BRAZIL
VOLUME 6 ISSUE No. 2
CONTENT 8
The Revolutionary Generation: Hip-hop, Resistance and Awareness in São Paulo – Brazil by Daniela F. Gomes da Silva
19 Review of O Hip-Hop Está
21
45
Responding to Skateboard P.: A Conversation on Race, Identity, and Intersectionality for the ‘New Black’ by Monique John
Morto! A História do Hip-Hop no Brasil by Toni C. & Marissel HernándezRomero
49 Bahian Hip-Hop and Diaspora:
The Carioca Bass Drop: Interview with Zuzuka Poderosa by Gina Vergel
62
25 Ninguém Fica Parado: Promoting
Social Inclusion in Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas by Hilary Marie Johnson
35 Review of Brasil Periferia(s).
A Comunicação Insurgente Do Hip-Hop by Andréia da Silva Moassab & Hildon Oliveira Santiago Carade
38 B-boy in Rio
by Nicholas Wong
42 Ellis Report:
Skillz to take to Brazil by Mikal Amin Lee a/k/a the Hired Gun
A Contextual Analysis of Coscarque’s “Scarface” by Dr. Bryce Henson
Review of Brazilian Hip Hoppers Speak from the Margins: We’s on Tape by Derek Pardue by Dr. Michele Nascimento -Kettner
66 Chayote Fruit by Kyle Potvin
67 Why I love this fucking city, Poem for Maré, and Fire in Brazil by Nicholas Wong
70 Quando Jovens Ativistas do
Hip-Hop Encontram a Política Profissional by Rosangela Carrilo Moreno & Ana Maria F. Almeida
84 Review of Emicida’s O Glorioso
Retorno de Quem Nunca Esteve Aqui by Daniel Matthews
1
LETTER FROM THE EDITOR WB&L-3
B
razil has been on the
is more than just Samba and Pelé.
international scholarship. I knew
collective consciousness and
When Melissa Castillo-Garsow
she was the best person to deliver
radar of Words Beats &
approached me about doing an issue
excellent art, poetry, and scholarship
Life and hip-hop at large for some
devoted to Brazil, I immediately
that would fit or exceed the standard
time now.
Some claim Capoeira
reflected on my college years when
we have set over our last several issues.
was an influence for b-boys. Even
a Brazilian woman introduced me
Of course, the reader is the ultimate
though there is debate surrounding
to the music of Racionais MC’s and
judge, but I truly believe we have
whether this is fact or fiction, we
translated their music and website
done hip-hop studies a service by
can say with some level of certainty
for me. It blew my mind that there
creating a resource on Brazilian hip-
that the movements are similar
were people emceeing about pro-
hop that can be referenced for many
and that similarity is due to the
Black subjects in the late 1990s in a
years to come.
fact that hip-hop and Capoeira
country that is often referred to as a
are cultural expressions pioneered
multicultural democracy.
by Afro-descendants.
Brazil was
Words Beats & Life had already
home to the World Cup and soon
screened a film about Brazilian street
will be to the Summer Olympic
art. Melissa, however, had a unique
games. Both events shine light on
skill set and qualifications to make
Brazil’s brilliant arts scene, and we
this issue an enormous success. She
intend to be part of a movement to
is a fluent Portuguese speaker and
show the world that one of earth’s
has a knack for
most populous and diverse nations
locating
excellent
Jason Nichols, PhD Editor-in-Chief
S
ince 1999 when Ja Rule filmed
and granted interviews on top rated
Rappin’ Hood, Thaíde, and others,
his first hit, “Holla Holla”
Globo TV programs such as Altas
that were most revealing about the
in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the
Horas. Unfortunately, Ja Rule both
attitude of many African American
African American rapper, born Jeffrey
arrived and left Rio with certain
rappers with regards to Brazil’s
Atkins in Queens, has remained
skewed perceptions of the country,
place in hip-hop. At this point, in
popular for many youth in Brazil. Ja
and especially its women.
It was,
2009, Ja Rule had visited Brazil at
Rule went beyond simply performing
perhaps, interview sessions with some
least six times and was preparing
in a city in a foreign country as many
of Brazil’s own well-known rappers
a 10th anniversary album to mark
artists do. He also made appearances
including Nega Gizza, Black Alien,
his success with “Holla Holla” in 3
Rio. Tellingly, Ja Rule, despite his
somehow simultaneously melodic
has become known as the “Global
experience performing in favelas
and hard; it was a version of hip-hop
Hip-Hop Nation” (GHHN), “a
(the poorest and most crime infested
I had never heard before nor even
multilingual,
neighborhoods
country),
knew existed. Finding myself in the
with
including the famous Ciudade de
midst of a large hip-hop scene outside
fluid capacity to cross borders,
Deus, described this album which
of the U.S. made me reflect on my
and a reluctance to adhere to the
featured collaborations with various
own limitations as both a thinker of
geopolitical givens of the present,”2
Brazilian artists as “real real hot, real
Latin American culture as well as a
Thaíde’s question and Ja Rule’s
sexy, like your country.”
consumer of music. As a Mexican,
response demonstrate a clear rupture
Pressed further by Afro-Brazilian
I had given very little thought to
in their approach to and view of
female rapper Nega Gizza, also of
Portuguese expressions as well as the
“hip-hop
Rio, Ja Rule advised Brazilian MCs
realities of the African Diaspora in
Ja Rule’s attitude exposes how a
to stop making music about politics
Brazil. As a U.S. American, I thought
multidirectional flow, even in hip-
or for protest but instead focus on
very little about hip-hop’s global
hop, is not only contested but often
making money.
of
the
1
an
multiethnic
international
culture.”
‘nation’ reach,
a
Moreover,
Not surprisingly,
spread, and then in a dismissive way
dismissed by U.S. artists, and that
MC Funkero and São Paulo native
that equated it with another form
very often when it comes to Brazil,
and hip-hop pioneer Thaíde followed
of cultural imperialism.
