Downloaded from YTS.MX
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
Revolution will come from the bottom, from the roots, from the mud.
One for the love, two for the money Crazy life, Capão
I'm a warrior of faith
One for the love, two for the money Crazy life, Capão
I'm a warrior of faith
If crime is a disease I know the infection
But I still won't ruin anybody's plans
So, one for the love, two for the money
Three for Africa and four for the brothers
Who are at war and not afraid to fail
Say what you will Only God can judge
Film them. Film all these police cars, bro.
We've all watched Dr. Dre's concert.
The dudes walked onto the stage through the screen,
like an image that's…
Three-dimensional.
A three-dimensional image! From outer space.
It's futuristic.
So we watch that, and we get inspired.
"Whoa, that's what's up."
"Let's rap, because that's what's on!"
And then we wake up.
Check this out.
That's our stage.
For you and those who didn't become shark food.
Those who came from the other side of the continent,
who suffered the botched transatlantic transplant.
For the naturally strong.
This is for you.
-Does Racionais do any social work? -Here.
This is our social work.
Music that changes people's attitudes, gets into their minds.
MOUSETRAP IN CAPÃO
The most violent weekend of all time.
A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
End racism! Now! Now!
When the police officers approached him, they didn't ask for any explanation.
They just shot him with machine guns.
Murdered in the next bedroom, in his sleep,
23-year-old Wanderley,
whom Ms. Ivanda swears is a working man.
Then I came back bigger.
São Paulo, Brazil.
This is Racionais MC's!
Capão Redondo, São Paulo, Brazil.
The South Side, in the 1970s, was still almost rural.
There were still lots of horses, cattle,
dirt roads, fences, lots of soccer fields, lots of kites, you know?
I was just trying to get by.
I wasn't going anywhere.
The way I was back then, I wouldn't have made it.
Completely empty-minded. Empty.
Ready to become a thief.
I went to an all-white school,
so they made fun of me because of my hair, my lips.
They even had racist nursery rhymes.
When they came at me, I'd react poorly.
I'd get violent. I'd draw blood.
Because my Barrabaz heart For loving too much
Would be tried in absentia It is the law
If they knew what I know They wouldn't love, ha!
Being a recording artist or a singer
felt as distant as Saturn or Jupiter.
I knew we would be heard eventually.
I knew that.
It was more romantic and naive, like,
"I want Black people to hear me."
"I need them to hear me."
"I need to get into their hearts." You know?
I used to live in a war zone.
I lived in the most dangerous area of the South Side.
My street ended in a wooded area.
Every day, there'd be a new corpse there.
But there was a soccer field there.
Our relationship with corpses became natural.
You'd see someone who was hanged, or shot,
and they'd be left there for days.
That's exactly what the 1980s were like.
It's a challenge to make people aware
of what is actually happening.
My mother and Brown's mother were friends.
They both went to Seu Isaac's Candomblé house.
We became family,
even though not by blood, since we were little.
We've been stuck together ever since.
I remember vaguely us living
in the Santa Rita family backyard in the '70s.
Because it was a Candomblé yard,
the family would shelter people.
When Sunday services were over, it all turned into samba.
Sundays were all about samba, cookouts.
So we grew up surrounded by music.
During the '80s, the North Side had many violent neighborhoods.
But they were further back.
Where I used to live in Mazzei,
there was some violence, but not as much.
At the time, most parties were still home affairs.
That was the culture, you know?
So there was always a party to go to.
There's this sense of brotherhood
which dates back 400, 500 years.
We were together in past lives.
My family always liked to party, and it's a large family.
I used to live in Vila Mazzei, and when I was 14, I started going out.
EDI ROCK'S MOTHER
It was formative. I carry it with me to this day.
It's how I got to know music,
the streets, the world, life.
I also met KL Jay in Mazzei.
There was a crowd gathered around, and KL Jay was dancing in the middle.
He even had Ray Parker's hair, like Michael Jackson.
The man was a legend even then.
Through breakdancing We made a pact
Another duo from São Paulo Tried their luck
Through the darkness, yeah And the damp night air
We came up with the cure Which contained venom
I can see it in people's eyes when they're leaving a concert.
