A big stage for Brazilian rap
The Millenium Rap festival will gather the greatest Brazilian rappers on January 13th
Tom Cardoso
27/12/2000
Brazilian rap is no longer a musical phenomenon confined to the suburbs of São Paulo. More organized and less sectarian, the style has induced the appearance of recording companies and labels, regular audiences and a bunch of good new bands. There was only a big festival missing. There was. On January 13th, the cream of the national rap crop will be on the Anhembi stage, where Millenium Rap is going to be held, with artists like Racionais MC’S, Thaíde e DJ Hum, 509-E, Xis and Marcelo D2, besides Bone Thugs and Harmony e Lost Boyz.
"Now the media can't ignore it any longer. Our music already had the message, and now we have the structure and the professionalism", says Ice Blue, member of the Racionais. Along with Primo Preto (producer and artistic director of the label Black Groove, distributed on Sony Music), Blue has created the Groove Brothers office, who are sketching the fest. Both Preto and Blue seem optimistic about the future of rap in Brazil. "We were tired of hearing people talk about how rap was growing, the new bands and all that crap. It was time that a big festival be arranged, with all of the greatest artists of the moment", stated Primo Preto.
The fest will be filled with treats. Racionais, for example, have promised to perform two or three songs from their upcoming album. 509-E members, who are actually convicts at the Casa de Detenção (penitentiary complex) are going to play for large crowds for the first time. The rapper Xis, best new artist in 2000 with the album Seja Como For, shall also play new material. Meanwhile, Thaíde & DJ Hum are not expected to be delivering new songs, but, according to Ice Blue, the duo is a must in any rap festival in Brazil. "There is no such thing as a rap fest without Thaíde & DJ Hum. We grew up listening to them and were heavily influenced by their music", he praises.
The only Rio de Janeiro native in the fest is (Planet Hemp vocalist) Marcelo D2, who's very dear to the organizers. "He's a great friend. A guy who refused to play the Rock In Rio festival; has a very solid musical concept and knows how to rap", says Blue, who did not want to go polemic about rap group Pavilhão 9's participating in Rock In Rio 3, the festival that happens on the same month as the Millenium Rap. "I don't see an issue, here. They wouldn't be playing our festival, anyway, because I disapprove of mixing rock with rap, like they do. To me, rap must be done with the help of a DJ and that's it. No guitars or other instruments", shoots the rapper, unaware to Marcelo D2's own mixtures.
Primo Preto and Ice Blue are expecting over 40 thousand people. In 10 days, 15 thousand tickets have been sold, even though the prices are considered too expensive for that kind of event (R$15 and R$25 on the day of the show). "We have no sponsorship whatsoever. So we had no choice but to charge that much, which I don't think is so much. It is a bit more than what a brother might spend on an evening out to see only one show", guarantees the producer.
Neuroses
Ice Blue did not want to make any revelations about Racionais' upcoming disc. But he confirmed that criticism and protest against the system shall continue. "We are like that. We don't like anything. We even criticize our own music, we think that some of our songs suck. We’re a bunch of neurotic guys", joked the rapper who, surprisingly enough, had kind words to spare for a number of top BPM artists.
"I figure that, nowadays, rap is the only music style which inserts contents and messages into Brazilian music. Some time ago, we had great lyricists, but today, they are all too sleepy. Where are Chico Buarque and Herbert Vianna? Two guys I admire a lot." Even Caetano Veloso, who's been turned into a target for most of the new generations of musicians, was praised by Blue. "Caetano is unquestionable. He's f... great", he stated.
The partnership between Primo Preto and Ice Blue is bound to go further. Soon, a television network will be airing a rap show on Saturday afternoons. Primo Preto will be the host and Ice Blue, the director. "This is just the beginning. We are going a lot farther", claims the producer.
"Now the media can't ignore it any longer. Our music already had the message, and now we have the structure and the professionalism", says Ice Blue, member of the Racionais. Along with Primo Preto (producer and artistic director of the label Black Groove, distributed on Sony Music), Blue has created the Groove Brothers office, who are sketching the fest. Both Preto and Blue seem optimistic about the future of rap in Brazil. "We were tired of hearing people talk about how rap was growing, the new bands and all that crap. It was time that a big festival be arranged, with all of the greatest artists of the moment", stated Primo Preto.
The fest will be filled with treats. Racionais, for example, have promised to perform two or three songs from their upcoming album. 509-E members, who are actually convicts at the Casa de Detenção (penitentiary complex) are going to play for large crowds for the first time. The rapper Xis, best new artist in 2000 with the album Seja Como For, shall also play new material. Meanwhile, Thaíde & DJ Hum are not expected to be delivering new songs, but, according to Ice Blue, the duo is a must in any rap festival in Brazil. "There is no such thing as a rap fest without Thaíde & DJ Hum. We grew up listening to them and were heavily influenced by their music", he praises.
The only Rio de Janeiro native in the fest is (Planet Hemp vocalist) Marcelo D2, who's very dear to the organizers. "He's a great friend. A guy who refused to play the Rock In Rio festival; has a very solid musical concept and knows how to rap", says Blue, who did not want to go polemic about rap group Pavilhão 9's participating in Rock In Rio 3, the festival that happens on the same month as the Millenium Rap. "I don't see an issue, here. They wouldn't be playing our festival, anyway, because I disapprove of mixing rock with rap, like they do. To me, rap must be done with the help of a DJ and that's it. No guitars or other instruments", shoots the rapper, unaware to Marcelo D2's own mixtures.
Primo Preto and Ice Blue are expecting over 40 thousand people. In 10 days, 15 thousand tickets have been sold, even though the prices are considered too expensive for that kind of event (R$15 and R$25 on the day of the show). "We have no sponsorship whatsoever. So we had no choice but to charge that much, which I don't think is so much. It is a bit more than what a brother might spend on an evening out to see only one show", guarantees the producer.
Neuroses
Ice Blue did not want to make any revelations about Racionais' upcoming disc. But he confirmed that criticism and protest against the system shall continue. "We are like that. We don't like anything. We even criticize our own music, we think that some of our songs suck. We’re a bunch of neurotic guys", joked the rapper who, surprisingly enough, had kind words to spare for a number of top BPM artists.
"I figure that, nowadays, rap is the only music style which inserts contents and messages into Brazilian music. Some time ago, we had great lyricists, but today, they are all too sleepy. Where are Chico Buarque and Herbert Vianna? Two guys I admire a lot." Even Caetano Veloso, who's been turned into a target for most of the new generations of musicians, was praised by Blue. "Caetano is unquestionable. He's f... great", he stated.
The partnership between Primo Preto and Ice Blue is bound to go further. Soon, a television network will be airing a rap show on Saturday afternoons. Primo Preto will be the host and Ice Blue, the director. "This is just the beginning. We are going a lot farther", claims the producer.
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