Over the
U.S. perspectives of the country’s
up by questioning the American
years, I have listened, studied, and
place in music are largely hegemonic
rapper’s knowledge and opinion of
learned more about Brazil’s music
and gendered.
Brazilian hip-hop. Despite hip-hop
history, racial politics, and Black
This issue means to flip that script
already having a three-decade history
rights movement; I have realized
by beginning a real conversation
in the South American country, Ja
that hip-hop’s origins in Brazil
about the fascinating scenes that
Rule responded, “hip-hop in Brazil is
may have been due to U.S. cultural
make up Brazilian hip-hop, both
not so great, but we’re here to help it
influence in the world, but its spread
past and present. For that reason, I
happen.”
and development in Brazil has left a
sought out and strove to incorporate
My introduction to Brazilian
unique mark on all four of hip-hop’s
scholarship and reflections from both
hip-hop was a little different than
elements, in addition to spawning a
Brazilian and U.S. based academics
Ja Rule’s. In 2005 I traveled to Belo
literary field.
and writers as well as those who
Horizonte, Brazil’s sixth largest city
Ja Rule’s attitude as well as the
move between. At the heart of this
and often overlooked artistic mecca,
questions from the Brazilian rappers
issue is the way music in today’s age
as an exchange student in my junior
demonstrate what’s at stake in terms
flows back and forth between the two
year of college. A big city with a small
like globalism, diaspora, and global
countries, influencing artists from
town feel, hip-hop was everywhere in
flows in the U.S. dominated (from
and residing in both countries to
Belo Horizonte’s older neighborhoods
the U.S. perspective) world of hip-
create new sounds that further push
as well as downtown clubs, and it was
hop. Although volumes like Global
the boundaries of the global hip-
infectious. Mixed with Samba, funk,
Linguistic Flows: Hip Hop Cultures,
hop nation. The musical journeys
and sometimes reggae, it was rapped
Youth Identities, and the Politics
of Mikal Lee and Zuzuka Poderosa,
in a poetic Portuguese that was
of Language, have explored what
both featured in this issue, are a
4
testament to the music cross-country
A História do Hip-Hop no Brasil)
even created a stream of gospel rap.
exchange stimulates.
and Andréia da Silva Moassab
Significantly though, at its heart and
In this issue you will find a dynamic
(Brasil Periferia(s): a comunicação
a still important aspect of Brazilian
mix of original scholarship, personal
insurgente do Hip-Hop), the music
hip-hop is its connection to Afro-
essay, book and music reviews,
of rising Brazilian MC Emicida, and
diasporic culture, favelas, and a youth
poetry,
social
U.S. scholar Derek Pardue (Brazilian
identity that is often politicized.
commentary. While Bryce Henson’s
Hip Hoppers Speak from the Margin:
This is what has always been so
scholarship takes us to women in
We’s on Tape). Lastly, Monique John
compelling for me, and for the
Bahia, the heart of the Brazilian
brilliantly continues the thoughts
many who have chosen to live their
African diaspora in the North, we
which begin this letter by examining
lives in Brazilian hip-hop as artists,
travel south with Rosangela Carrilo
the transnational desire for Black
researchers, or writers. I am proud to
Moreno and Ana Maria F. Almeida
women’s sexuality, as often revealed in
be the editor of the first journal issue
to examine the relationship between
the portrayal of Brazilian women. All
dedicated to this topic - I can only
activism and politics in Campinas,
of this is brought to life by Nicholas
hope it inspires much more writing,
São Paulo; Hilary Marie Johnson’s
Wong’s vivid photographs of b-boys
listening, research, creativity, and,
work returns us to the origins of
and b-girls as well as his and Kyle
most importantly, dialogue between
Brazilian hip-hop in Rio de Janeiro
Potvin’s image-driven poetics.
U.S. and Brazilian hip-hop.
to examine the development of two
As such, this issue demonstrates
very different strands, funk carioca
what I didn’t realize in 2005 - there is
and rap carioca. Daniela Gomes, in
no, one Brazilian hip-hop. Like U.S.
many ways, bridges this scholarship;
hip-hop, it has developed regional
based in both U.S. and Brazilian
flavors, integrated and incorporated
academic institutions, she is a UT-
various musical styles both from
Austin doctoral student relating her
Brazil and beyond, split along more
own personal revolution towards
political and party versions, and
photography,
and
Black awareness in São Paulo, within the context of Brazil’s hiphop trajectory. In a similar vein, the books and music reviewed traverse both countries and languages, and include works by Brazilian writers Toni C. (O Hip-Hop Está Morto!
Melissa Castillo-Garsow
Guest Editor PhD Candidate American Studies & African American Studies Yale University Melissa.Castillo-Garsow@Yale.edu www.melissacastillogarsow.com
5
Staff
Founder/Executive Director Mazi Mutafa Editor-in-Chief Jason Nichols, PhD Guest Editor Melissa Castillo-Garsow Managing Editor Kristina Byrne Culture Editor Alan King Academic Editor Jelani Favors, PhD Graphic Designer Rodney “BUCK!” Herring, Mosi Design Copy Editor Danielle Reed
Peer Reviewers
Christopher Brown, PhD – Minnesota State University, Mankato Tammy Henderson, PhD – University of Maryland, Baltimore County Andie Silva, PhD - York College Debra Castillo, PhD – Cornell University Murray Forman, PhD – Northeastern University Christopher St. Vil, PhD – University of Maryland, College Park P. Khalil Saucier, PhD – Rhode Island College Akil Houston, PhD – Ohio University Monica Miller, PhD – Lewis Clark College Robert Chester, PhD – University of Maryland, College Park Robert Tinajero, PhD – Paul Quinn College Joseph B. Richardson, Jr., PhD – University of Maryland, College Park Mary Sies, PhD – University of Maryland, College Park Jeffery McCune, PhD – Washington University Odis Johnson, Jr., PhD – University of Maryland, College Park Antonio Cuyler, PhD– Florida State University Thomas Sayers Ellis, MFA – Sarah Lawrence College Katina Rae Stapleton, PhD – Independent Scholar Nancy L. Struna, PhD – University of Maryland, College Park Mindy Chateauvert, PhD – University of Maryland, College Park
6
Publishing
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Champions Of Wbl, Inc.
