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brazil December 18, 2019
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Bump Brazilian Rap: 5 Brazilian Hip-Hop artists you should know

Hip-Hop in the U.S. has been part conscious rejection of oppressive institutions, and part self-loving cultural bops. In Brazil, rap takes up a similar space in the music culture. Brazilian hip-hop is known for its political messaging from calling out race inequality to brazenly rejecting anti-LGBTQ sentiment.

With influences from American Hip Hop but also the numerous Brazilian genres of music, Rio and Sao Paolo are considered the birthplace of Brazilian hip hop. But artists from other cities especially more indigenous areas have garnered recent success in the Brazilian rap world.

Female emcees specifically speak on the social issues of their time, history and environment all while mixing the beautiful genres and sub-genres of Brazilian music.

This is our list of 5 Brazilian Female hip hop artists you should know.

Flora Matos

No Brazilian female hip hop artist list would be complete without Flora Matos. Resident emcee Flora Matos has had a long career in Hip Hop. With only 2 full projects and ongoing features, Flora Matos still captivates audiences with her music.

In a country where hate crimes against LGBTQ people, the queer woman is brave to include lyrics about same-sex love and attraction in her music. In the song “Perdendo O Juízo” or “Losing my Judgment,” Matos brags about captivating the love and attention of a woman.

Flora Matos is also an art and creative director. Fans constantly are asking the artist when she will release another album. Flora recently posted a video of her producing music on her art Instagram.

Karol Conká

Another female rapper to know from Brasilia is Karol Conká.

Conká is also known for her acting and modeling careers. She’s an outspoken activist, feminist and recently came out as bisexual.

Her music often reflects women’s empowerment, such as her song “Lalá” which highlights female sexuality.

Conká told Afropunk in 2015,

“Music for me is a kind of resistance to many forms of prejudice that I have suffered in life [for] being black, female, and poor.”

Karol Conká’s music specifically seeks to empower and provide representation as well as inspiration to Black women in Brasil, much like Lauryn Hill did for Conká’s own growth as an artist.

“I’m fighting against low self-esteem and pessimism and I want to bring joy and happiness through my lyrics.”

Negra Li

Known for her role the lead actresses in the 2006 musical drama film Antônia, Negra Li has been releasing music with an emphasis on uplifting afro-centric messaging and speaking out against racial injustice.

Her latest single “Brasilândia” calls out the appropriation of Black culture and hip hop culture by fake artists there for the clout. She emphasizes that there’s an important distinction between Vanilla Ice and Ice Cube.

So don’t confuse Vanilla Ice with Ice Cube

Então não confunde Vanilla Ice com Ice Cube

She also likens herself to Lauryn Hill. Others often compare Negra Li to Solange.  Negra Li is also known for featuring in Akon’s “Beautiful” video.

Rimas & Melodias

Rap and R&B collective Rimas & Melodias (which accurately translates to Rhymes and Melodies) are a relatively young group.

The collective has released several tracks as well as older clips of them in a cypher. With little knowledge of the language, the flow and chemistry among the seven members are seamless.

Tássia Reis, Drik Barbosa, Tatiana Bispo, Karol de Souza, Stefanie, Alt Niss, and Mayra Maldjian were already successful solo rappers in their own right before forming the collective.

Their first release “Origens” was in 2017 and remains their most-watched video at 1.1 million views on YouTube. The goal of “Origens” was to establish the musical origins of every member through six verses while emphasizing their spiritual and ancestral origins.

Brisa Flow

Brisa Flow, the rapper from Minas Gerais, is the daughter of Chilean parents who came to Brazil fleeing the Pinochet Dictatorship.

Her music focuses on personal and larger themes, from romance to feminism to regionalism. She moved to Sao Paolo to pursue her music career and released her first solo album in 2016 called Newen.

Her latest album, “Selvagem Como O Vento” or “Wild like the Wind” speaks from and explores the perspective of an indigenous Latin woman in the urban context. The project mixes hip hop, indigenous Brazilian music, and R&B.