Our mission here is to make people feel good and uplifted.
It's powerful, it's a mission.
We're here to accomplish a mission.
Through music.
We rocked at rapping.
Remember the video we went to the white guy's house?
Edi Rock and I are from the North Side.
Brown and Blue, the South Side.
That's an awesome beat.
How did you use to go downtown? By bus?
-There was no subway back then. -Bus until Praça da Bandeira.
Bus, subway, bus.
The bus to Praça da Bandeira, then the subway to Santana…
We'd leave from here.
Capão.
We'd get on the bus, and it'd take an hour and a half to get downtown.
It was a real journey, almost a spiritual one.
You'd leave a place of poverty to a place where all the lights were on.
Going downtown when we were broke,
when we got hungry on the bus, it was like we'd feed on the lights.
And the shop windows.
The shop windows, the clothes.
We'd go to record stores to see the posters, the cover art.
Or the sneakers that were in style.
Man, Galeria was like being in Harlem.
The songs, the barbershops,
the record stores…
All the gestures and rituals of Black youth.
We really identified with that. It was beautiful to see.
Going downtown was like going to New York.
Seeing Black people from all over, North, West, East Sides.
We began going to dance parties.
We'd leave the South Side to go to a dance party.
I liked being in the middle of it.
They'd play great music, Black people all around. I loved it.
We started our own team.
KL Jay and I.
We'd play in the hood what we heard at the parties.
We'd bring downtown to the hood.
The teams had a tradition of bringing over international groups.
First time I saw one of them, like Kool Moe Dee,
I thought, "Wow, we can do that."
You'd sing a rhyme, while a DJ scratched some records.
Rap music, my rap music, came to me in '88, '87.
I was 17 years old.
I worked at a warehouse on Brigadeiro Luís Antônio Avenue.
We unloaded trucks.
When they were late, I used to write.
I was an office boy
and I'd get off at São Bento to get to my job at the company.
A lot of names came from there.
Thaíde, DJ Hum, MC Jack, Backspin, Os Gêmeos…
São Bento was the meeting place for Brazilian hip-hop.
Look at how powerful that place was.
Starting now,
two hours of the best sounds in São Paulo, with the Zimbabwe team.
The sound of the people.
We were at São Bento one day. A guy showed up and asked,
"Who are the guys from Capão who say they can sing?"
I said, "That's me!"
He asked. I never said I was great.
RAP COMPETITION
"Yeah, there's this rap competition or something. Let's sign up."
"Let's sign up and stuff."
"What will be our name?" "Let's just come up with one."
We came up with B. B Boys and signed up.
We rapped twice and won the competition.
Holy shit, we just signed up and won!
"B" dot "B" Boys, you know? B. B Boys.
Bad Black Boys. What did you expect, bro?
We were 17.
B. B Boys is our name We are the B. B Boys
Hip-hop is our dance And rap is our voice
Came from the underground Who'd have thought?
This is no American ghetto It's Brazilian
Anything can happen No one can avoid it
We kill and we die For no reason, yeah
We ended up at Edifício Copan.
We got there, a group was recording and Edi Rock and KL Jay were there.
"What's up, DJ!" I remember it exactly.
He flinched back, like this. We were thugs from the South Side.
Kleber was always discreet.
"My name is Edi--" And then he went, "Rock!"
"My name is Edi," and then Kleber would scratch "rock."
"That's dope! That's crazy. That's the New York style, man."
We became their fans.
My name is Edi Rock And now I'm gonna show you
Rap is an art And that's why I'm gonna sing
So turn up your radio and listen
To what I say I'm sure you're gonna love it
We decided to merge
the B. B Boys, Brown and Blue and Edi Night and KL Night,
Edi Rock and KL Jay.
We started hanging out together.
I met Milton Sales,
who is an important part of our history, you know?
He was part…
of our pre-history.
Before we were Racionais.
Milton was responsible for the meeting
of KL Jay, Edi Rock, Brown, and Blue.
That was the first time I heard my voice in a recording.
He was a big Bob Marley fan, and he'd managed a reggae band.
MUSICAL ACTIVIST
And he was sure that we'd be like the Brazilian version of Bob Marley,
talking about the lives of our people.
