewiczes spitting rhymes all over the country.
Battles & beefs
Portrait of Juliusz Słowacki, a lithograph by W. Barwicki, photo: Biblioteka Narodowa / Polona.pl Wherever there are talented artists, odds are there are rivalries between those talented artists. Readers are likely familiar with hip-hop beefs, artistic feuds that range from petty verbal sparring to deadly conflict. There’s Tupac and Biggie, Nas and Jay-Z, Cardi B and Nicki Minaj… Adam Mickiewicz and Juliusz Słowacki?That’s right, two of Poland’s most famous Romantic poets were (mostly) friendly rivals who squared off in a legendary Christmas Day battle of words in 1840. Tensions between the two had been long simmering, as the younger Słowacki aspired to Mickiewicz’s level of acclaim, while Mickiewicz, the reigning ‘national bard’ dismissed the junior poet’s work as a ‘beautiful church without a god’. When presented the chance to exchange verse at a party hosted by publisher Eustachy Januszkiewicz, the two poets put on quite a show for the 40 or so assembled guests. Despite the sharp exchange of improvised barbs, the two poets ended the evening collegially.
Portrait of Adam Mickiewicz by Józef Oleszkiewicz, 1828, photo: National Museum in Kraków Though Mickiewicz and Słowacki set aside their animosities, the tradition of artistic beefs and spirited battles found a new iteration in Polish hip-hop culture. Today these conflicts are less about whose verse will inspire Poland’s fight for independence and more about hip-hop prowess. One of the longest-running beefs in Polish hip-hop, between Jacek ‘Tede’ Graniecki and Ryszard ‘Peja’ Andrzejewski, erupted after an audience member was beaten at one of Peja’s shows in 2009. Blaming Peja for provoking the violence, Tede denounced him, writing, ‘Congratulations, Rysiu [Peja’s nickname], I’m really […] proud that I’m part of that same project called “Polish hip-hop”. Such an embarrassment…’ (Trans. AA). In the years that followed, the rivalry led to cancelled shows and the recording of many mutually insulting diss tracks.
If the intricacies of contemporary beefs are too much to follow, you might be interested in the revival of the classic Mickiewicz versus Słowacki rivalry, reimagined online as a rap battle for the ages. Those who are curious about how these two poetic heavyweights might have squared off today only need to search YouTube for ‘Mickiewicz vs Słowacki rap’ to get a taste of the possibilities.
Between the earthly dimension & something more
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The hip-hop group Kaliber 44 in 1996, photo: Andrzej Georgiew / Forum
Of course, in both Romantic poetry and contemporary hip-hop, one can’t be all talk, no talent. Like the Romantics before them, rappers prize poetic virtuosity and literary wit. When it comes to the source of artistic genius, the ages and genres also share a sense that there is something mystical about the poetic process.
Mickiewicz’s contemporaries often spoke of him as divinely inspired. Pushkin described him as ‘inspired from above’, while another witness to the Polish poet in action recalled:
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Mickiewicz’s entire persona appeared to be transformed into a superterrestrial being. […] The wieszcz, the master, the Messenger of God struck with his voice the hearts of his listeners as if with the rod of Aaron, and tears came to their eyes.
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From ‘Adam Mickiewicz: The Life of a Romantic’ by Roman Koropeckyj
At the height of his powers, Mickiewicz seemed superhuman, possessing poetic skill that could only come from another dimension. The poet himself seemed to acknowledge that there were times when he was not in full control of his creativity. Of the famous – and mystifying – line in Forefathers’ Eve that promises a saviour of Poland whose ‘name will be forty and four’, Mickiewicz confessed to not knowing why he chose that number. Seweryn Goszczyński recalls the poet telling him that he did not know ‘why he put down this number and not another – he put it down, as it imposed itself in a moment of inspiration, where there was no place for any reasoning’ (Trans. Mikołaj Gliński).
Album cover of Kaliber 44's 'Ksiega Tajemnicza: Prolog', photo: promo materials This Romantic notion that inspiration comes from deep connection with the natural and spiritual realms and that poetry can transcend earthly understanding found new resonance among some of Poland’s most celebrated hip-hop artists. One need look no farther than the debut album of the legendary band Kaliber 44 to see the lasting influence of Mickiewicz and Romantic spirituality. Released in 1996, the band’s Księga Tajemnicza: Prolog (The Mysterious Book: Prologue) is not only rich with allusions to Romanticism, but also cultivates its own unique brand of hip-hop mysticism. The ‘44’ of the band’s name references the prophesied saviour of Poland from Forefathers’ Eve, and the album title and cover art evoke the spirit of the enigmatic days of yore.It is the band’s sense of their art as a bridge between the earthly and the spiritual, however, that most strikingly aligns them with the national poets of the past. The track Psychodela (Psychedelic) welcomes listeners to ‘the first gate to the world of magic’ and suggests that with their rap style ‘you are already enchanted’. Elsewhere on the album, Usłysz Mój Głos (Hear My Voice) finds the group’s Piotr ‘Magik’ Łuszcz rapping and reflecting on the power of the music:
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This music is a fraction of a fiction/ Between our earthly dimension and something more, something further.
The style of verse may have changed in the almost 200 years between Mickiewicz and Magik, but the belief in the power of art to tap into the unknown has endured.