Prince Charitable Trusts The Jacob & Charlotte Lehrman Foundation Executive Office of the Mayor The Lois and Richard England Family Foundation The Morris & Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation The Eugene and Agnes E. Meyer Foundation The DC Commission on the Arts & Humanities The Catalog For Philanthropy Luther I. Replogle Foundation
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Universities Using The WBL Journal In Their Classrooms American University Bryant University The George Washington University Morgan State University University of Michigan, Ann Arbor University of Maryland, College Park Ohio State University Occidental College University of Oregon
by Daniela F. Gomes da Silva
“Sao Paulo Graffiti” (180 dpi) by John Patzer
by Toni C. & Marissel Hernández-Romero
Since the very beginning of the 21st century, Brazil’s peripheries have become a niche of vast artistic expression. The fusion of two art forms, music and literature, is characteristic of the new wave of Literatura Marginal,1 which conveys the complex realities of social segregation, violence, and oppression in the metropolis. It is in this context of periphery and Literatura Marginal that the novel O Hip-Hop Está Morto! A História do Hip-Hop no Brasil (2012) by the Brazilian multimedia artist and writer Toni C. can be placed. Toni C., author of three other books
marginality and hip-hop culture. The
for dummies – for those interested in
about hip-hop in the periphery, joins
book narrates the story of Brazilian
the topic.
his parceiros Ferréz, Eduardo Dum
hip-hop (O Hip-Hop Verde-Amarelo)
As if Toni C. consciously intended
Dum, and Gato Preto, among others,
and its influences outside Brazil. It
to establish a dialogue and sneak
to bring us an attention-grabbing text
can be considered an introductory
inside the academic world, the story
that immerses the reader in Brazilian
guide to culture – Brazilian hip-hop
is developed like an authorized
Review of O Hip-Hop Está Morto! A História do Hip-Hop no Brasil by Toni C.
biography by a college student,
and navigate a big city like São Paulo.
industry, as has happened in the
Samara, written about hip-hop.
The transgression of “as fronteiras2”
U.S.,
Through Samara’s research and the
allows the story to develop between
of hip-hop through the Brazilian
relationship that grows between her
fiction and real facts, or in the writer’s
government’s
and hip-hop, the reader learns about
own words, “obra de ficção com
conceived in 2003. Certainly, Toni
its history and context, its legacy and
drama verdadeiro.3” Through this
C.’s text proves that hip-hop is still
implications, and the who’s who of
character, the political engagement
alive, and will be for generations to
the most renowned hip-hoppers in
and social commitment of the writer
come, though not without suffering
Brazil. Throughout the book, the
is noticeable. Following Brazilian
transformations that reflect social and
writer points out the recent trend
literary tradition, the main character,
political struggles.
in academia to research everything
hip-hop, takes the opportunity to
related to hip-hop culture.
speak out, denouncing situations that
O Hip-Hop Está Morto! A História do
Toni C.’s text is structured using
bother the Brazilian population, such
Hip-Hop no Brasil. (2012). by Toni
elements of documentary, biography,
as social inequality, urban violence,
C. Review by Marissel Hernández-
and rap music, in a writing that
and gender issues.
Romero. São Paulo: LiteraRUA, 145
presents its own rules. The context-
In this books there are two kinds
pp. ISBN: 978-85-910253-2-9
specific use of colloquial words,
of temporality: the local, associated
slang, and the internal structure
with the reality of the periphery,
Marissel
of the text can be understood as a
the collective memory, and social
originally from Puerto Rico, is
strategy of the author to position
problems; and the global, associated
currently a PhD candidate in Luso-
himself, and other marginal writers,
4
with the dream of a better life.
Brazilian Literature at The Graduate
as the only ones in the literary realm
This dual temporality engages the
Center, CUNY. She currently teaches
capable of legitimately valuing topics
reader, oscillating between the local
Portuguese and Brazilian Literature
and particularities intrinsic to the
implications of a bigger social context
and Culture at the University of
population living in the peripheries.
and the possibility of re-imagining it.
Puerto Rico. She is working on the
In this sense, experience in itself
The title, O Hip Hop esta Morto!,
Spanish translation of the novel Glória
becomes an artifact to validate,
can be misleading for the reader,
Sombria by Brazilian writer Roberto
legitimize, and even portray popular
suggesting
Causo. Her scholarly interests range
knowledge. Toni
disappearance
of
the
institutionalization sponsor
programs
5
Hernández-Romero,
narratives
the musical genre and/or culture.
from
commit and enact the aesthetics
Nonetheless, Hip Hop is dead --also
Literature, Literatura Marginal, Afro-
of hip-hop, with a poetry of their
the title track of Nas’ 2006 album--
Luso-Brazilian Literature, and Latin
own, reflecting its circumstances and
raises internal conflicts in hip-hop
American Sci-Fi to Latin America
musicality.
culture,
and Caribbean culture.