If he disagreed with our politics in one line or another, he'd question it.
He pointed us in the right direction.
"Talk about this, because it's necessary and no one's talking about it."
"You have rhythm, you're good with a beat. You gotta use that to defend the people."
I didn't even have hot water, bro. How could I defend the people?
Stupid racists, leave us alone
'Cause the poor families Can't take it anymore
We all know it, and they fear it
The indifference that's felt Towards the ones in need
They come
With authority And always prejudice
And suddenly our space becomes
A living hell And how can we claim our rights
If we are just citizens And they are the system?
Disinformation is our main issue
But even so, we aim to be equal
Stupid racists, leave us alone
Rap took me out of Capão, in a way.
I got a job far away.
KL Jay lived on the North Side, so we'd stay over at his house.
That might have stopped us from dying there.
You know?
Capão had nothing to offer back then.
Nothing but mud and getting shot.
S. LUÍS CEMETARY
Brown and I started working together.
He was unemployed.
I was an office boy at a firm downtown, so I got him a job there.
We started seeing each other every day.
We got an invitation from Zimbabwe.
They invited Edi Rock, and I went along.
Zimbabwe had a party network in the hood.
At the time, we called them Bailes Black,
because 90% of the clientele was Black.
Maybe even 99% were Black.
After a while, we began to grow and expand
to the point where we needed live performers,
because we didn't have any.
We had to get Carlos Zafé, who was from Rio,
Banda Black Rio, who was from Rio,
Tim Maia, who was from Rio…
Maybe if we had a record label, we could spotlight something of our own.
We wanted to be the Brazilian Motown.
Only Black music, only Black people.
We developed a compilation album, Consciência Black.
It would feature several MCs,
and whoever stood out would get their own LP.
KL Jay arrived with a James Brown record.
He sampled an incredible James Brown song,
and I rapped over it.
When I rapped, everyone was impressed. "Fucking dope, bro! That's real ghetto!"
The tape got to the guys at Zimbabwe.
They didn't even know who was singing.
"Who's singing this?"
"It's those guys from--" "Who?"
We're Racionais MC's. Ice Blue, Mano Brown, KL Jay, and I, Edi Rock
You good, Mano Brown?
Not really, bro Who's bringing back the innocent victims?
But life goes on So what? Who cares?
Society just slams its doors anyway
What's up, Ice Blue? Panic!
VIOLENCE TAKES OVER SOUTH SIDE
So, when the day goes dark
Only those who are there Know what goes on
It seems to me that ignorance always wins
And we're all alone No one wants to hear our voice
Filled with reasons Gauged in fists
With no witness to commit
And you'd better believe The truth is made to omit
Because who can guarantee my future?
"Pânico na Zona Sul" called out the vigilantes.
No one would say it. We all knew it, but no one would say it.
But "Pânico na Zona Sul" denounced them.
That's fucking brave, you know?
And speaking directly.
Avengers, they call themselves
They kill and humiliate and fire pell-mell
And the police show no will
To investigate the truth
Because it's just inconvenient
Why would they help Those they deem delinquent?
And so the story goes on without a hitch
Panic in the South Side persists
Panic in the South Side
Let's say it was a fork in the road.
Like Atom Ant.
It was small and unknown, but strong.
A lot of people
started paying attention.
So we naturally got together.
We shared the same desire
to make powerful music for people to listen to.
Back then. For the ghetto to listen to, for Black people,
for the persecuted, the oppressed.
I often felt guilty for not being from a favela, a slum.
Then I found out Jorge Ben wasn't either, so I thought, "It's all good!"
This is our thing!
The South is ours!
We'd go to Mrs. Maria's
to rehearse at Kleber's.
Mrs. Maria had to put up with us.
KL JAY'S MOM
We made a lot of noise, all day long.
Zimbabwe made an offer to record an LP.
That album took too long to come out.
When it finally did, the group had been weakened.
We were doing gigs, but it wasn't enough for me,
because I had a child,
I had two brothers, I paid rent.
And I quit my job, but the record wasn't out yet.
Damn.
The record wouldn't come out. It just wouldn't.
Nothing was happening. I had no job, I had nothing.
