Rapping on a light autotune about heavy topics: this is the best summary of the album, which can be recognized already from the opening track “Gdy się przed się” or the later “Z Polski”. I like that Pezet he doesn’t limit himself to fresh sounds and you can hear that he’s constantly trying something new. Although sometimes (as in “Distance” and “The Best Day” by Kuban and Oki) it sounds quite familiar, it is clear that he tries to avoid forcefully looped samples in the old school way.
However, the most interesting track turned out to be “Plan B”, which, already released as a single, positively surprised me. Pezet with Mata and Kaz Bałagan is a combination I simply didn’t expect, and the fact that Matczak’s verse is the most old-school moment on this album is a bit ironic. It must be said, however, that Frankie G and Pedro delivered the beat. Similarly to Louis Villain and Jonatan, who are responsible for “Zizu”. Released as one of the first singles, it immediately stole my heart. This is the rap I expect from top artists in Poland: great flow, good flow and strong backing – what more could you want?
-
Justin Bieber “SWAG II”: Completely wasted potential (REVIEW)
-
Justin Bieber “SWAG”: We won’t be dealing with cheesy pop here (REVIEW)
What undoubtedly catches the eye is the large number of guests. Apart from the above-mentioned Mata and Kaz Bałagan, on “Interfej” we get Kabe, who performs quite poorly in a rather average club song. On the plus side, Kizo has become more and more popular lately. “Port Cities” has all the best of “Contemporary Music” released over 6 years ago, and what’s more, Pomorzanin is in really good shape. The album also includes the slightly calmer “Presja Environment” and “Wendy Darling” with choruses sung by Michał Lange and the brilliant Faustyna Maciejczuk.
There are also some rather unobvious feats, such as Hanafi in “Happysad” and René in “Tinted Windows”. However, I am constantly fascinated by Chivas, who, even when he appears as a guest, has a huge impact on the entire issue – this was the case with Quebo, and it is now with Pezet. “Lowlife” has some good post-punk sounds in it, which we shouldn’t expect from Pezet. As I already said, at this stage no one will forbid him from experimenting and playing with sound.
As for the lyrics, we have classic Pezet with a critique of modernity, which is perfectly summed up by the quote: “everything here is kitsch today.” Songs such as “Remake”, “Stupid Sen” or the almost dystopian “Black Mirror” remind me of “2k30” with Taco Hemingway from the already mentioned “Contemporary Music”. Nevertheless, it must be given to Pezet that his position allows him to criticize the existing state of Polish hip-hop.
Paradoxically, “Popular Music” brings a lot of freshness. It’s time to end the discussion about whether rap is popular music: this is the most important conclusion that everyone should draw after listening to Pezet’s new album. His good form means that we can be confident about the next parts of his discography, and “Muzyka Popularna” is a really good album.