Studio album by Polish rapper Taco Hemingway
Café Belga is the second studio album by Polish rapper Taco Hemingway, released on 13 July 2018 under the labels Taco Corp and Asfalt Records. The album was made available a day earlier on the rapper's website and YouTube. Recorded between January and June 2018, the album was produced by Rumak and Borucci. The physical version of the release came with a bonus mini-album, "Flagey". The album represents a hip-hop style with influences from trap and pop. Its main theme is a critique of the contemporary world, particularly the issues of popularity and the lack of anonymity.
"Café Belga" received mixed reviews from music critics. Reviewers particularly praised it in comparison to the rapper's previous solo album, noting the improvement in lyricism and successful production. On the other hand, the album was criticized for its monothematic nature and the use of singing. The album was nominated for a Fryderyk award in the "Album of the Year – Hip-Hop" category. It achieved commercial success, receiving high streaming numbers and debuting at number one on the nationwide OLiS sales chart. The Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry awarded it a platinum certification for selling over 30,000 copies in Poland. Additionally, it became the 11th best-selling album in Poland in 2018.
As part of the album's promotion, Hemingway went on the Café Belga Tour, which included concerts in Poland, the United Kingdom, and Ireland.
Origins, recording, and release.
The recording of "Café Belga" began in January 2018. It was recorded at Studio Nagrywarka in Warsaw, with long-time collaborators Rumak and Borucci handling production. The album's title references the Café Belga in Brussels. The song incorporates snippets of an interview Hemingway gave to journalist Marek Fall in Café Belga on 15 May 2018. The recording concluded in June 2018. The album's cover art was created by Łukasz Partyka, Sonia Szóstak, and Piotr Dudek.
The album was released on 13 July 2018 in Empik stores, Asfalt Shop, and streaming services. Initially, the release was intended to have no prior announcement or promotion. However, despite instructions not to release the album before July 13, an Empik employee leaked information of the album and cover art online a day earlier. As a result, Hemingway expedited the release, uploading the entire album to YouTube on July 12, offering it for free digital download on his website, and starting pre-sales in the Asfalt Shop. The physical version of "Café Belga" included the bonus mini-album "Flagey" and an interview recording with Marek Fall. On 20 July 2018, "Flagey" was also made available on streaming services and YouTube.
Analysis and interpretation.
According to Rafał Samborski from the Interia.pl portal, the album mainly represents trap music. However, a critic from the Soul Bowl portal suggested: "You can expect less trap and more pop". Piotr Markowicz from Noizz.pl compared the production to Hemingway's earlier work: "departing from post-trap schemes towards a more spiritual and vaporwave electronic style". According to Maciej Wierno from Noizz.pl, "Café Belga" has a "stronger and more difficult-to-digest" tone compared to Hemingway's previous solo work, "Szprycer" (2017). Michał Cieślak from "Rzeczpospolita" called the album's sound a "synthesis of all the styles the rapper has recorded in". Bartłomiej Ciepłota from the Glam Rap portal noted that the album stylistically refers to Hemingway's early work. Jarek Szubrych from "Gazeta Wyborcza" remarked that the album's musical layer includes "slow beats that harmonize well with humming under the breath, as well as dynamic tracks that could be danced to".
According to Marcin Nowak from RapDuma, "we are dealing with technical rap based on real talk". Samborski wrote: "There is less play with flow here, which was present in Taconafide. This doesn't mean anything bad: in Taco's lazy flow, there's more fluidity, more emotion in the voice, and more tempo fluctuations". Wierno stated that Hemingway "boldly modulates his voice" and, compared to previous recordings, "uses accelerations more often". Łukasz Łachecki from "CKM" wrote that "despite attempts at technical experiments – accelerations, multi-syllabic rhymes, or enjambment – we still get the impression of encountering monotonous, rap staccato". The rap is interspersed with sung sections where Auto-Tune effects were used. Nowak observed that Hemingway uses double rhymes.