One day Serafim shows up with the record, Holocausto Urbano, in his hands.
He said, "Here it is."
Damn! We all hugged, saying "Fuck, it's finally out!"
Damn, Holocausto Urbano is out!
The songs were even more aggressive.
It wasn't our intention, but the times called for it, you know?
It was a cry that was stuck in our throats.
I'mma tell you why the world's like this
It could be better, but it's so bad
Hard times, living is hard
We look for a real reason
But no one knows Hard
Hard times
KL Jay!
Hard times…
So things started happening,
like Brown marrying my cousin Eliane.
There was an album release party, and we took the bus back.
We were going through Largo 13 de Maio,
and everyone was very happy. So, so happy.
We left without paying the bus fare. So we just started walking.
The driver called us out.
We just walked away in silence.
Once we were far away, the police stopped us.
The driver called them and they came running.
They made us face the wall.
We took a heavy beating.
A heavy beating.
Especially Blue and Brown.
The officer made Brown face the wall as he crouched down,
then he punched him between the legs, driving his fists up from the floor.
My hands were cuffed behind my back. The officer punched me in the face.
I was in cuffs.
Then the officer said,
"You're going into custody. And you ladies can go home."
I said, "I'm not going."
I'm absolutely sure that if I'd left, they would've been murdered.
It was outrageous. Everybody was utterly outraged.
You put out a record, and on the way home, you get beat up.
Our lyrics already talked about protesting and urban issues.
It was resistance and confrontation
to all the oppression and repression we suffered even after the dictatorship.
The '80s were a terrible time for Brazilian Black people.
FROM 1970 TO 1980, THE WHITE POPULATION WENT FROM 61% TO 55%
OVER TEN YEARS, BLACK PEOPLE ROSE FROM 28% TO 38% OF THE POPULATION
FOLLOWING THIS TREND, BY THE YEAR 2000 BLACK PEOPLE COULD NUMBER 60%
AND COULD RULE OVER BRAZILIAN POLITICS BY OCCUPYING ALL KEY POSITIONS.
WE MUST INITIATE BIRTH CONTROL
It's crazy, isn't it?
The guy puts out a statement…
MASS STERILIZATION
…saying Black women can't have children because we can't become a majority.
And therefore, take the power.
CONTROL OF BLACK BIRTH RATES
It was the extermination of that time.
A new democracy was born, though it didn't really exist.
It was born in a transition between the clenched fist of the military,
in tandem with an economic crisis.
The type of racism we experience in Brazil is the type that empties Black people.
Not even hatred was left.
And hatred can be a useful emotion in a war, you know?
Feeling hatred is one thing, but feeling nothing is another.
As soon as we started feeling ambitious about rap,
we became one with Public Enemy,
even though they didn't know we existed.
You feel me?
Wherever they are, I want to be there too, even if from afar, or just in thought.
These names started coming up, like Malcolm X and whatnot.
We wanted to learn about these things. So I went to a Black Power movement party.
And from there on, other rappers started going too.
We had to bring together two things…
AGAINST RACISM
…that were related but were separated.
The organized Black movement,
with Black people who went to school and were aware of things,
but didn't have access to the Black youth who weren't aware.
Racionais had access to these young people.
That's when things started happening.
There was going to be a march to bring Black people together,
and there was a rumor that some skinheads were going too
to give everyone a beating.
We were at Geledés, and everyone was so terrified.
THE BLACK IMAGE
"No, it's no good. We should cancel it…"
"What?"
"Hold on. We're going to the hood and we'll be right back."
We came back armed and said, "Get this march going. We're coming."
"Let's see if those baldies dare show up. We'll light them up."
Two families came together. The political Black movement,
and these new kids who sang.
Narrow-minded Narrow-minded
You don't listen to me Or don't get what I say
I try to warn you You call me a dumb nigga
Primitive and angry You know it
We are playing with a fixed deck
You have two ways out Be aware or drown in your own apathy
Choose your path One less virus
Be a true, pure, and informed Black man
Or just be another narrow-minded brother
CHOOSE YOUR PATH
Narrow-minded brother
One less virus
Choose your path
ESCOLHA SEU CAMINHO RACIONAIS MC'S 1992
We didn't even know if Racionais would become something,
which way the fight was going, or who was our adversary.
