Kaliber 44 is a
hip hop band formed at the end of 1994 in
Katowice
Katowice ( , , ; szl, Katowicy; german: Kattowitz, yi, קאַטעוויץ, Kattevitz) is the capital city of the Silesian Voivodeship in southern Poland and the central city of the Upper Silesian metropolitan area. It is the 11th most popul ...
, Poland. The group is dubbed the most influential Polish hip hop band, while their so-called ''hardcore psycho rap'' style is the most prominent. 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
In guns, particularly firearms, caliber (or calibre; sometimes abbreviated as "cal") is the specified nominal internal diameter of the gun barrel bore – regardless of how or where the bore is measured and whether the finished bore match ...
of problems the group sings about. The number ''44'' is a reference to a prophetic poem
Dziady
Dziady ( Belarusian: , Russian: , Ukrainian: , pl, Dziady; lit. "grandfathers, eldfathers", sometimes translated as Forefathers' Eve) is a term in Slavic folklore for the spirits of the ancestors and a collection of pre-Christian rites, rituals ...
written by Polish poet
Adam Mickiewicz
Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...
.
"
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
''W 63 minuty dookoła świata'' (Polish: ''Around the world in 63 minutes'') is the second studio album by Polish hip-hop group Kaliber 44 released March 2, 1998 on S.P. Records. On November 25, 1998 the album went gold according to ZPAV. In Pol ...
" (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 formed new band called "
Paktofonika" together with Sebastian "Rahim" Salbert and Wojciech "Fokus" Alszer.
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.
Discography
Studio albums
Demo albums
Singles
*"Magia i miecz" (The Magic and the Sword) (1996)
*"Film" (The Trip) (1998)
*"Konfrontacje" (Confrontations) (2000)
References
External links
Kaliber 44at Culture.pl
{{Authority control
Polish hip hop groups
Psychedelic rap groups