Precursors Many believe that even before the consolidation of the American
hip hop scene, similar forms of rhythm and poetry were already manifesting in Brazil. The first form of poetic improvisation appeared in the northeast of the country (in the region of
Teixeira, Paraíba) in the 19th century. Known as "repente" or "cantoria", it is a genre of
Brazilian folk music practiced by a pair of singers known as repentistas who alternate themselves in the composition of improvised strophes following very strict patterns of metric, rhyme and thematic coherence. Also in 1964, the singer
Jair Rodrigues released the
samba song "
Deixa Isso Pra Lá" ("Never Mind") which many consider to be the first rap song ever made in the country.
1970s and 1980s Brazilian hip hop has its origins in the Bailes Black (Black Parties) of the late 1970s where American
funk and
soul music was played. These events, which tens of thousands of people attended regularly, had become an important forum for the expression of
African-Brazilian identity during the absence of democracy; the military had assumed power in 1964 and would remain in power until 1985. The Bailes Black were orientated towards playing American imports by artists such as
James Brown,
Funkadelic and
Parliament. The influence of "
Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown and the
Civil Rights Movement is reflected in the names of the Brazilian Sound Teams (equivalent of the Jamaican Sound Systems): Black Power, Zimbabwe and Revolution of the Mind. The sound teams of the Bailes Black were soon providing opportunities for local
master of ceremonies (MC) to take the stage and though the parties were still orientated towards American music they formed an important training ground for Brazilian rappers. Other early examples of Brazilian proto-rap include songs by
Gerson King Combo. Known as one of the leading voices of the Black Rio movement in the 1970s, Gérson gained fame with tracks like "Mandamentos Black" (1977) and "Melô do Mão Branca" (1980), both of which have been cited by music historians as early expressions of rap-style vocal delivery in Brazilian music. He is considered one of the most important names in Black Brazilian music, alongside
Tim Maia, Hyldon, and
Cassiano. His fusion of funk, soul, and socially conscious lyrics helped pave the way for the evolution of the Brazilian hip hop. Unlike artists like Tim Maia, who mixed soul and funk with elements of samba and MPB, Gerson King Combo He did not fuse his music with Brazilian styles. By the early 1980s, the nascent Brazilian hip hop movement was centered around the city of
São Paulo especially
São Bento station, Galleria 24 de Maio Street and the
Theatro Municipal where break dancers and rappers congregated to exchange ideas and information. The first Brazilian hip hop album
Hip Hop, Cultura De Rua ("Hip Hop, Street Culture") was released in September 1988 on the Paralelo label; the album featured Thaide & DJ Hum, Código 13, MC Jack and O Credo. The second Brazilian hip hop album was
Consciência Black Vol. 1 which featured "Pânico na Zona Sul" ("Panic on the South Side") and "Tempos Difíceis" ("Hard Times") by the group
Racionais MC's as well as the song "Nossos Dias" ("Our Days") by Sharylaine who was the first female rapper to make an impact in Brazil. The influence of the
Universal Zulu Nation, a US hip hop organization created by
Afrika Bambaataa as an alternative to gang culture, was emulated in Brazil with the formation of the Movimento Hip Hop Organizado do Brasil (MH2O) in 1989.
1990s The hip hop group Posse Mente Zulu was formed in 1992 by
Rappin' Hood, Johnny MC and DJ Akeen and released the track "Sou Negrão" that same year; the song with its a
samba-rap, a blend of
samba and hip hop elements was hugely popular and was later re-recorded by Rappin' Hood. The group Racionais MC's released their debut album
Holocausto Urbano ("Urban Holocaust") on Zimbabwe Records in 1992; over the course of the next five years they would establish themselves as one of Brazil's most important hip hop groups. GOG, Genival Oliveira Gonçalves, was the first hip hop artist from the
Brasília hip hop scene to make an impact with the release in 1992 of the four-track album
Peso Pesado ("Heavy Weight"). In February 1993, the first Brazilian hip hop magazine
Pode Crê! ("You Can Believe It!") was published by JP Publicidade, São Paulo. The Brasilia group Câmbio Negro, formed in 1990 by DJ Jamaika and X, released their debut album
Sub Raça in July 1993; its mixture of rock and hip hop proved to be popular with audiences. Racionas MC's released their third album
Sobrevivendo no Inferno on their own independent label Cosa Nostra in 1997; the album was certified gold in January 1998. In 1997, DJ Alpiste who is said to be the first evangelical rapper in São Paulo, made his first commercial album. Alpiste's music inspired gospel rapper Pregador Luo, founder of the
gospel rap group Apocalipse 16.
MV Bill, a resident of the
favela Cidade de Deus (City of God), first became aware of hip hop music through the soundtrack of the 1988 US movie
Colors; in 1998 he released his debut album
Mandando Fechado.
2000s DJ Jamaika released the album
Pá Doido Pirá in December 2000 on Warner Bros. In 2002, MV Bill released his second album
Declaração de Guerra ("Declaration of War") and has since established himself as one of the most articulate and controversial hip hop artists in Brazil. The rapper
Sabotage, from the South Zone in São Paulo, achieved major success with the release of his debut album
Rap É Compromisso ("Rap Is Commitment") in 2002 on the Cosa Nostra label; his promising career was brought to an end after he was killed in January 2003. The second album
A Procura da Batida Perfeita ("Looking for the Perfect Beat") by the rapper
Marcelo D2 (former frontman of
rap rock group
Planet Hemp) was released in 2003; its fusion of samba and hip hop was a hit leading to an appearance on
Acústico MTV where he performed acoustic versions of the tracks from the album. In 2006, GOG released the album
Aviso às Gerações ("Notice to the Generations") which featured a collaboration with MC RAPadura on the song "A quem possa interessar". MC RAPadura had established his reputation in
repente (improvised rap contests using Brazilian
forró music) and would later achieve success with his distinctive rapping style, which consists of mixing hip hop music with forró and
baião.
Emicida is a rapper from São Paulo who released his first single "Triunfo" in 2008 and is one of the first Brazilian hip hop artists to establish himself by posting his music on social networks and video sites. In 2008, the female rapper Flora Matos released the track "Mundo Pequeno" which was produced by DJ Cia, and directed by Mano Brown and Ice Blue of Racionais MC's. The track was featured on the compilation mixtape
O Jogo é Hoje.
Politics and rap Initially Brazilian hip hop was an assertion of
African-Brazilian identity and a continuation of the ethos of the 1970s Bailes Black. As the genre gradually emerged, drawing new artists and audiences into its sphere, its themes widened to encompass a range of social and political issues. In 1993,
Gabriel o Pensador, a writer and son of a prominent journalist, released the satirical rap song "Tô Feliz, Matei o Presidente" ("I'm Glad, I've Killed the President") about the impeachment of former president
Fernando Collor on corruption related charges. The
mangue beat group
Chico Science adhered to a musical style known as
rap consciencia (socially conscious rap). ==Popular culture==