It was everybody.
Even our own ignorance was our adversary.
Not knowing our cause, inexperience. Everything was our adversary.
Considering all this,
it's truly phenomenal that we did all that.
The orishas and spirits must have interfered, bro.
We weren't smart enough to have done that.
For real.
These photos.
EDI ROCK'S FATHER
That's the same funk song that…
This was at Zimbabwe.
-Bro, what about the girlfriend? -At Zimbabwe.
-Oh, yeah? -Yeah.
Back then we loved to smoke a joint in the car while listening to Jorge Ben.
I wanted to be like him, sing like that, you know?
I could visualize my neighborhood while listening to his music.
It's not easy to join a political idea
with a dancing beat.
It's knowledge we didn't have yet.
His vocabulary was amazing.
And it was loaded with rhythm in itself.
I noticed this one backing track, in the middle of the harmonies, like this,
"Carol, Carolina"
I said, "Wow, that's dope! That vocal is Arab. It was Africa!"
Those were the songs I was into
during the making of Raio X do Brasil.
1993 We're fucking back
Racionais
Using and abusing Our freedom of speech
One of the few rights
Young Black people Still have in this country
You're entering the world of information
Self-knowledge, denunciation, and fun
This is the X-ray of Brazil
Welcome
KL Jay!
Tear it up!
KL Jay, the rabid dog from North Side.
Yo!
Wanna see something?
What's up, South Side?
You good?
I'm rooting for the North Side.
I'm rooting for the East Side.
I'm rooting for the West Side.
I'm rooting for peace
to all the poor communities in the South Side!
A weekend at the park
The weekend's here And we all want to have some fun
Summertime, all is joy
January in São Paulo, South Side
Everyone's relaxing Under the warm blue sky
I want to enjoy the sun
Meet my homies And shoot some hoops
No trouble
I'm an hour away from my hood
Soon, I wanna see everyone in peace
One, two, three cars on the sidewalk
All the rich boys are happy and lively
In open garages, they wash their rides
They're wasting water and having a party
Look at all these people
Ice cream shops, cinemas And the pools are heated
Look at all the rich boys and girls
Drown that bitch in the pool
There are go-karts, I can see them
Just like the ones I saw yesterday on TV
Check out that hot club
Check out the Black kid Looking in from the outside
He can't even remember The money he needs to take
To his drunk father yelling at the bar
He can't even remember yesterday Today or the future
He just dreams through the wall
In the hood, the joy remains the same
It's almost noon, everyone is euphoric
This is where my brothers and homies live
And most around here look like me
Here I'm a big deal, I rule the crowd
People have been in a samba Since 10:00 a.m.
Pay attention to the beat And mind the chord
What do you say, Mano Brown?
Preach for the order
The number one champion in low income
The South Side community is dignified
There's a body on the stairs As an old lady comes
Police! Death! Police! Help!
Black and poor people really related to the song back then.
That was the great revolution,
when we became popular.
Our first hurdle was reaching the hood.
Until then, we couldn't.
Who was interested in those ideas? "Voz Ativa," "Negro Limitado"?
Some students, some teachers.
Some specialists. Some, always just "some."
When "Homem na Estrada" came out, we broke through.
Who rules everything?
The rich.
Who condemns? The rich.
Who are the legislators?
The rich.
I've never seen a rich thief die.
Many of my homies didn't make it to 23.
They're either in jail, or they're dead.
Everybody can live in peace and have everything within their rights.
But there are people who feel entitled to deny you all that
just because they think you're inferior.
Everybody here can be whatever they want.
Councilmen, congressmen, teachers, lawyers,
soccer players, samba singers, or rap singers.
A man on the road starts his life over
His purpose, his freedom
Have been lost, subtracted
He means to prove to himself That he really has changed
That he has recovered And wants to live in peace
To never look back
To tell crime "never again"
Because his childhood was no bed of roses
From juvie, only painful memories
Yes, making money, getting rich, at last
Many have died dreaming that high
But tell me who can be happy And not desperate
To see their child born in poverty
In a place where fun was the bar
And Candomblé, for a blessing
This sets the stage For the story I'm gonna tell
A man on the road
That's when I reached the heart of the Brazilian people. Their soul.
