Racionais MCs’ Sobrevivendo no Inferno

Description

In 1997 the rap group Racionais MCs (the ‘Rational’ MCs) recorded the album Sobrevivendo no Inferno (Surviving in Hell), subsequently changing the hip-hop scene in São Paulo and firmly establishing itself as the point of reference for youth across Brazil. In an era when rappers needed to defend the very idea that their work was indeed music and a time when neighborhoods such as Capão Redondo, from where Racionais frontman Mano Brown hailed, often topped homicide statistics, Sobrevivendo empowered as it provoked. As one journalist noted, “the underworld of São Paulo’s working-class suburbs is dominated by cheap thrills and provides little space for representation.” Sobrevivendo changed all of that; a brutal but invigorating imagination was born. The lure of Sobrevivendo is the particular combination of word and sound that powerfully involves listeners, especially those millions of young Brazilians who live in the neighborhoods on the periphery of Brazil’s megacities. This book celebrates the 25-year anniversary of Sobrevivendo by representing the album’s power not only within the hip-hop community but also in other cultural domains such as cinema and literature. The author also provides his own narrative spins on the sentiment of Sobrevivendo, thus making the book a creative mix of cultural analysis and inspired testimony. Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Contents Figures Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Who Cares About Brazilian Rap? Chapter 2: Brazilian Hip-Hop: A Brief Genealogy Música Black Chapter 3: Sound, Text, Delirium Chapter 4: Dreams at the Beginning Chapter 5: A Go-getter Chapter 6: The Wait Chapter 7: It’s Everywhere Chapter 8: Wesley’s House Chapter 9: The Laugh and the Echo Chapter 10: Nóia / The Sounds of Paranoia Chapter 11: Guina’s Turn: Does God Still Watch Over Me?1 Chapter 12: Surroundings Chapter 13: . . . Chapter 14: Aleph in the Periferia Chapter 15: In Search of Authority Chapter 16: Outro Notes An Opening Salve Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 15 Chapter 16