The main theme of the album is a critique of fame and the inability to live a normal life as a public figure. According to critics, the album represents a worldview of decadence. The rapper addresses the problem of depression, not only his own but also that of teenagers. Jacek Sobczyński from the Newonce portal suggested that the main theme of the album is "loneliness at the top". According to Sebastian Łupak from Wirtualna Polska, Hemingway describes his own world, which is "boring, blasé, repetitive, and nondescript". Cieślak summarized the album by saying: "Taco, blasé or perhaps tired of the hustle and bustle of Warsaw and the commercial success of Taconafide, heads towards Brussels to detach once again from the demons of fame". Hemingway also returns to the main themes of his first two EPs, "Trójkąt warszawski" (2014) and "Umowa o dzieło" (2015) – presenting himself as an observer of Warsaw's party life and expressing his observations on this subject. The album also contains love themes. The rapper makes numerous pop culture references – to movies, TV shows, and famous figures.
Tracks.
The title track "Café Belga" revolves around escaping fame to the titular café in Brussels, where the lyrical subject feels anonymous. According to Sobczyński, Hemingway employs a "slightly punk vocal" in the chorus, referencing the band Cool Kids of Death. Samborski wrote that "Borucci layers a simple, somewhat melancholic melody on something that sounds like a mix of an mbira and a vibraphone". In "ZTM", Hemingway raps about longing for peaceful rides on Warsaw's public transportation, now impossible due to his fame. The song prominently features metaphors based on pop culture figures and events. Łachecki described the track as a "diluted copy of Migos' "T-Shirt"". Szubrycht called "Wszystko na niby" a modern equivalent of the song "Artyści" by Kazik na Żywo. The track critiques the artificiality and hypocrisy of the artistic community and responds to accusations against Hemingway of insincerity. The lyrical subject also addresses false perceptions of celebrities among young fans. Samborski noted that Rumak "combines a plastic bass taken straight from the basic sounds of a Minimoog with spacious, almost ambient echoes". In "Reżyseria: Kubrick", Hemingway raps about overwork leading to a nervous breakdown. The lyrical subject compares his life to a film directed by Stanley Kubrick, with references to several of his works: "The Shining" (1980), "" (1968), "A Clockwork Orange" (1971), and "Full Metal Jacket" (1987). Samborski compared the track to the work of American rapper Drake.
In "2031", Hemingway envisions the future trajectory of his career, particularly when he is no longer popular. The verses present predictions for the years 2020, 2025, and 2031, and the lyrical subject critiques the mechanisms governing show business. "Fiji" is directed toward a woman. Samborski described its "catchy" beat as drawing from dancehall rhythms, while Łachecki noted its "afrotrap" style reminiscent of Taconafide. Sobczyński compared the song "Abonent jest czasowo niedostępny" to Drake's work and Taconafide's single "Tamagotchi", calling Borucci's beat "bouncy". The lyrics explore romantic relationships. Sobczyński also wrote that "Motorola" is reminiscent of Taconafide and described it as a "strongly "hikikomori" track reflecting Huxley, "Black Mirror", and a longing for a world that no longer exists". The song's main theme is the state of modern society and the belief that life was better in the past. Its trap-based sound, featuring synthesizers and drums, was likened by Łachecki to producer Zaytoven.
"Modigliani" reflects on Warsaw's residents, their parties, fascination with techno music, and the popularity of mephedrone. The lyrical subject paraphrases the song "Szklana pogoda" by Lombard – according to Przemysław Gulda of "Gazeta.pl", the line "szklana pogoda, żyły niebieskie od mefedronu" ("glass-like weather, veins blue from mephedrone") serves as a metaphor for sociopolitical changes, particularly in urban life, that have taken place in Poland since Lombard's hit was released. Simultaneously, the lyrical subject compares himself to Italian painter Amedeo Modigliani. Sobczyński described the track as "dense, highly visual rap paired with Borucci's lazy beat, sounding like a drug-induced comedown at 4 AM", while Łachecki identified Metro Boomin as an influence. In "Adieu", Rumak combines overdrive effects with piano sounds. "4 AM in Girona", performed in English, addresses escaping from Poland and its insincere Internet culture. The rapper references paparazzi and gossip media writing about him. The song ends with a dialogue from the film "Cold War" (2018), where an embassy worker from the Polish People's Republic accuses Wiktor Warski of lacking love for Poland and betraying Poles. Nowak compared the track to Drake's "5 AM in Toronto".
