Kaliber 44

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.

Kaliber 44
A demo cassette tape by Kaliber 44 on display at the Silesian Museum, 2019
Background information
Also known as	K44
Origin	Katowice, Poland
Genres	Hip hop
Years active	1993–2003, from 2013
Labels	S.P. Records
Members	AbradAb, Dj Eprom
Past members	Joka, Magik, DJ Feel-X, Lukatricks, Gano

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 10 November 1996, is widely regarded as the first Polish hardcore psychorap album and among the earliest to incorporate live-scratching techniques. At the time of its production and release, most members of the group were minors, requiring parental consent for the recording contract. The album achieved significant commercial success in Poland, selling several hundred thousand copies and earning multiple nominations for major national music awards.

The group’s second studio album,"W 63 minuty dookoła świata", released two years later, marked a departure from their debut's darker style, incorporating more jazz-inflected elements, drawing comparisons to jazz-hop. Despite the stylistic shift, it matched the popularity of the first release.

On 2 September 2000, the group released their third album, "3:44", which featured a more traditional hip-hop sound, often likened to contemporary American productions. This release proved to be a critical and commercial milestone, garnering the group the most prestigious accolades of their career up to that point.

Their fourth studio album, "Ułamek tarcia", released on 2 March 2016, was met with widespread acclaim. The release reaffirmed the group's status on the Polish music scene, propelling them once again to the top of national 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]}

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]}

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Album details	Peak chart positions	Certifications
		POL [1]
Księga Tajemnicza. Prolog	Released: 10 November 1996 Label: S.P. Records	1
W 63 minuty dookoła świata	Released: 2 March 1998 Label: S.P. Records	2	ZPAV: Gold[2]
3:44	Released: 2 September 2000 Label: S.P. Records	3
Ułamek tarcia	Released: 13 February 2016 Label: Mystic Production	1	ZPAV: Platinum[3]

Demo albums

Title	Album details
Usłysz nasze demo	Released: 1994 Label: Self-released
Demo 1995r.	Released: 1995 Label: Self-released

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)