The author ingeniously gives life to
interests in the music and lifestyle.
the genre hip-hop, the main character
The conceptual death of hip-hop
of this book, as a marginalized,
could be interpreted from the
“forever young” guy who, thanks to
appropriation and commercialization
his influences, can cross boundaries
of hip-hop by the mainstream music
20
C.’s
the
or
problematizing
outsider
Contemporary
Brazilian
The Carioca Bass Drop: Interview with Zuzuka Poderosa by Gina Vergel
I
t’s early afternoon on a Saturday on a hip rooftop restaurant/bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and Zuzuka Poderosa is methodically setting up the mixology
supplies. The Brazilian vocalist/MC of a special brand she coined ‘carioca bass’ was in her native Brazil just weeks earlier (January/February 2014), but now it’s back to her
“I would say I was more influenced by freestyle and Miami bass, which is still hip-hop, basically.”
hustle and bustle lifestyle in New York City. Zuzuka has been in the music game for quite some time
New York right when Diplo and MIA blew up. But it’s
now, and like a fine wine, she seems to get better with
impossible to keep it original because I was so involved
time. Born in Vitoria, Brazil, Zuzuka Poderosa grew up in
in the club scene, since I first arrived in New York. It was
Rio and spent her formative years in the West Indies. She
always heavy bass influenced starting from dancehall to
later moved to Brooklyn to study jazz vocal improvisation
drum-n-bass and jungle music.
and work at her poetry. Instantly taking to New York/
What is your first memory of hip-hop?
Brooklyn’s global bass dance scene, she began DJing, and
I heard it in Brazil; I was pretty young. When I was
in 2007, Zuzuka Poderosa the vocalist was born.
growing up, we were more influenced by artists like Afrika
For the past few years, she’s been building up the
Bambaataa, and Miami bass and freestyle musical styles,
underground baile funk, moombahton and global bass
and those are all influenced somewhat by hip-hop. I
scene in New York. She raps and sings in Portuguese,
would say I was more influenced by freestyle and Miami
Spanish, English, and, as she likes to say, body language,
bass, which is still hip-hop, basically. I remember rappers
musing provocatively and sarcastically over boomy electric
in Brazil used to rap over freestyle beats. I still have the
kick drums and Latin percussion. With a wildly engaging
records.
show, she conjures images of hot summer dance parties on
You have had a very unique upbringing. Can you
gritty Brooklyn rooftops or up in the hills overlooking the
speak a little about how you were raised, what
sea. She’s taken her act on the road, performing in Europe,
you were listening to, and what influenced you
Bolivia, Brazil, Mexico, a variety of United States, and
musically?
Canada.
I grew up with and Indonesian father and Brazilian mother,
The year 2011 was a breakout year for Zuzuka’s style of
we traveled a lot since I was young. In my teen years, I
powerful and colorful electronic dance music. She released
spent time in Rio and the West Indies. These times were
an EP with Bay Area producer, Kush Arora, trying to add
key to my music inspiration and reflect who I am today.
some global/international flavor to the electronic dance
Baile funk and dancehall. Coming to New York right after
music (EDM) world.
connected me to the club music scene, and when you carry
I recently sat down at a Brooklyn bar where Zuzuka
this music history with you, you make something out of it!
earns her living to ask her about her recent trip to Brazil,
That’s what #CariocaBass is for me.
how her music is evolving, and what the future holds.
What is the hip-hop scene in Brazil like today?
What is carioca bass? How is it different from Rio
Brazil has always been big into hip-hop, especially in São
de Janeiro baile funk or funk carioca?
Paulo; we have amazing artists coming out of there. But
Carioca bass is my past and present music experiences.
right now I think hip-hop has been even more influential.
I started as an MC doing Baile funk styles with DJs in
When I’m there and I listen to the beats and how they
22
Ninguém Fica Parado: Promoting Social Inclusion in Rio de Janeiro’s Favelas1 by Hilary Marie Johnson
Funk carioca,
2
funk carioca and rap carioca were both born in the midst of a Black political movement that occurred during the
a hotly contested and highly provocative genre of music
harshest years of the military dictatorship. They both
originating from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, has been
offered to give voice to a society of people who were usually
making its mark on Brazilian society for decades. Often
silenced and often forgotten, and this voice was born with
characterized as solely portraying a sensationalized reality
the rare opportunity to “create new symbols of ethnicity
of life in Rio’s periphery, the impact this genre of music has
in accordance with their social experience” (Hanchard,
on social inclusion discourse in Brazil is possibly largely
1994, p. 111). The roots of both genres of music are
overlooked. The strong, knee-jerk reaction elicited by funk
undeniably political and in many ways rebellious, but their
carioca’s perceived explicit glorification of the violent and
evolutionary paths appear markedly different.
hyper-sexualized lifestyle in the favelas is perhaps one of
Rap carioca continues to have more socially conscious
the most effective tools in provoking dialogue about the
lyrical content, aiming to assert a strong, unified voice
role of the poor/Black person in Brazil. The extent to
against the harshest of living conditions in the favelas.
which the jolting nature of such a raw depiction of various
Funk carioca has adopted a style to allude to grave social ills
aspects of life in Rio’s favelas provokes this unfiltered
in a more light-hearted manner, focusing on the “lighter
reaction, most of the time in an indirect way, could very
side” of favela life, from new love to a bad hairstyle. When
well encourage a more honest and open dialogue regarding
analyzing major hits of rap carioca, the political message
social inclusion in larger Brazilian society.
embedded in nearly each and every song is strikingly clear,
Brazilian hip-hop has also been instrumental in
and yet, when juxtaposing the reaction that both genres
increasing visibility of the inner workings of the favela,
generate from their audiences, it would seem that funk
an essential space of cultural production that is quickly
carioca is more politically provocative. What is it about
disregarded because of the negative connotations it usually
both funk carioca and rap carioca that engages people in
evokes. Hip-hop in Brazil, perceived by many to be a
meaningful dialogues, and what differentiates “political
much more militant approach toward social inclusion than
music” from “music with an [unintended] political effect”?
funk carioca, has been successful in directly identifying the
An investigation seeks to pinpoint subtle yet significant
major problems favelados3 face on a daily basis. Its focus
differences in the presentation of the violent reality of
on formally denouncing the violence, the drug-trafficking,
the favela in Rio de Janeiro through the close reading
and the quasi-war zone life that many inhabitants of the
and interpretation of the musical composition and lyrical
favela are forced to live in has undoubtedly shed light on a
content of two classic funk carioca and rap carioca hits. This
major component of Brazil’s largest cities.
