O.S.T.R.

O.S.T.R., whose birth name is Adam Ostrowski and who entered the world in Lodz, Poland, on May 15, 1980, stands among the small number of Polish rappers who pursued formal musical education. After playing violin in his youth, he launched a hip-hop trajectory that gained traction once his debut album, Masz To Jak W Banku, appeared in 2001. Over the following years he issued close to ten full-length projects, among them Tabasko in 2002, Jazzurekcja in 2004, and the Emade-produced Szum Rodzi Halas in 2005. That level of visibility led to appearances at multiple Polish festivals, including the Heineken Open'er Festival, where he performed both solo and alongside Bloc Party. In 2008 he delivered Ja Tu Tylko Spzatam, an album that earned gold certification and reached the Top Five on Polish charts.