How do you talk about Black and white or poor and rich to Brazilians?
They're not from the Bronx.
They weren't born to "whites only" or "Blacks only" bathrooms.
It's a different perspective, a different sensibility, you know?
The song exploded overnight.
For every ten cars that drove by, eight were playing "Homem na Estrada."
My God…
The song started playing on radio stations that didn't play just Black music,
or Black party music.
It started playing all over Brazil.
Everyone was happy that the song was being played.
The LPs were selling.
"I need to talk to you," Brown said.
"Serafa, here's the deal. I'm really upset, man."
"This is bullshit, Serafa. What the hell?"
"My song is playing everywhere."
"It's playing on rich people's stations, even on religious stations."
"I didn't write my song to be played everywhere."
"Why are they playing it?"
"You call them and get it pulled off the air."
"I had no power to put it there. How can I get it pulled?"
They take your freedom Your family, your morale
Even after you leave prison
You'll forever be known As a former inmate
I don't trust the police…
Those motherfuckers!
When Racionais got famous with "Homem na Estrada,"
the line "I don't trust the police, those motherfuckers"
got stuck in people's heads.
The police just went, "What? Who are those guys?"
And they came after us.
We recorded that line,
and we played concerts where we sang it.
The audience would repeat it.
50,000 people repeated it, 100,000 people repeated it.
During a concert in Anhangabaú, the police were doing security.
Everyone sang "I don't trust the police, those motherfuckers." What happened?
The fucking show was over.
The police would just end the show.
Every police officer dreamed of starting something with Racionais.
All police stations in a neighborhood were alerted when I went to sing.
They'd say, "Anyone can sing here but those guys."
"They aren't allowed here in my precinct."
It was a matter of honor for the cops, at the time.
"Anyone can come but them."
We risked getting shot on the way out.
I was in the kitchen and the phone rang.
"Hey, tell your son
we're going to kill him."
ICE BLUE'S MOTHER
"He's going to stop badmouthing the police."
"They think they're so great."
I told them, "Before you kill him, you come here and kill me first."
My spiritual guide is called Ogum-de-Lei.
He takes care of us.
Ana was always with them.
MANO BROWN'S MOTHER
This one here is also my friend, she's my friend…
Where's…?
She'd follow her son everywhere.
She'd travel everywhere with them.
Get outta here!
She was very close with him. Very close.
It was just the two of them.
She followed everything, she even knew all the lyrics.
Yo, Blue.
Since we are actually going to the police station,
because you know we have to go, no way out of it.
That's the system.
We want to see our people
get away from alcohol, get away from blow,
get away from crack, get away from crime.
But some people want to see us in more and more trouble and dying.
For real.
The rich become more powerful, and our people get fucked.
For real.
If you say it's not what you want, you're dangerous.
3RD PRECINCT
Once you define which side you're on, confrontation automatically follows.
Everything we said was what they didn't want to hear.
We behaved exactly the way they didn't want us to behave.
Would you please leave?
The persecution started.
When we got to the station, the chief was terrified.
"Who is responsible for this?"
"Who's the officer in charge?"
"You've brought me some trouble."
"Three attorneys, one senator,
two congressmen, and the mayor calling me on the phone."
That's when Racionais showed its strength.
Are you ready for war?
One for all,
and all for one!
KL Jay!
Make some noise!
Racionais!
Good people!
Praise God!
The greatest!
From the streets of São Paulo to the world…
ANGRY, RADICAL, RACIONAIS MCS
THEY'RE BLACK, ANGRY, AND MEAN, AND THEY TAKE NO PRISONERS.
We started performing outside of São Paulo.
We started traveling.
We'd get on a bus and go
where the music had to go, no way around it.
Rap had to get there.
Then, we were told to get a business license.
We had the paperwork, an office and everything.
Then our accountant told us we could start carrying guns.
And I said, "Really?"
We're armed and dangerous. Come at us.
We were thinking like
a gang.
That's why we have that reputation.
"Oh, my, Racionais!"
Because when we'd get to the venues, they were hostile.
