Quebonafide receives bronze Gloria Artis medal, the first rapper to be honoured

Quebonafide, whose real name is Kuba Grabowski, has been awarded a bronze "Gloria Artis" Medal for Merit to Culture. According to the Polish daily Rzeczpospolita, the medal was presented by Marta Cienkowska, Poland's minister of culture and national heritage.

The first rapper among the recipients

Rp.pl reports that Quebonafide was the first representative of hip-hop to receive a medal on Polish Music Day. The ceremony took place during a two-day conference, organised for the eighth time by the Empowe Poland Foundation.

Accepting the honour, the artist thanked those present and dedicated the medal to his mother. He also sent his love to his whole family.

Who else was honoured

Quebonafide was not the only recipient. Kasia Kowalska and Anita Lipnicka received silver medals. Gold medals went to the leaders of the band Lady Pank, Janusz Panasewicz and Janusz Borysewicz.

Gazeta.pl, which checked the ministry's list, also names Cezary Żak, Izabela Trojanowska and the band Sztywny Pal Azji among those honoured this month. We were unable to confirm this in a second source.

What is Gloria Artis

The "Gloria Artis" Medal for Merit to Culture is a Polish decoration awarded by the minister of culture for services to culture. It has three grades: gold, silver and bronze.

The artist's record

Rp.pl notes that Quebonafide was the first Polish artist to sell tickets for two consecutive concerts at the PGE Narodowy stadium. The paper also mentions a pay-per-view project, "Północ/Południe" (99 zloty), reportedly costing 5.5 million zloty. It was in production for several years, and streaming platforms did not want to back it.

What this means for you

The news concerns Polish culture and has no direct consequences for people living in the UK. For fans of Polish music abroad, however, it signals that the culture ministry is also recognising genres that have rarely received such honours.