Community storytellers
The great poets of the Romantic era were seen as the voice of the nation. They spoke to a Poland that did not exist on the map of Europe, but that lived in the words of its artists and the hearts of its people. Drawing on stories from the past and addressing contemporary social and political issues, Poland’s Romantic poets took on the role of community storytellers. In Pan Tadeusz, Mickiewicz described and immortalised the life of the Lithuanian gentry. Słowacki’s Balladyna incorporated Slavic mythology to tell a captivating tale of greed and divine justice. The Un-Divine Comedy by Zygmunt Krasiński offered commentary on the revolutionary movements of its time. With these works, the giants of Romantic literature positioned themselves as keepers of the nation’s history and significant voices of its present.
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Paktofonika in concert at the club Żak in Gdańsk, 2003, photo: Łukasz Głowała / Forum
From its inception, hip-hop possessed a similar mandate to tell the stories of its community, both past and present. As hip-hop made its way to Poland, the storytelling nature of the genre was maintained as Polish rappers adapted the music to speak to their own local and national communities. Assuming the role of a voice of the people, Polish rappers have produced tracks that span the political spectrum and speak to subjects ranging from Polish history to contemporary social issues.
For those rappers interested in history, the Warsaw Uprising of 1944 has proven a fruitful inspiration. The Warsaw-based group Hemp Gru’s 2009 song 63 Dni Chwały (63 Days of Glory) samples Andrzej Panufnik’s 1944 composition Warszawskie Dzieci (Children of Warsaw) in a proud memorial to those who fought in the uprising. The rapper Pjus offers a different take on the historical event, recalling the story of a platoon of deaf fighters on the track Głośniej od Bomb (Louder Than Bombs).
Rappers are of course not only interested in the past, and many reflect on the present realities of life in Poland. The Poznań-based group Slums Attack’s 2005 recording Reprezentuję Biedę (I Represent Poverty) comments on economic disparity and describes ‘people who cannot afford a comfortable life in the city centre’, but instead ‘rot in the gutters’. On the other side of the socio-economic spectrum, Michał ‘Mata’ Matczak offers a dynamic critique of his life of privilege on the 2020 single Patointeligencja, rapping about being ‘tired of the warmth and beauty’ afforded to him.
Whether commenting about life on the streets or in elite private schools, Polish history or contemporary protest, Polish rappers have assumed the mantle of community storytellers and commentators.
Rapping Romanticism
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A scene from the film 'You Are God' (Jesteś bogiem), pictured: actors Tomasz Schuchardt, Dawid Ogrodnik, Marcin Kowalczyk, photo: Katarzyna Kural / Kino Świat
Given the many ways that Romanticism echoes through Polish hip-hop, it is perhaps no surprise that Polish rappers have turned to the nation’s literary canon for lyrical material. The practice is so common, in fact, that it becomes a joke in Leszek Dawid’s 2012 film about the hip-hop group Paktofonika, You Are God, when the group’s manager encourages Piotr ‘Magik’ Łuszcz to record ‘something from poetry’. Magik refuses, insisting, ‘you can’t use other people’s rhymes’, which leaves his disappointed manager to wistfully imagine a hip-hop version of Cyprian Norwid’s Bema Pamięci Żałobny-Rapsod (To Bem’s Memory – A Funeral Rhapsody).
While Magik and Paktofonika never chose to ‘use other people’s rhymes’, several Polish rappers have. The 2009 compilation album Poeci, for example, featured Polish artists rapping classics of Polish literature and included a version of Mickiewicz’s 1832 poem Reduta Ordona (Ordon’s Redoubt) by the Wałbrzych-based hip-hop group Trzeci Wymiar. Mickiewicz’s poem memorialises Juliusz Konstanty Ordon, who, outmanned by Russian forces in the 1831 Battle of Warsaw, was thought to have blown up his redoubt before it could be conquered. The poem offers a familiar Romantic narrative of patriotic sacrifice; and in reviving it in rap, Trzeci Wymiar brings it into the present.Mickiewicz again found himself in the studio in 2015, when Ryszard ‘Peja’ Andrzejewski recorded a version of ‘The Great Improvisation’ from the poet’s drama Forefathers’ Eve. ‘The Great Improvisation’ finds a poet called Konrad boasting of his poetry’s power and asserting that he will fight for the freedom of his nation. Both the artistic braggadocio of a poet at the height of his powers and the drive to use one’s words to fight the powers that be resonate across time, bridging the Romantic hero and the contemporary rapper. Reflecting on the recording of his version of ‘The Great Improvisation’, Peja remarked:
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I opened the text and right away it came to me like music notes. […] Maybe it came easily for me because I found a lot of my own emotions in this text: conflict with the world and with God, a sense of power, a rejection of authority.
A number of amateur rappers have also found a muse in Mickiewicz. A quick YouTube search for ‘Mickiewicz Inwokacja rap’ yields an entertaining collection of rapped versions of the famous ‘Invocation’ from Mickiewicz’s national epic Pan Tadeusz. As you watch, you might just find yourself rapping along and memorising some timeless poetry without even noticing.
Written by Alena Aniskiewicz, Jul 2021
Sources: ‘Adam Mickiewicz: The Life of a Romantic’ by Roman Koropeckyj, 2008; ‘Poznan Journal; Polish Hip-Hop Rocks the Homies on the Blok’ by Peter S. Green (The New York Times, 2002); ‘Czym śpiewak dla ludzi? Rychu Peja w ‘Wielkiej Improwizacji’ (Naszemiasto.Poznan, 2015); ‘Peja rymuje Mickiewicza, czyli młodzież poznaje wieszcza’ by Paweł Grzyl (DziennikPolski24, 2015); Culture.pl