We didn't play on this side of the tracks. We played in places like Fundão,
where things really went down.
So we couldn't be like wimps.
We had to be tough, always ready.
Don't take the cameras off of those guys, all right?
Fuck…
When we got to the party in Pelotas,
a ton of cops. Those huge, white cops, very strong.
They were kicking some kids.
So KL Jay goes to talk to them.
And they hit a boy with the butt of their gun.
He was bleeding.
One of our cousins noticed one of the cops slip up
so he took his gun and got on the bus.
Suddenly, the bus was surrounded,
and we were stuck inside.
Then, Priscilla shows up.
"Excuse me, I'm their manager. I'll talk to them. Don't worry."
The bus door opens, Priscilla walks in.
Minutes later, we're at the windows pointing our guns at the police.
"Fuck you, assholes!"
Word! The boys are all gathered, so let's have some fun.
I wanna see everybody just chilling, no trouble.
Edi Rock, KL Jay, Ice Blue, and Mano Brown.
We were not wrong.
The cop made it easy to take his gun, and he wanted to hurt us.
"Take your gun and go, all right?"
And then they let the bus go.
But on the road, when we were about
ten kilometers from where it all had gone down,
they shot up the bus.
Many shots were fired.
That bus company never rented us a bus again.
-Go fuck yourself! -No, you go fuck yourself!
-Fuck you! -I don't just scold!
Don't touch me! I'm a police officer!
So what?
After all the persecution, we had our first flight as a band.
We're here, we've made it. Right, man?
Right? Come on, man.
I had never flown before. The first time was with Racionais.
-There's André, the co-pilot. -André's here.
How many are left to board?
Here's the deal. You guys are skinny,
so you gotta switch. Us four won't fit.
Let's get ready for takeoff.
Everyone's inside. Ready for takeoff.
Oh, come on…
Let me say something.
Help!
We only really started travelling after '94.
Before then, not much.
We did go to Brasília.
Those pictures were in Brasília.
-Did we go by bus? -I don't remember. Not by plane.
So how did we go? I remember it was fucking awful.
Remember that time Cabelo forgot our paycheck at…
"Our manager is an idiot! You're an--"
Cabelo came back holding the money.
"Is it money you want?"
When I first got
my paychecks along with the money from sales,
I had no idea.
I was like, "What am I supposed to do with this money?"
Milton put it on the table, and I said, "Whoa Milton, what is that?"
"Where am I going with this money? I'm not taking this anywhere."
"But it's your money." I was like, "All this money is mine?"
I bought a new motorbike, and when I showed up everyone was like,
"Are you showing off now? They won't understand."
I said, "Bro."
"Because we're Black and political, we're not allowed to have a nice ride?"
"What the hell?"
"Then I'll just quit, become a thug and have my own shit."
"How's that?"
"Can I ride my bike, then?"
"I bought it with my own money and no one else's."
"All right?"
"Fine."
And when they least expected it, I bought a green Silverado truck.
Wow!
"Hey, I needed a car to move my bikes around."
Capão Redondo, South Side, Ice-T and Racionais. All right?
The sound of the favela.
Peace.
RACIONAIS AND PUBLIC ENEMY
We had really started making our living from music.
We were really being rewarded.
I couldn't sit at home.
I was single. I was never home. I had money, so…
Sometimes I'd spend a whole week without going home.
My mom would go crazy.
"Edivaldo, boy!"
I'd to go to clubs with Edi Rock all the time.
We used to go to Clubhouse, just the two of us.
Many times.
It was a time of transition between
being poor kids, making money and being famous.
You will go through some bad times
if you're not…
responsible, let's say.
I was very irresponsible, very immature.
We were driving to a concert, and I…
On the highway, on Marginal,
I stepped on the gas. We were running a bit late.
A van drove into the middle of the road. I was following the car in front,
which swerved, and I missed it.
I hit the car. It drove into a streetlamp.
And because we didn't wear seatbelts back then,
the driver hit his head on the…
He suffered head trauma and passed away.
COLLISION WITH RAPPERS' CAR LEAVES ONE DEAD
My car flipped, and I ended up in the hospital.
It was horrible.
I was happy, and suddenly, bam!
