Brazilian Rap in the British press
Detentos do Rap and 509-E are the subjects of a report on the music made inside the biggest jail in Latin America, by dance music magazine MixMag
Silvio Essinger
18/10/2000
Gangsta rap was invented in the U.S. American gangsta rappers are all on the loose, making records that sell by the millions and moisturizing a profitable industry. Brazil imported rap and adapted it to the reality of the big cities’ suburbs. With lyrics that are filled with social calls, gangsta rap in Brazil is many times made by artists that, as opposed to their American counterparts, have actually crossed the border and become prisoners. From São Paulo, inside the Carandiru penitentiary complex, the largest jail in Latin America, the groups Detentos do Rap (literally, Rap Convicts) and 509-E (a reference to the cell they live in) have emerged to make records and enjoy national popularity. The picture encouraged writer Alex Bellos to produce a 4-page article called Jail Breaks for British magazine MixMag.
After describing the horrors of being behind bars ("Carandiru is hell on Earth: a huge concrete complex where 7,300 souls live within a space planned to house only one third of the contingent"), he goes on to tell the story of Detentos do Rap, formed in prison by Rony (in for robbery), Eduardo Fonseca (drug dealer) and Daniel Sancy (thief). According to the article, their two albums released by label Fieldzz – Apologia ao Crime (Crime Apologists, 1998) and O Pesadelo Continua (The Nightmare Goen On, 1999) - have sold, respectively, 30 thousand and 20 thousand copies, a very satisfactory commercial result for rap in Brazil.
The article details the recording procedures: after listening to a Detentos demo tape, producer Iraí Campos had to arrange for a mobile unit to be set inside Carandiru, as the convicts are obviously not allowed to leave for any reason whatsoever. Following the success achieved with their first album, the band members were given special permission to play gigs outside of the jail and to appear on TV shows – only, they had to remain handcuffed and "protected" by armed police men. The article also tells the story of Dexter and Afro-X, also known as 509-E. They were rappers before being nailed, and have made one of the most hyped rap albums in 2000: Provérbios 13 (Proverbs 13), released by label Atração Fonográfica and produced by major names in Brazilian rap, such as Mano Brown and Edy Rock (Racionais MCs), DJ Hum and MV Bill (from Rio).
Bellos gives an appropriate historic view of rap in Brazil, explaining how it hit the charts in 1998 with Racionais MCs’ album Sobrevivendo no Inferno (Surviving in Hell). But the most peculiar statement in the article comes from Wilson Souto Jr., a Warner mogul who signed up another rap group, Pavilhão 9: "Jail is a great place to find out hidden talents. Prisoners have nothing to do all day, except to think and be creative."
After describing the horrors of being behind bars ("Carandiru is hell on Earth: a huge concrete complex where 7,300 souls live within a space planned to house only one third of the contingent"), he goes on to tell the story of Detentos do Rap, formed in prison by Rony (in for robbery), Eduardo Fonseca (drug dealer) and Daniel Sancy (thief). According to the article, their two albums released by label Fieldzz – Apologia ao Crime (Crime Apologists, 1998) and O Pesadelo Continua (The Nightmare Goen On, 1999) - have sold, respectively, 30 thousand and 20 thousand copies, a very satisfactory commercial result for rap in Brazil.
The article details the recording procedures: after listening to a Detentos demo tape, producer Iraí Campos had to arrange for a mobile unit to be set inside Carandiru, as the convicts are obviously not allowed to leave for any reason whatsoever. Following the success achieved with their first album, the band members were given special permission to play gigs outside of the jail and to appear on TV shows – only, they had to remain handcuffed and "protected" by armed police men. The article also tells the story of Dexter and Afro-X, also known as 509-E. They were rappers before being nailed, and have made one of the most hyped rap albums in 2000: Provérbios 13 (Proverbs 13), released by label Atração Fonográfica and produced by major names in Brazilian rap, such as Mano Brown and Edy Rock (Racionais MCs), DJ Hum and MV Bill (from Rio).
Bellos gives an appropriate historic view of rap in Brazil, explaining how it hit the charts in 1998 with Racionais MCs’ album Sobrevivendo no Inferno (Surviving in Hell). But the most peculiar statement in the article comes from Wilson Souto Jr., a Warner mogul who signed up another rap group, Pavilhão 9: "Jail is a great place to find out hidden talents. Prisoners have nothing to do all day, except to think and be creative."