Polish rapper Popek ends career after 250 songs vanish from YouTube
Polish rapper Popek announced he is ending his 25-year musical career and described himself as broken after more than 250 tracks disappeared from YouTube, Jastrząb Post reported. The sudden catalog wipeout stems from copyright disputes involving Queen and Michael Jackson samples, leaving the artist pleading for fan support.
Two Viral Tracks Trigger Copyright Strikes
The digital collapse of Popek’s catalog began with two specific video removals on YouTube. The track “Mamo, tato,” released in August 2026 as a viral hit addressing the rapper’s difficult childhood and his father’s tragic death, featured unauthorized melodies from Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” A Polish Queen fan named Marta emailed Phil Symes, the longtime spokesperson and media representative for Queen, alerting him to the copyright infringement. Symes forwarded the matter to Sony Music Publishing, which manages the Queen catalog, resulting in a formal takedown notice to YouTube.
Marta also initiated the removal of Popek’s 2014 music video for “Dirty Diana,” which contained unauthorized samples from Michael Jackson’s song of the same title. While the audio track for “Dirty Diana” remains available on streaming services, the official video was blocked.
Escalating Conflict and the Loss of 250 Songs
The dispute quickly escalated beyond two isolated tracks. GlamRap.pl reported that Popek is devastated after more than 250 pieces of music vanished from YouTube, including roughly 200 of his own original recordings and older material stored on his WagWan channel. The rapper stated that a collaborator on the WagWan channel assisted in removing the archive of his early “garage” sessions.
Popek initially reacted with hostility to the copyright enforcement. CGM.pl noted that the rapper publicly insulted Marta on social media, calling her mentally ill and dismissing the initial takedown as free publicity for a season two of his releases. However, as the scale of the deletions expanded to hundreds of songs, his tone shifted entirely. In an emotional video address, Popek dropped the aggressive posture, referred to her respectfully as “Pani Marta,” and admitted total defeat.
An Emotional Farewell and Direct Plea to Fans
In his video statement reported by GlamRap.pl, Popek described the destruction of his 25-year musical legacy as a devastating psychological blow. I wanted to say goodbye to you. Thank you for 25 years of being in love with the best babe in the world—her name is music,
he said. He confessed that he cried all night after losing his catalog in a single day and explicitly asked his audience for help to recover, admitting he does not know how to live without music.
Whether this abrupt announcement marks a permanent retirement or merely a reactive outburst to sudden losses remains unconfirmed. Popek issued no formal written statement regarding his departure from the industry, leaving his future output entirely uncertain as fans process the disappearance of his foundational recordings.