Available Formats
Taco Hemingway's Jarmark
By (Author) Kamila Rymajdo
Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Bloomsbury Publishing USA
6th March 2025
United States
Tertiary Education
Non Fiction
Popular music
782.42164909
Hardback
136
Width 127mm, Height 197mm
Examining the cultural significance of the rap album Jarmark (2020) as a reflection of Polish politics and history during the countrys populist turn and migration following EU enlargement. Jarmark is Taco Hemingways fifth album, and his most political to date, coming soon after he became the first Polish artist to be streamed a billion times on Spotify. Previously described as the voice of a generation with nothing to say, Hemingways political turn can be read as an intervention, not least because Jarmark was released two days before the presidential election in 2020, which had the potential to end PiS (Law and Justice)s reign. As such, the book examines the album as a response to a crisis point in Polish society, with a country divided about its future, both politically and socially. It explores the textual and musical characteristics of the album within the context of the history of Polish rap and Hemingways career. It also discusses the impact of the album, by examining its reception by fans as reflected by comments on YouTube and social media, its critical reception, sales and awards.
Kamila Rymajdo is a journalist based in Manchester, UK, focusing on hip hop and club culture. She has written for for Mixmag, DJ Mag, Dazed and Vice.