An integral part of the Hip Hop scene in Poland, DJ Jam Session has been working his way up for over a decade. Jam Session has seen Poland’s Hip Hop scene from its formative years to its current state.
Now making major moves with some of the industry's power players, he is currently preparing volume 12 of his highly successful Exclusive Jointz mixtape series, the previous edition was hosted by Chingy. He is also set to make his way to Australia and make his mark before the end of the year.
Hear the interesting tales from this true pioneer directly from the man himself, as he chats to Hazard in this exclusive interview.
Is there much of a Hip Hop scene in Poland. Give us a bit of the history behind it and what it is like today?
The Hip Hop scene in Poland is still at a developing stage. International artists are starting to come here more regularly. This year saw appearances by Akon, Nas, Public Enemy and Rihanna.
Hip Hop didn’t start being recognised on a large scale in Poland until the 90s. The scene was very small and isolated in the 80s. There was a lot of sampling going on, most artists used the Deuter, Kult or the Dezeter.
In the early 90s a crew by the name of Salem came out with a record called Skate, this was followed by music from Bad Master C. The first really big Hip Hop record in Poland came out in 1995 by a group called the Ya-Pa-3-Hill.
The true boom of Polish Hip Hop occurred with the release of a record called Alboom Liroy by Kielce, who is hailed as the originator of Gangsta Rap in Poland. Although the record sold extremely well there was a large concern about the lyrical content, which caused record labels to be cautious of signing Hip Hop acts. Not long after, an independent Hip Hop label called Kaliber 44 of Katowice was launched.
The early rappers in Poland drew from comparisons between the ghettos of America and the blocks in Poland in their music. Several groups from the area of Warsaw emerged to great popularity including Molesta, Warszafski decszcz and ZIP Sklad. One of the most active members of the Polish Hip Hop community was DJ 600 V, a DJ and event organizer, who hailed from the area of Poznań. He gained major popularity as the producer for the group Slums Attack, particularly with their debut album NA LEGALU. He crafted several hits and sold a lot of records, the most the scene had experienced at the time.
Tell the people out there about yourself and what you do?
I am a Hip Hop club DJ and I also have a series of mixtapes. I am the official Bumsquad DJ representative for Poland. I hold several events per year, usually in southern Poland.
How did you get started as a DJ and what inspired you?
I began DJing at the beginning of the 90s, it was so much fun. I would have two tape recorders set-up going between the two, without a mixer of microphone. I don’t know if you would call that DJing, but at the time I felt that it was. At first I didn’t quite grasp the concept of being a DJ. After being exposed to Hip Hop on television, through Yo! MTV Raps and watching Afrika Bambaataa, I went mad and got fully into it.
What Hip Hop did you grow up on and what other music inspired you when you were growing up?
Afrika Bambaataa is the first Hip Hop artist I remember hearing. I also listened to Run-DMC, the Beastie Boys and Michael Jackson. So I am pretty old school, but I’m still doing my thing today.
You’ve got pictures with some big time artists on you’re my Space, including Chamillionaire, DJ Red Alert and Rick Ross. How did hook up with all these big artists?
I travelled to the U.S. in 2005 and went to some of the big Hip Hop events and parties that were happening. That’s how I hooked up with the big artists. After meeting Chamillionaire, I ended up working with him on one of my mixtape projects.
You will be coming down to Australia later this year. What can people expect when they go to one of your shows and where will you be performing?
You can expect a three hour energy ride. I do a lot of my show freestyle. I mix R&B, Hip Hop and Old School, I also do mash-ups. I will actually be living in Australia for a year, I’m coming over to study. I will be going to Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, I’m still talking to promoters. I will be playing at a club on New Year’s Eve.
Your latest mixtape is Exclusive Jointz Vol. 11 and it is hosted by Chingy. How many other mixtapes/albums have you released and what can people expect to hear when they check them out?
Exclusive Jointz is my flagship mixtape series. Volume 12 is currently in the works, Foxy Brown and Akon will be participating in it. The past 11 volumes has seen me working with Chingy, Grafh, Zulu and Chantelle diBrava, along with many others. You can expect to hear the hottest exclusives and freshest joints on my mixtapes.
Tell us about the Bumsquad DJs. Who does it consist and what do you guys do?
Bumsquad DJs was founded in 2002 by Latin Prince (Universal/Motown National Director of Urban Mix Show). It is a family of DJs that work as one unit to break new artists and create a visual aesthetic utilising it’s formidable brand influence. Bumsquad DJs are all about breaking new music and sharing music with DJs and consumers worldwide.
Bumsquad DJs is made up of DJs, industry professionals and artists including DJ Skee, DJ Clark Kent, DJ Eque, Paul Wall, Lupe Fiasco, Trey Songz and many more. DJ Samrai is Australia’s representative of the Bumsquad DJs.
Nas and several other people have said that Hip Hop is dead. What is your opinion?
I disagree with that. The business is so different compared to 10 or 20 years ago. There is so much competition and fighting over who can move the most units. Luckily, a lot of the artists are smarter these days. They are more aware of politics and are becoming great businessmen and entrepreneurs. Producers, like Timbaland and Swizz Beatz, are also becoming more well rounded and multi-faceted. To me Hip Hop is living and it is well off.
What is the Hip Hop scene like in Europe overall?
The scene is okay, but the American music dominates over here, it’s not big enough to compete. A lot of the artists just imitate the Americans anyway.
Have you heard any Hip Hop from Australia?
I have heard about artists like Phrase, Hilltop Hoods and Tyree, I’m impressed with what I heard from all of them. Australia’s Hip Hop is very high in quality from what I have heard and is poised to blow up. DJs like Nino Brown, Samrai and Kronic are evidence of that.
What advice do you have for up and coming DJs?
Don’t give up!