She also speaks on being a mother in her new album, referring to motherhood and giving birth as a way to resist oppression and reject the negative views of mothers.

brazil November 2, 2018
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Brazil just voted in a far-right extremist president: Why it matters

Brazil is a nation famous for producing and exporting some of the world’s most talented futbol players, but as of Sunday, the world’s eyes are on the nation for a different reason. Brazil has elected the far-right politician and former military leader, Jair Bolsonaro as the nation’s new President.

Winning 55 percent of the vote, Bolsonaro defeated Fernando Haddad from the leftist Workers Party, marking a decisive moment for the Latin American continent and global politics.

A long-time congressman and backbencher, Bolsonaro’s presidential victory is particularly remarkable given that Bolsonaro has largely occupied a relatively marginal position in the Brazilian political scene.

Yet, similar to other far-right and nationalist political movements that have gained traction across Europe and the United States, a combination of factors and crises have led to this move to political extremism in Brazil.

Corruption

 

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01/11/2018: Coletiva de imprensa. Para assistir clique no link em nossa BIO ou vá a nosso canal no youtube: Jair Bolsonaro

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Brazil is still reeling from the biggest corruption scandal the country has ever faced.

Dubbed ‘Operation Car Wash,’ a federal investigation exposed a monumental money laundering scheme that funneled billions of dollars into the pockets of Brazilian politicians and business leaders.

With allegations of bribery and corruption connected to the former government (PT), it was always going to be an uphill battle for Bolsonaro’s opposition leader, Fernando Haddad.

In addition, the popular former President Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva (also a member of the Workers Party), was barred from running for the Presidential election due to his ties to the national corruption scandal.

Crime

With crime in Brazil rampant and continuing to escalate, the Brazilian public is looking to the government for answers.

Since Brazil shares a border with three nations that are the world’s biggest cocaine producers and distributors, much of the violence in Brazil is drug-related and induced by gang violence.

Still, the problem has been exacerbated by the continual mismanagement of public security funds from government officials. Consequently, the police and local security forces are underpaid and devoid of the resources to combat the crime on the street.

As violence, suffering, and death rage on in the streets of Brazil, the fraudulence enacted by the leftist government and the corporate class has been viewed with disdain from the Brazilian public.

Evidently, since much of the public’s safety day-to-day is not guaranteed, people are scared and perceive the government as neither representative of their interests nor fulfilling its role to protect its own citizens.

The corruption and the government’s seeming indifference to the issue of crime in Brazil have led to a lack of faith in the democratic system.

Plus, Brazil has only been a democracy for just over two decades. Like most Latin American countries, the transition (or imposition) of democracy and a free-market economic system has been fraught with difficulty.

Economy

 

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O Brasil é de todos nós! 🇧🇷

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Brazil recently endured its worst recession in 100 years. Though it was announced that the recession had come to an end in 2017, 13 million people remain unemployed in Brazil.

Although Bolsonaro was quoted saying he knows nothing about economics, that didn’t deter 55 percent of the voting population to elect him as President.

When this is the political, social and economic climate, people look to people for answers. In other words, all of these conditions provide fertile ground for political extremism.

Cue, Jair Bolsonaro.

 

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Bom dia!🌻

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In his campaign speeches, Bolsonaro has promoted himself as an anti-establishment candidate and has relentlessly pointed out both the failings of the opposition party promised to end political and corporate corruption.

Bolsonaro has capitalized on people’s fears, anxieties and discontent with the current state of the nation. Despite his endorsement of torture and brutal strategies executed by the former military dictatorship that reigned from 1964-1985, his pro-military stance and propagation of law and order have resonated with the public.

Throughout his political career, Bolsonaro has been a vocal supporter of Brazil’s former right-wing dictatorship. Given that Bolsonaro openly declared during his campaign that if elected he would imprison his political opponents, there is a lot to be concerned about.