investigation aims for a more informed understanding of
Funk carioca and rap carioca have very similar origins
the reaction that each portrayal of the carioca periphery
and histories. Both were born around the same time out
provokes.
of the emergence of Black Soul, a musical manifestation
Funk carioca, though born from Black Soul, has a
of the Movimento Negro5 in which “people of African
distinctly unique sound. Often described as a mix between
descent in one national-cultural context appropriated
James Brown-inspired funk and Miami bass, funk carioca’s
some of the symbolic and material forms from another”
rhythms and musical blending know no boundaries. A
(Hanchard, 1994, p. 111). Almost exclusively a bi-product
medley of “heavy, bass-driven electronic blend of beats,
of the rise of hip-hop, funk, and soul in the United States,
sound effects, and samples,” it is incredibly rich and
4
26
Review of Brasil Periferia(s): a Comunicação Insurgente do Hip-Hop by Andréia da Silva Moassab
T
o embrace people’s outlook, their relation
Besides
to life, to perceive their vision of their
observations are based on, in her words: “field research,
this
formal
background,
the
author’s
environment, a basic knowledge of the social
beyond participant observation, in which the researcher
sciences is necessary. For many years, this understanding
finds himself personally exposed to the phenomenon
has been shared by sociologists, anthropologists, political
that will be analyzed, allowed an enduring collaboration
scientists, as well as other social researchers. The goals of
in a calm coexistence with hip hoppers and residents
Brasil Periferia(s): a Comunicação Insurgente do Hip-Hop
of the south zone of São Paulo, notably at Monte Azul
by Andréia Moassab, coincide in the same field. In this
and, in a lesser intensity, but not least, the Jd. Iporanga”
case, the object chosen by the author – the voice that needs
(Moassab, 2011). She notes her involvement cannot be
to be heard and understood – is the hip-hop movement.
considered “participant observation,” inasmuch as the ties
In general terms, Moassab presents hip-hop as a counter-
of friendship she established overcame the typical research
hegemonic communication, capable of empowerment
relations. Nevertheless, in my opinion, she did not
and social emancipation of the population inhabiting the
demonstrate the fieldwork method. Throughout the entire
periphery of large cities. When we talk about resistance, we
book she used materials collected from secondary sources
have to grasp the context of where this movement emerges
(such as interviews, writings and lyrics gathered amongst
from. According to the author, by the 1970s, and up
the leaders and most popular names in hip-hop). To such
through the 1980s, political transitions in Latin American
an extent, she ends up not paying that much attention to
countries from dictatorships to progressively democratic
her own experience in the periphery of São Paulo. This is
regimes have been followed by economic trends that
the first problem of the work.
dramatically increased poverty. Through a solid theoretical
In the first part of her analysis, the author, on the one
framework, echoing Boaventura Santos (2005), Gilles
hand, states that hip-hop is a type of production from
Deleuze and Felix Guattari (1995), Michel Foucault
squatter settlements; on the other hand, she withdraws
(1979), Antonio Negri and Michael Hardt (2001), and
it from the sociology of the youth sphere (the domain
Gabriel Tarde (2003), Moassab underlines the rise of
in which this has been scrutinized), relocating it in the
neoliberalism and globalization while contextualizing
social movement’s framework. And what is the place
these processes and their consequences.
of this movement? In her perspective, hip-hop must be
In Brazil, these processes were accompanied by the
understood in the context of the housing movements and
emergence of several social movements that erupted in
their struggle for urban reform. In this state of affairs,
low-income urban areas; all the voices spoke against
hip-hoppers raise their voices against urban segregation,
inequalities and misfortunes provided by a capitalist
evoking the willingness of poor people to integrate in the
economy. In this sense, Moassab points out, the struggle of
city. Although Moassab finds herself among discursive
hip-hop – in favor of better living conditions and against
formations operating to build another approach to life in
prejudice toward populations dwelling in peripheral
the peripheries – going beyond the violence and misery
neighborhoods – must be read in broad outlines, namely:
shown day by day in the mass media to focus on the culture
the milieu of fights raised by other sorts of stigmatized
and stories of the people, their endeavors, their music, and
classes of people and social sectors such as the homeless,
their lifestyles – she has decided to disregard hip-hop tied
the landless, community radio, free pass, those affected by
to the record industry. In her position, this production is
dams, collectors of recyclable materials, and so on.
attached to the hegemonic means of communications and
36
B-girl Amanda Baroni Lopes practices a freeze in the corner. According to her, she is one of a handful of serious b-girls in the city, and despite ongoing gender issues within the culture, she says her 7 years in the culture have been fulfilling.
B-Boy In Rio Photos by
0
0.3
13
Nicholas Wong
51
01
5
Dancers gather every Thursday night at the Fundação do Progresso cultural center in the Lapa district of Rio de Janeiro to practice. The space is reserved for dance sessions and graffiti classes throughout the week. B-boys set up the music system and song selection before their practice session.”
Iago Henrique Bastos Souzu, a.k.a b-boy/MC Souzu finishes a chair freeze during battle.
by Mikal Amin Lee a/k/a the Hired Gun
efore I ever touched down in Brazil, the
Imagine a cipher of emcees and musicians playing guitars
last thing I associated the country with
and berimbau – vibing, laughing and having fun. As we
was hip-hop. Carnival. Samba. City of
took turns spitting lyrics in our native tongues, Davi,
God. Futbol. That was the extent of
one of the emcees of URS Fundão (which I learned
what I believed Brazil to be about.
roughly translates to Union of Knowledge and Respect) broke down what his crew meant to each other. First and
I had heard of artists from Brazil (I’ve met and performed
foremost, they were family. He spoke of learning about
with São Paulo hip-hop artists Eli Efi and DJ Laylo), but
hip-hop, and how listening to Public Enemy and N.W.A.
it was very few. Still, when a good friend Clement (a.k.a.
