Racionais MC's

Racionais MC's

Racionais MC's is a hip hop group based in São Paulo, Brazil. Mano Brown (Pedro Paulo Soares Pereira), Ice Blue (Paulo Eduardo Salvador), Edy Rock (Edvaldo Pereira Alves) and DJ KL Jay (Kleber Geraldo Lelis Simões) formed the group in 1988. Each member hails from the ring of "favelas" (slums) around São Paulo locally called the "periferia". Their lyrics combine themes of social justice with gangster imagery, a far cry from the idyllic breeziness typically associated with Brazilian music.

The Zimbabwe Years (1988-1995)

Racionias MC's first appeared on the Zimbabwe label compilation "Consciência Black" (Black Conscience) in 1988. Their songs "Pânico na Zona Sul" ("Panic on the Southside") and "Tempos Difíceis" ("Hard Times") offer a snapshot of "favela" life with lyrics vividly depicting rampant police brutality, racism, poverty, and crime. The group released their first album, "Holocausto Urbano" (Urban Holocaust) in 1990. The EP included the two songs from "Consiência Black" along with three new tracks dealing with themes of loose women and institutionalized racism. The group played several shows around the city and state of São Paulo over the next two years, including two shows at the FEBEM ("Fundação Estadual do Bem-Estar do Menor") juvenile detention center and a special show with Public Enemy at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera.

Racionias MC's gained national attention with their participation in the Ministry of Education's "ARAPensado e Educação" (loosely translated as "The Rap Thinking and Education) program in 1992. The program included lectures and discussions in schools on a variety of issues affecting "favela" inhabitants, including drugs, police violence, poverty, and racism. These forums had the dual effect of expanding awareness of Racionas MC's agenda along with their fan base, as residents the "favelas" in cities across Brazil could relate to the "Paulista" rap group's experience. That year the group released their second album, "Escolha o Seu Caminho" (Choose Your Path), with the notable tracks "Voz Ativa" ("Active Voice") and "Negro Limitado" ("Limited Black"). Following its release the group headlined the Rap no Vale show at Vale do Anhangabaú in São Paulo.

In 1993 the group saw their notoriety continue to increase. They participated in the National Theatre's "Música Negra em Ação" (Black Music in Action) project alongside Thaíde e DJ Hum, another prominent São Paulo Hip Hop act. Their philanthropic activities continued as they played several benefit shows for health clinics, youth sports programs, and samba schools. The year also saw the release of their first full length LP "Raio X Brasil" (X Ray Brazil). The album includes several standout tracks including "Fim de Semana no Parque" ("Weekend in the Park"), a lyrical sketch of lowlifes in São Paulo; "Mano na Porta do Bar" ("Man at the Bar Door"), a skillful remix of Curtis Mayfield's "Freddie's Dead"; and the unexpected harmonica and piano jam "Fio da Navalha" ("Razor Wire"). Mano Brown won the Prêmio Sharp award for "O Homem na Estrada" ("The Highwayman"), one of the album's other notable tracks. A 1994 show at the Vale do Anhangabaú in support of the album ended in a riot when police raided the show and arrested the group. The group was charged with inciting violence.

Cosa Nostra (1995-Present)

Legal problems following the 1994 Vale do Anhangabaú show delayed the release of Racionais MC's third album. This led them to leave Zimbabwe and start their own label, Cosa Nostra. "Sobrevivendo no Inferno" (Surviving in Hell), appeared in 1996 and sold 500,000 copies. "Diário de um Detento" ("Diary of an Inmate") and "Mágico de Oz" ("Wizard of Oz") won them awards for Best Rap Group and Audience's Choice at the 1998 MTV Brasil Video Music Awards.

ee also

*Brazilian hip hop
* Afro-Brazilians


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Racionais MC's — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda Racionais MC s Información personal Origen São Paulo,  Brasil …   Wikipedia Español

  • Brazilian hip hop — is one of the world s major hip hop scenes, with active rap, break dance, and graffiti scenes, especially in São Paulo, where groups tend to have a more international style, influenced by old school hip hop and gangsta rap. HistorySão Paulo s hip …   Wikipedia

  • Sabotage (hip-hop) —  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Sabotage.  Mauro Mateus dos Santos, le rappeur connu sous le nom de Sabotage (ou Sabotagem), est né le 13 mai 1973 dans la favela Canão de la zona sul de São Paulo au Brésil. Il a été assasiné par balles… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Sabotagem — Sabotage (hip hop)  Pour l’article homonyme, voir Sabotage.  Mauro Mateus dos Santos, le rappeur connu sous le nom de Sabotage (ou Sabotagem), est né le 13 mai 1973 dans la favela Canão de la zona sul de São Paulo au Brésil. Il a été… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Mano Brown — durante un concierto en Brasil Datos generales Nombre real Pedro Paulo Soares Pereira …   Wikipedia Español

  • MTV Video Music Brasil — The MTV Video Music Brasil awards (originally Video Music Awards Brasil), more commonly known as VMB, are MTV Brazil s annual award ceremony, established in 1995. MTV viewers pick the winners for most categories since 2001. The Video of the Year… …   Wikipedia

  • Allen Halloween — En este artículo se detectaron los siguientes problemas: Su redacción actual está escrita a modo de publicidad. Necesita ser wikificado conforme a las convenciones de estilo de Wikipedia. Carece de fuentes o referencias que aparezcan en una fuent …   Wikipedia Español

  • Allen Halloween — Nom Allen Pires Sanhá Naissance 4 août …   Wikipédia en Français

  • List of Brazilian musicians — A listing of well known Brazilian Musicians classified by music type.Classical* José Maurício Nunes Garcia, (1767 1830), classical musician and composer * Alberto Nepomuceno, (1864 1920), classical musician and composer * Alexandre Levy, (1864… …   Wikipedia

  • Mano — may refer to: Contents 1 People 2 Places 3 Words and phrases 4 Other Uses People Mano people, an ethnic group in Liberia …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”