Racionais MC's

The Brazilian rap artists Racionais MC's began life in 1988 and nowadays are considered to be elder statesmen of the Brazilian hip-hop scene. The group all come from the impoverished inner-city areas of Sao Paulo and their urban roots gave them the credibility needed to convince fans that they were an authentic hip-hop group with a real street knowledge. For the first part of their career the band were on the Zimbabwe label with their best-known album being 'Raio-X Do Brasil' released in 1993. It was reported that 10,000 people attended the launch party for the album and the two best-known singles from the recording became 'Fim de Semana No Parque' and 'Homem Na Estrada', both written by band leader Mano Brown. The tracks have since become hip-hop anthems played on the radio and at parties all over Brazil. In 1995 the band signed a new deal with Cosa Nostra Phonographic and their label debut was the 1997 album 'Sobrevivendo No Inferno' which went on to sell more than a million copies. The band have always highlighted social injustice within Brazil and have campaigned on numerous platforms to highlight the plight of people living on the poverty line in Brazil's inner-city areas.

Please enable Javascript to view this page competely.