was the catalyst for him to acquire “knowledge.” As
DJ Zajazza) approached me and one of my partners, Rabbi
the cipher grew, and I listened to Davi break down his
Darkside, about doing a brief two week tour in Brazil,
experiences, I was moved by how much of it mirrored
the opportunity was too good to pass up. Zajazza had
mine and my own crew’s experiences.
previously lived in the area known as Rio Grande Do Sul
I was reminded that hip-hop is community. It is how
for three years as a translator. During that stint, he’d found
we relate, build, and get sharper as artists. It is how we
and befriended a crew, URS Fundão, which had helped
maintain and sustain the love – through gathering, sharing,
to pioneer and maintain a growing independent hip-hop
and competing. It’s about sitting down to chop it up,
movement in the college town of Passo Fundo. Acting as
and channeling that energy positively and creatively into
local promoters and booking agents, they’d be able to get
music, story, dance, and song. Listening to the traditional
us a few gigs in their city. With the help of some friends
instruments crank out beats as we each dropped rhymes
from another city, Porto Alegre, which is about four hours
was surreal, two cultures colliding – the rhythms of Samba
south, they’d be able to get us a few more. What we didn’t
and the boom bap of hip-hop coming together. And this
realize is that we would be breaking new ground, and
was only the beginning.
creating a project that to this day, is still unprecedented
As is tradition, when a crew hosts another and vibes,
in hip-hop.
it’s only natural to make music. Inside the studio of their
In 2009, during the week of Carnival we descended
seventeen year-old producer/engineer E.T. (pronounced
upon Passo Fundo prepared to start tour. Over the course
EH TEE) was a small bedroom converted into a sound
of the first few days it was evident that hip-hop culture
room, a makeshift wooden booth, complete with
had made an impression on Brazil. The neighborhood we
soundproofing, a mic, and equipped with fruity loops
were staying in was nicknamed “Wesside,” famous nineties
production software! In a matter of hours, we had whipped
shout out to Los Angeles acts such as WC, Mad Circle,
up a couple of dope tracks. Drinking water, coca cola, and
and Ice Cube. We found graffiti tags that said “Brooklyn”
braving the 90 degree heat in the un-air conditioned space,
and a Tupac mural on bare adobe-colored brick buildings.
we listened to beats, took pictures, laughed, and began the
The show we did the following night was an amazing
process of putting two songs together, “Não Tem Pres Yo
experience. We rocked what was the equivalent of a house
Não” and “Somos Assim” (“Priceless Moments” and “We’re
party. However, these markers were barely a glimpse
Like This”). “Priceless Moments” is the crew’s shout-out,
into the footprint that hip-hop had left here. It was the
while “We’re Like This” featured each emcee’s response to
following evening that showed us how universal this
the question, “Why am I an emcee?” These two tracks
culture is.
would be the catalyst for Skillz to Take Brazil, the name 43
by Monique John
Responding to Skateboard P.: A Conversation on Race, Identity, and Intersectionality for the ‘New Black’ by Monique John
I
n an interview with Oprah Winfrey, hip-hop artist
hurtful to women within his race, given Black women’s
and producer Pharrell Williams expresses his beliefs
already limited visibility in the media. Unbeknownst to his
on race in response to the criticism surrounding his
critics, one of the women featured on the cover was Black.
choice to feature white/light-skinned models on the cover
“I recognize that there are issues...[But] I don’t live my
of his 2014 album, G I R L. Throughout the conversation,
life trying to be Black...We look at things like that but
Pharrell equates Blackness to a mentality, and suggests that
I don’t allow that to run my life. Is there a lot of Black
his critics are the bearers of their own racial oppression. I
inequality? Absolutely. But I’m the main one waving the
respond to Pharrell’s comments by arguing that Blackness
flag” (P. Williams interview).
cannot be equated to anything, as it is an abstract concept
There were a lot of things I enjoyed about Pharrell’s
that is highly subjective to the individual discussing it or
comments during his interview with Oprah: the story of
labeled by it. Furthermore, I argue that criticisms of racial
how he fell in love with his wife; the reasons why he named
representation in the media cannot be trivialized because
his son “Rocket”; the things he learned from watching
of the weight race holds as a form of social currency,
those alongside him in the rap game. What is more, I
intersecting with gender, class, and sexuality. To illustrate
disagreed with the criticism Pharrell faced for his album
the scope and complexity of racial implications, I refer
cover. I found the idea that Pharrell needed to feature a
to the findings revealed in Suzana Maia’s 2012 book,
diverse portrayal of female props for his album cover to
Transnational Desires: Brazilian Erotic Dancers in New
be a ridiculous expectation. Hordes of white and Black
York. Drawing from Maia’s conclusions on how middle
men have shown time after time that they have no interest
class morenas are impacted by stereotypes of Black bodies
in celebrating the beauty and humanity of dark-skinned
and sexuality in their sex work, I call for conversations
Black women. Therefore, I could not see why people
about race to be seriously and directly engaged by everyone
thought Pharrell would be any different.
regardless of how central his/her racial background is to his
In any case, Pharrell’s comments to Oprah about race
overall identity.
stuck (or stung) in a way that his others had not. I had
Keywords: Pharrell, Brazilian women, race, identity, exotic dancing
never defined Blackness as a mentality, or associated it with blame. To me, it is not possible to do so. Reading and writing about Black culture for the past eight years have
“The new Black doesn’t blame other races for our issues.
taught me one thing: Blackness is nothing. It is just an
The new Black realizes that it’s not a pigmentation, it’s
abstract idea that we throw around to classify people in a
a mentality” (P. Williams, television interview, April 13,
way that makes us feel comfortable. Still, we cannot reduce
2014).