Café Belga Tour.
On 23 August 2018, Hemingway announced a concert tour titled Café Belga Tour, also revealing the date for the performance in Katowice. The remaining concerts were gradually announced over the following days.
Reception.
Critical reception.
Jarek Szubrycht from "Gazeta Wyborcza" compared "Café Belga" to Hemingway's previous albums, stating that it was better written, with a more varied and successful musical layer."" Dawid Bartkowki from the CGM portal wrote that the album "finally brings a lot of freshness to his [Hemingway's] discography" and called it "the return of Taco that you want to listen to until the end". Similarly, Dawid Kosiński from Spider's Web referred to it as "the return of the good old Taco Hemingway" after the "mishap" that was his collaborative album with Quebonafide, "Soma 0,5 mg", and added that "the atmosphere of the album is enhanced by the brilliant beats of Rumak and Borucci". Marcin Flint from "Rzeczpospolita" praised the album for having less focus on Hemingway himself and his pretentiousness compared to previous albums, concluding his review: "Taco is again packed with clever wordplay and observations that are weapons of mass destruction. And we want to be hit". Jacek Sobczyński from Newonce wrote that "the individual details are picked up after the fifth or tenth listen. Taco is not only easy to listen to, but also something you want to listen into". Kamil Migoń from Popkiller called "Café Belga" the best album from Hemingway since his debut "Young Hems" (2013) and said: "He still writes brilliantly since the debut. He is one of the few rappers in the local market who can still surprise me in this area (sensitivity + observation skills + broad horizons)". Marcin Nowak from RapDuma especially praised the album's production and its double rhymes. Kamil Ziółkowski from Hip-hop.pl called "Café Belga" a good material, adding: "It's great that Taco's productions are varied, and the often-used tune, like in "Szprycer" (with good lyrics), does not poke the ears". Bartłomiej Ciepłota from Glam Rap called it the best album from Hemingway, especially praising the return to the style of his early recordings. The reviewer added: "It's hard to find another rapper in Poland today who handles words so well".
Przemysław Gulda from Gazeta.pl gave a mixed review, pointing out that some songs sounded like they were made in a hurry and were not polished, although there were "truly brilliant and monumental fragments". Gulda summarized: "Taco, still spinning in the same circle of themes repeated to the point of boredom, still manages to surprise with an unconventional approach and form that goes beyond the scheme he sometimes seems to fall into". Rafał Samborski from Interia.pl wrote in his review that Hemingway "is doing even better as a rapper and is on a good path to rediscover the missing fire in his pen" over the last few years. The critic particularly praised the production and more interesting ways of writing lyrics compared to previous recordings but criticized the recurring themes and awkward attempts at singing. Maciej Wernio from Noizz.pl called "Café Belga" "a solid album" and one of the best in Hemingway's discography, while commenting on the rapper's development: "Still, he does not quite manage to fight with his demons, such as over-productivity, blasé attitude, and the burden of being the self-proclaimed 'voice of a generation that has nothing to say'". Jakub Rusak and Łukasz Łachecki from "CKM" magazine praised the more mature lyrics compared to "Soma 0,5 mg" or "Szprycer", but criticized the repetition of lyrical clichés, amateurish beats, and grotesque singing. Bartek Chaciński in his review for "Polityka" pointed out "apt references to both mass and less mainstream culture" and "ease in enchanting with comparisons", but criticized Hemingway for showing "slight