Most of the classical motifs appearing in Taco Hemingway’s songs are not broadly developed and rather play a role of sharp metaphors to depict certain emotional states or particular situations. Nevertheless, their recurring presence suggests that usage of such motifs is relevant in Taco’s story and an analysis might show what do they bring to the rapper’s universe.
Taco likes to compare himself to gods and heroes of the classical world (which seems obvious for a self-confident male rapper, as it is part of artistic creation and convention). In the track Awizo [Notice] from the album Umowa o dzieło he raps that he is “a soya Poseidon” (Ruler of healthy drinks? The whole track is about healthy food as a trend among young people), suggesting he is a master of healthy lifestyle. In the song Chodź [Come] from Szprycer Taco raps in the chorus:
Czuję się jak młody Zeus kiedy jadę nocą /
I feel like a young Zeus when I ride through the night
Czekam aż to miasto wreszcie mi postawi posąg /
I await when this city finally builds me a statue
Here he also suggests that he is the most important persona in the city, as he feels like a powerful god who rules Warsaw. In the same album, in the track Głupi byt [Stupid Existence] he compares himself to another god, while rapping: Młody Fifi, młody Dionizos / Young Fifi, young Dionysus, again suggesting the feeling of having a divine power. On Soma 0,5 mg in Art. B Taco too implies that he is Prometheus who gives people fire. All these comparisons to the greatest and most powerful men of Greek mythology suggest a divine character of the rapper who – because of his popularity – might be the only one that enlightens young people eagerly listening to his albums. Taco’s need for eternal glory (suggested in Nóż [Nife] in Soma) and his declaration of being first writer, second – rapper (Pokédex in Flagey) point to the classical tradition of becoming a hero and releasing people from earthly suffering – that Taco saw and even experienced himself.
Taco’s tracks also exploits the "dark side" of classical mythology. In the track Mięso [Meat] from Trójkąt Warszawski, expressing anger and uneasiness, Taco raps:
To nie komedia / This is not a comedy
Antygona ma wzór wam dać / Antigone ought to set you an example
Tutaj ma być tragedia / Here must be a tragedy
Obok antyczny chór ma stać / Close by – a classical chorus should stand
Proszę, idźcie się zabić / Please, go kill yourself
Poważnie, sam mogę sznur wam dać / Seriously, I can give you a rope myself
Albo jakiś karabin, lecz idźcie wy wszyscy w trumnach spać. / Or a rifle, but go, all of you, and sleep in your coffins.
Here, he simply relates to the genre of Greek tragedy. In his world, there is no place for happiness and fulfilment, as there is no way to trick the cruel fate. For him – happiness is fake, only death is real and he demands from people surrounding him that they die. Taco also expresses his pain and lack of loyalty from others in expressions like: they stab you in the back like Brutus (ZTM, Café Belga); or worries: Possibly an artist is dying here, as Nero used to say (Ściany mają uszy [Walls Have Ears], album Marmur).
One of the latest tracks released by Taco on EP Flagey sums up his career in pretty accurate and truly mythological way:
Pytasz mnie, co u mnie, odpowiadam: “stara bieda” /
You ask, what’s up, I say: “same old story”
WWA, portrety jak obrazy Canaletta /
Warsaw, portraits like Canaletto’s paintings
A ty ciągle piszesz sobie mity, nie udawaj Greka. /
And you still write your myths, don’t pretend to be a Greek
[An idiomatic Polish expression: don’t pretend not to understand]
Certainly, mythology and antiquity in general played a big role in Filip Szcześniak’s cultural development. While there are more allusions to classical antiquity in his lyrics, let’s conclude this analysis with a quotation from his early album:
Wisła patrzy podejrzliwie, bo z nią będę mieszkać /
Vistula looks on suspiciously, because I will be living with her
Aż mi trzecia Mojra przetnie linę /
Until the third Moira cuts my rope.