Blackness and debates about race to being divisive tools
Pharrell Williams sits in his fold-up chair across from
for petty conflict. We all use race and ethnicity, specifically
Oprah Winfrey in a beautiful white studio. The renowned
Blackness, as a form of social currency. Pharrell’s response
producer and hip-hop artist is responding to the recent
to critics struck me as hopelessly flippant because racial
controversy surrounding the cover for his new album,
identity is a large part of how we understand, articulate,
G I R L. Pharrell, an African American, was accused of
and perform our relationships to gender, sexuality, class,
submitting to colorism, as he stood alongside three fair-
and, most importantly, bodies.
skinned women for the cover photo. Critics argued that
The hallmark of my experience researching Black life
Pharrell’s failure to feature darker-skinned models was
has been an ongoing project examining the strip club chic
46
Baina image credit: Jorge Brazil
Bahian Hip-Hop and Diaspora: A Contextual Analysis of Coscarque’s “Scarface” by Dr. Bryce Henson
I
n Brazil, race is a gendered construct through the flesh of Black women’s bodies to produce Blackness as both biology and culture. Racial discourses fail to situate race and racism as a series of social relations
that also encapsulate space and class. Analyzing the 2013 single “Scarface” by Bahian rapper, Coscarque, within a African Diaspora studies framework, this article illustrates how Bahian hip-hop ruptures dominant constructions of race and resituates race within relations of dominance, dehumanization, and social death. Bahian hip-hop artists, such as Coscarque, intervene in the symbolic and material constructions of racial dominance and reimagine an alternative world from the lived experience
This comparison again naturalizes race as biology and culture through Black women’s bodies and the notion that they are bearers of both children and culture. In effect, it is Black women’s bodies in the favela that produce a Black threat to the Brazilian public and thus are culpable for violence and disorder in Brazil.
Pinho, 2010). These Africanisms, produced as having
of Blackness in Brazil. As such, hip-hop culture and rap
essentialist properties that predate Brazil, are then rooted
music illustrate new possibilities of decolonization in
into the identities, bodies, and souls of Black people in
Keywords: hip-hop, Bahia, race, African Diaspora, space
Brazil and provide the meanings and histories by which Black people come to know themselves. This affirmation of Blackness in Brazil is rooted in the idea that race is
Brazil.
simply both biology and culture. This is exemplified
The baiana is one of Brazil’s most iconic symbols in
in the passage of Black identity and meaning through
its register of Afro-Brazilian culture and ethnicity. She is
the body of the baiana, which reinforces that Black
a figure representative of Brazil’s racially and culturally
women must be the bearers of future Black children in
most African region: the northeastern region of Bahia,
Brazil as well as the bearers of culture. However positive
which includes the city of Salvador and the larger
this representation may be, it swiftly falls into traps of
Recôncavo area. The baiana is positioned as foundational
essentialism that race operates within a vacuum of society
to fostering pride and self-esteem for Black1 people.
at large. As social scientists have illustrated, the state’s
Rather than an exotic mixed race mulata, the baiana, and
support of the baiana and the preservation of the pure
her various gendered configurations, represents a Black
Africanisms she has come to represent have become part
identity that is rooted in the celebration, preservation,
of national narratives that support Brazil’s claim of being
and (re)production of a pure Africa in Brazil (P. de S.
a mixed race nation founded on African cultural heritage
50
by Derek Pardue & Dr. Michele Nascimento-Kettner
R
ecently, on a famous TV show in Brazil, the
in Brazilian Portuguese, which relates to the self-
acclaimed hip-hop artist Rappin Hood declared
representation of hip-hoppers on the recordings. By using
that Brazilian hip-hop has the face of a true
literal translations or by keeping the words in Portuguese,
Brazilian, saying “Our hip-hop has nothing to do with
Pardue translates the awkwardness and inadequacy of
the hip-hop from the U.S.” This statement cuts to the
analyzing a culture with foreign words. Words such as
core of Derek Pardue’s reflections in his book Brazilian
periferia, negritude, and mano1 are used as title headings
Hip Hoppers Speak from the Margin. We’s on Tape.
and hint at the style of narrative to come.
While there is no specific chapter dedicated to the topic
In the first chapter, “Introduction and Frame,” Pardue
of globalization and its alleged perils of engendering
establishes important guidelines to define hip-hop and its
homogenous global cultures, Pardue argues throughout the
elements. Hip-hop is a set of ideologies that creates an
book that Brazilian hip-hop’s transnational connections
alternative system; it has its own ethics and aesthetics and
were positive since it has been able to engage in distinctive
launches a process of transformation in individuals and
socio-political dynamics and creative expressions. In the
society as a whole. Indeed, hip-hop’s capacity to enable
epilogue, he rejects “the notion of the U.S. practices
major changes in Brazilian society was a determinant
as templates” (p. 163) when referring to hip-hop as a
factor in his writing the book. Pardue believes this social
transnational phenomenon.
component of Brazilian hip-hop has enabled young people
Pardue delves into the uniqueness of Brazilian hip-hop
to redefine hip-hop culture in the country.
through the concept of ethnography as mediation. He is
The second chapter gives readers a historiographical
both author and agent in the act of (re)presentation of
account of the beginnings of hip-hop in the mid-80s in Rio
hip-hop and each chapter provides a “screening” of himself
de Janeiro, São Paulo, and Brasília. It also touches upon
and his experiences in the making of the book. While in
some important issues concerning urbanization, media,
a meeting with MNU, the Unified Black Movement of
identity formation, and political mobilization as intricate
Brazil, it is inevitable for the reader to wonder if Pardue’s
pillars in the making of hip-hop. In the construction of
experience determined the overall negative tone towards
identity and political mobilization, for instance, Pardue
MNU. He informs the reader: “As a white male from the
shows how young Brazilians emphasize being informed,
United States, my representation of Brazilian blackness is
or informação, as a gateway to building social-political
necessarily problematic” (p. 92).
