Fisz – his history. He’s in his element when he’s making music.

Fisz has been in the music industry since the late 90s. He’s taken part in many projects and tried various genres, but he’s most well-known for his hip-hop music. Does it mean that he’s only good at rapping? His history is astonishing. Let’s take a look at it and try to understand: why is he so successful?

Fisz – history

Fisz, i.e. Bartek Waglewski, was born on 19 of March 1978 in Warsaw. He’s got something more than a surname from his father – a love for music. Wojciech Waglewski is a famous polish musician and a leader of the band Voo Voo. The musical background of Fisz’s family has definitely influenced his artistic development. The fact that the rapper’s younger brother also became a musician only confirms that. The brothers studied music together and together discovered its vastness.

In the 90s Fisz played in garage rock bands. That’s how he made the first contact with not only learning, but also playing music. These bands, however, were just amateur groups and went unknown by the public.

Fisz – zapomnij

Waglewski’s first serious project happened in 1997 when he started a group called RHX, which consisted of 19-year-old Fisz, his brother Emade, and Inespe. These young musicians were doing hip-hop. They started with recording three demos: RHX Generacja, Styl Fajowy 98 and Imielin Faimilja. In 1999 they released their debut album – Opowieści z podwórkowej ławki. The record had seventeen songs, all with a classic street hip-hop sound. The group disbanded shortly after that release.

Fisz – solo career

Waglewski’s first bigger accomplishment happened in 2000 when he released his first solo album – Polepione dźwięki. That’s when he started to be known by the public. The history of that album, which consisted of eleven songs, was so impressive that it made it to the 12^th place of the OLiS chart. That wasn’t the only good news for the 20-year-old Fisz. Polepione dźwięki was nominated for the Fryderyk awards in the category “album of the year – rap, hip-hop”. Although he didn’t win back then, the sole fact that he was nominated in such an important category is a huge accomplishment.

Fisz, hungry for more success, did not slow down. In 2001 he released his second album, Na wylot. Musicians who become popular after their debut often don’t manage to repeat that success with their second album. But that didn’t happen with Fisz. His second record made to the 2^nd place of the OLiS chart. He was also nominated for the Fryderyk awards in the same category as the year before.

Family business

Coming from a musical family influenced more than just the beginning of Fisz’s career. His most popular collaboration with his family is, of course, Fisz Emade Tworzywo – a hip-hop duo created by the two brothers. However, we should also remember projects created by Fisz, Emade, and their father, Wojciech Waglewski. For example, the album titled Męska muzyka, which was a huge success and went platinum.

Another album released by this trio was Matka, Syn, Bóg, which went gold. Their newest record, Duchy ludzi i zwierząt, was released in 2020. It’s unarguably adorable that Waglewski and his sons share the love for music and create it together.

Fisz Emade Tworzywo

Although Bartek Waglewski’s solo projects are very popular, he’s most famous for the duo with his brother. Emade was by Fisz’s side from the very beginning. They both were in RHX and worked together on Polepione dźwięki, Na wylot, and other albums. In 2002, however, they decided to start a new group – Tworzywo Sztuczne. The duo had various names over the years and currently is known as Fisz Emade Tworzywo.

Waglewski Fisz Emade – Ziemia

The group has released 6 albums. Their debut, released in 2002, was called F3. It was quite popular, but their later records gained even more success. For example, Mamut was loved by both the public and music critics and has won the Fryderyk award for Album of the Year – electronic/indie/alternative. The duo received two other nominations in the same year. As a fun fact I’ll also mention that their father has won an award for Album of the Year – traditional music. What a talented family…

Fisz – musical versatility

Although I’ve mentioned quite a few albums by Fisz, I didn’t really specify their genre. The history of his career proves that even though people usually think of him as a rapper, he’s not scared to experiment with new sounds. His beginnings are connected to rock, later he switched to hip-hop. However, his love for all kinds of music was visible even during the first years of his career, and the F3 album was born. It wasn’t a rap record, but a jazz one. Although it was very different from his previous work, it was a high-quality album full of amazing songs. In his other projects Fisz continued to experiment with form and sound by introducing elements of jazz, funk, and electronic.

Together with his brother, Fisz was a part of Bassisters Orchestra – a group which created jazz-inspired trance improvisations with vocal elements. They’ve released one studio album called Numer jeden.

In 2009 Bartosz Waglewski, Piotr Waglewski, and Michał Sobolewski started a group called Kim Novak. Their music was inspired by artists such as Jimi Hendrix or Black Sabbath – they make rock. They’ve released three albums, and their self-titled debut (Kim Novak) made it to the 8^th place of the OLiS chart. The group has been nominated for a Fryderyk award twice.

The music in collaboration with Fisz’s father is also far from rap. Męska muzyka, for example, is full of quite melancholic songs, categorized as rock, blues, or even country.

Let’s sum it up 

Although I’ve tried to describe Fisz as closely as possible, the history of his career is so rich that it’s hard to describe all of it in one article. He’s not just a hip-hop musician who’s trying to do “serious music”. He’s a true musician who can do it all – street rap, jazz, rock, and many other genres. He’s an incredibly talented artist whose hard work has been acknowledged over and over again. Because even though I’ve mentioned the Fryderyk awards many times in this article, if I were to mention all his accomplishments this piece would be way too long.

Fisz is such a musician who makes his fans proud to be fans of his music. If anyone here likes him, I can congratulate them. And if someone has only learned about him now, I encourage you to check out his work, as the journey through his various projects is extremely inspiring and interesting.

Article: Paweł Skarzyński
Photos: The artist’s official FB profile
Translation: Matylda Widawska

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