His strategy to combat Brazil’s rampant street crime is to loosen the nation’s gun laws so that more people are armed for self-defense. With Brazil having the largest national homicide rate in the world, I mean, what could possibly go wrong?

Bolsonaro is also a climate change denier. In light of the IPCC report published last month, the administration’s decision to continue to privilege industries of mining and invest nuclear energy over green energy proves immensely alarming.

Plus, with Bolsonaro’s government announcing their intention of carrying out ‘agricultural activities’ in the Amazon rainforest, it is apparent that our natural wonders are under serious threat.

I think it is meek to call Bolsonaro’s rhetoric as simply ‘provocative.’

There is a pressing need to call out his language for what it exactly is — racist, misogynist and homophobic. We must move away from falling into the dangerous terrain of normalizing such rhetoric.

The retrenchment of democracy and the seemingly inevitable installment of the military dictatorship should not be taken lightly since the former regime was an era characterized by extreme violence, mass murder, torture and censorship.

Bolsonaro will take office on January 1, 2019.

brazil December 20, 2017
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A tribute to Kaká, the Brazilian who took the Beautiful Game to new graceful heights

On Monday, Ricardo Izecson dos Santos Leite, the man known simply as Kaká, retired from soccer.

Nowadays, Kaká’s name has become a sort of marker, he was the last player not named Messi or Ronaldo to win the Ballon D’or (in 2007), the award given to the best soccer player in the world, but for a stretch in the mid-aughts, Kaká was untouchable.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmOvk3OCNlg

Kaká began his career at his boyhood club of Sao Paolo, debuting for the Brazilian giants at the age of 18. It was clear then that Kaká was a special player.

When I was 9 years old I lived in the Sao Paolo suburb of Campinas, Brazil. I remember watching a young, baby-faced kid dominate and control the game against much older, larger opponents. At just 18, Kaká became the next great Brazilian hope.

He was an unstoppable mix of power, pace, grace, and skill. He seemed to float around the pitch in that infamous number 10 position, controlling the ball in the typical Brazilian fashion, almost caressing the ball as if it was something that needed caring for.

But defenders that were lulled into a false sense of Kaká’s softness would be easily shouldered off the ball. Kaká’s strength was probably his most vital, and underrated asset. And in Italy’s Serie A, where Kaká spent his best years with AC Milan between 2003-2009, one of the most physical leagues in the world, Kaká asserted his strength over some of the best defenders in Europe.

Kaká’s signature move was to gather the ball around the halfway mark, turn and sprint directly towards goal. His pacy, powerful runs from deep midfield were pretty much unstoppable as defenders pathetically bounced off of him in an attempt to wrestle the ball away.

In the summer of 2009, Real Madrid paid Milan €67 million to bring the Brazilian to the Bernabeu as their next Galatico. At the time, this was the most money ever spent on a player and Kaká seemed worth every penny.

But Kaká would suffer a rash of injuries, dulling his electric pace and agility. He was still one of the most skilled players on the pitch, but without his physical assets, Kaká’s effectiveness fell.

Towards the end of his Real Madrid career, Kaká was a shell of himself, becoming a warning against big money moves for “luxury players” who don’t put in a shift at both sides of the pitch.

After returning to Milan for a year, Kaká became the next former great to ply his trade in the MLS, signing for Orlando City in 2014.

It was clear that Kaká was nowhere near the player he was a decade previous, mostly because of the loss of his speed and power, but his skill on the ball was still there.

He had no problem twerking on MLS defenses and scoring ridiculous free kick goals in his time in Orlando.

Kaká was the rare player that mixes power, pace, and skill into a graceful, otherworldly package. He was one of the most unique players of the aughts and truly embodied the Brazilian soccer mantra Joga Bonito to the utmost.

As a young player I modeled my game after Kaká, watching hours of YouTube footage of the elegant Brazilian. I, and a lot of kids my age, wanted to be like Kaká before Messi and Ronaldo turned The World’s Best Player debate into a two-horse race.