awareness or consciência. Thus, informação and consciência
A fortunate consequence of Pardue’s mediated
are elements that connect the youth and give them a
ethnography is the inclusion of a plethora of different
much-needed sense of identity. According to Pardue, the
narrative voices in each chapter, such as hip-hoppers,
act of joining a hip-hop posse propels the destruction of
Brazilian scholars, literary writers, and community
poverty stereotypes, enabling young people to become the
activists. Hearing those voices collaborate to form a
authority figures in their own identity discourse.
holistic perspective proved to be an interesting and
There is no hip-hop without the physical space of the
readable narrative choice for the dense cultural study-
local communities, or periferias. Chapter 3 deepens the
based research.
notion of space as a locus of social change and rappers’
Pardue is also highly aware of linguistic subtleties in
narrative strategies. Periferia is viewed as a place and
the process of knowledge mediation. “We’s on tape” is a
ideology and its expansion parallels the popularity of hip-
literal translation of “Nós na fita,” a colloquial expression
hop culture in Brazil. The analysis of the trope of violence 63
69
Quando Jovens Ativistas do Hip-Hop Encontram a Política Profissional by Rosangela Carrilo Moreno & Ana Maria F. Almeida O movimento hip-hop se constituiu, no Brasil e em outros lugares, como um espaço de ativismo ao mesmo tempo artístico e político. Por causa disso, o movimento tornou-se objeto da atenção de políticos profissionais em busca de apoio eleitoral. Esse artigo discute os efeitos ambíguos da aliança estabelecida entre um grupo de jovens artistas do hip-hop e políticos profissionais durante a campanha para eleição do prefeito em Campinas, grande cidade industrial do estado de São Paulo, no início dos anos 2000. Apoiando-se em longas entrevistas com os principais protagonistas do movimento e com alguns outros membros do grupo, durante as quais se solicitou aos jovens um retorno reflexivo sobre as experiências que vivenciaram nesse período, o artigo relata a maneira como a aproximação com os políticos profissionais permitiu aos jovens contribuir ativamente para construção do “movimento hip-hop” da cidade e ser percebidos como seus portavozes. Progressivamente, no entanto, a crescente dependência da estrutura partidária atrapalhou sua produção artística e, ao mesmo tempo, deu margem a disputas internas que culminaram com a dissolução do grupo. A partir da análise desse caso, o artigo oferece uma contribuição particular para o estudo das possibilidades e limites associados à interdependência entre movimentos sociais e partidos políticos estabelecidos. Palavras-chave: Militância, Análise processual do engajamento, Movimento hip-hop.
by Daniel Matthews
B
razilian rapper Emicida raps about his
class, but also gender identity; São Paulo is the home of
ambition as an artist, but he is a creative
the largest gay pride parade in the world. The city’s tallest
force, and will not compromise his beliefs
skyscrapers reach toward the atmosphere from the depths
in order to be successful. What does he
of a colonial past, mirroring the ambition of the people
believe? That hip-hop is a way to rise above the poverty
who live below. Like those skyscrapers, Emicida’s music
of his hometown of São Paulo. That Brazilian rappers have
reaches upward with optimism, and with a willingness
much to offer hip-hop, and all of music. That a musician
to confront the past and present injustices that haunt
can make honest music, distribute it himself, cultivate a
Brazil. Being Black in São Paulo, Emicida experienced
fanbase through the internet, and make a living on his
racism from an early age. He believes Brazil is at a turning
own without the support of a major label. He is rooted
point, an important opportunity for the country to face its
in hip-hop, a culture that has always been revolutionary,
demons and make progress.
politically as well as musically, one that excels at making
Growing up, Emicida’s family struggled through long
something extraordinary with minimal resources. With
periods of unemployment and hunger. His mother worked
equal parts frankness and optimism, skill and confidence,
as a maid during the day and studied at night, while his
Emicida is at once a DIY pioneer and heir to hip-hop’s
father was a community activist. Intertwined with this
localized roots.
thread of long hours was music – his father was an old
Emicida, born Leandro Roque de Oliveira, makes
school DJ at Black music parties in the ghettos, a fact oft-
hip-hop that connects him to the legacy of the first street
repeated to him after his father’s death when he was young.
chroniclers and musical historians of New York’s five
Emicida’s introduction to music came from his father’s
boroughs. His sound and confidence as a rapper were
old records, which included James Brown, among other
forged in rap battles all around São Paulo. In these battles
African American funk and soul records.
he earned the nicknames “murderer” and “killer” because
Emicida first started creating his own music somewhat
of the way he overwhelmed and crushed his opponents.
out of necessity: he had no CDs. He would sing church
The name Emicida is a combination of the words Emcee
hymns and soon began improvising his own lyrics. He also
and homicide. These days, he has fashioned the name
had an early fascination with the written word, which he
into an acronym, E.M.I.C.I.D.A.: Enquanto Minha
attributes to his mother’s books and a broken television. A
Imaginação Compor Insanidades Domino A Arte, which
young Emicida made his own comic books throughout his
translates roughly as “While my imagination composes
childhood, adding his original poetry to the illustrations.
insanities I dominate the art.”
He rapped nonsense English words at first, later
Emicida was born in 1985, when hip-hop wasn’t far
transitioning to Portuguese entirely. As Brazil’s national
from its origins at school yard jams under South Bronx
rap scene began to take off, he moved on to parody raps of
street lamps. Born just North of São Paulo, Brazil, Emicida
artists like Pepeu and Thaíde until he could make his own.
knows the struggles of poverty and life in the ghetto as well
Ultimately, he would integrate his poetry into his street
as any. São Paulo is one of Brazil’s largest urban centers,
raps. At home, he recorded on a simple set up, a tape deck
and home to a constant exchange of identities and creative
with a small keyboard.
forces; the city is filled with art museums and hosts the
Years later, Emicida developed his penchant for
vibrant hip-hop scene that birthed Emicida. Its confluence
improvisation into formidable skills as a rapper in street
of identities expresses itself through not only ethnicity and
battles. His introduction to the local rap scene came 85