Kaká’s career does come with a lot of what-ifs. Injuries and World Cup failures have hampered his legacy slightly. But for true aesthetes, and ultimately that is what the Beautiful Game is about, Kaká brought the sport to new heights.

We’ll miss seeing Kaká out on the pitch, but he’s sure to bring the same grace, dignity, and faith that he played with to his next career. Here’s to you, Ricardo.

brazil November 8, 2017
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Brazilian Miss Bumbum contestants make powerful statement wearing meat bikinis

The Ms. Peru beauty pageant really stood out this year with the political statements the contestants made, tackling women’s issues and stating facts about the treatment of women in Peru.

Now, contestants from the annual pageant Ms. Bumbum Brasil competition followed suit, using the contest as a platform to make political statements of their own.

The contestants of 2017’s Ms. Bumbum pulled a Lady Gaga, sporting meat bikinis in protest of recent sexual harassment claims.

Final do Miss Bumbum 2017: Em tom de protesto, convite da final tem candidatas com biquíni feitos de carne “Nos culpam por ser sexy demais. E as atrizes de Hollywood, qual a desculpa?” Em semana que teve tom de protesto sobre a violência contra a mulher em Hollywood, o concurso traz reflexão em mais um convite polêmico para a sua final. Todo ano o Miss Bumbum divulga um convite polêmico para a final do concurso e esse ano não foi diferente. Se no ano passado as meninas recriaram a Santa Ceia só de biquíni, nessa edição elas foram inspiradas na performance da cantora internacional Lady Gaga. As candidatas se vestiram com biquínis feitos de carne para compor o convite da final. “Isso é uma resposta para todos que falam que somos só um pedaço de carne”, contam. Com 50kg de carne, 8 horas de trabalho entre maquiagem, produção e fotografia, o resultado é um convite para a final da 7º edição do Miss Bumbum Brasil com tom de protesto a favor da liberdade de expressão. A final do concurso, que está em sua 7º edição, acontecerá no Noô Bar, em São Paulo, no dia 06 de novembro. As 15 meninas mais votadas no site farão um desfile de gala e uma apresentação individual. A pontuação fica por conta dos jurados, que avaliarão beleza, apresentação, simpatia e, é claro, o bumbum. Crédito: Marco Pinto | MBB7

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Much like Gaga, the statement stood loud and clear: “We are not a piece of meat.”

About a week ago, the world watched the contestants of Ms. Peru walk up to the stage and give harrowing statistics regarding women in the South American country instead of the objectifying hip-and-bust measurement ratio that are usually given.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=211&v=O-g14_MSWbw

Winner of Brazil’s Miss Bumbum is Rosie Oliveira, a 28-year-old journalist and model that hails from the Amazonas. She has used the contest as a segue into deeper community issues, and opts for change throughout the entire country.

The model has demanded for the President of Brasil to step down, repping the hashtag #FORATEMER, “Get out, Temer,”

“Amazonas is ours, Brazil is ours and united we will win.” 

As reported by the Washington Post, beauty pageants being used as a floor for political issues isn’t new to the media, but has become a wonderful stage to strengthen the voice of women’s rights.

“Although politics have made notable cameos on the American pageant circuit, in South America, where machismo and female objectification is deep-rooted and femicide rates are high, women have co-opted beauty events to send important political statements.”

“We’re not just a beautiful butt,” the photo caption reads, “We talk about politics, too.”

The Washington Post also translates Rosie’s statement found on her contestant page,

“I want to live to see political reform. I have no children and the country we live in keeps me from that dream. I want to have children and for them to live in a better Brasil than we live in today.”

Shortly after her win, Oliveira had the chance to display what an empowering example she really was.

When a drunken man from the crowd walked up to her and groped her from behind, Oliveira slapped him, then continued her interview, discussing the difficulties that exist in a patriarchal society.

“What he did is machismo and that’s exactly what I want to fight. Just because I’m Miss Bumbum doesn’t mean I can be disrespected.”

Our ladies have been making us very proud, let’s keep it up.