The world falls apart. I was like, "What the hell?"
I involved the guys in something that wasn't their fault.
It was serious.
The group could've ended right there.
Every time we put out an album, something came along with it.
There was Edi Rock's accident, Blue lost a son.
Yeah…
We had to be strong.
All of that happened in the same year that the record came out.
Our first taste of success was followed by death.
Money started to run out.
I had bills to pay, but how was I supposed to pay them?
It was a horrible time.
It was punishing. I was living in front of a cemetery.
There were no windows, so the house was covered in mold.
I thought, "Damn it, bro. You can't live here, you know?"
"Look at your situation. Well?"
I was living in Cohab.
I thought my life was about to get better.
Living in Cohab I learned that it could get worse.
Cohab was harsher, despite the neighborhood.
It was less romantic, you know?
Weird things happened there.
My daughter was born.
Then my second daughter was born.
I had to become more grounded.
I always ask to be a guiding light.
Brown said, "Let's make the next record."
"But where do I start?"
You know, like…
Politics had come to a boiling point in Brazil.
Hip-hop was taking over the world.
A more liberatory position began to blossom.
By then, we had already been convinced,
by outside forces, that we had a mission.
I'd experienced a new way of living, and that went into the music.
That was our gothic phase.
Heavier language, more hardcore.
This record was an intense dive, a deep dive into hell.
60% of underprivileged young people with no criminal record
have suffered police violence.
Of every four people killed by police, three are Black.
Only 2% of college students in Brazil are Black.
Every four hours, a young Black person is violently killed in São Paulo.
I'm Primo Preto, another survivor.
We speak for the people, you know?
We are a voice for those who are voiceless.
People identify with what we sing, what we say, how we dress.
And our beat is powerful,
it's irresistible. You can't help it.
Violently peaceful and truthful
I've come to hijack your reasoning
To shake your blood And your nervous system
And that's not enough, Brown's like a rabid dog
Number one, a terrorist from the hood
Eeny, meeny, miny, moe I have something for you
A poisonous rap or a shower of bullets
And the prophecy came true as predicted
-One-nine-nine-seven! -A.D.
Black fury is reborn once more
Racionais, chapter 4, verse 3
The record was a phenomenon.
All the songs were hits.
The idea was to become popular among the kids.
Among our peers.
I joined during "Sobrevivendo no Inferno."
My phone number was on the cover. And it wouldn't stop ringing.
PRODUCER
They'd have three shows a night.
I was actually the support.
I was available 24/7. I had to be alert.
If something happened, I had to be ready to contact a friend or a lawyer.
I'd monitor them over the phone, "So? Are you there yet?"
Meire's number served as hospital, police station, ER, bank.
So Meire took on the difficult part.
I often say Meire is the black box to Racionais' flying plane.
Until then, I was the one booking our concerts.
She took over, from the phone in her house.
So I could let go and focus on the creative process.
Each person has their process, right?
The energy comes out of your entrails, your arteries,
and enters the machine, you know?
Like a ghost, or a spirit.
It goes in the machine, you sample it, make some sounds, and it comes out.
I can talk about "Mágico de Oz," for example.
I was at home with Edi Rock.
I was showing him the lyrics. He said, "Dope. Let's pick a sample."
And I showed him an Isley Brothers record.
The song was slow, so I said, "Check out what it sounds like at 45."
So I pressed the button and…
And he just said, "Wow! I want that! Awesome!"
It's all about reflection, brother
It's all about thinking
The police always set a bad example
Washes my streets with blood And drives hatred further in
Inside the corners of the city
Inside the extremes of simplicity
My freedom was stolen
My dignity violated No!
Brothers need to get real
Stop killing and cursing each other
Take that shit away from here
God forbid, I don't want A son of mine to die
Or one of my relatives To swallow a bullet
Do I have to die For God to hear my voice?
Or do I have to turn this place Into the magical land of Oz?
Yo…
JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER
No one was born to live locked up
or within four walls,
or to walk with their heads down and their hands behind their back.
So if you're all in the same system,
if all of you are suffering, everybody's from the same place,
from suffering and poverty. You know?
Some have a father who drinks, some don't even have a father, like me.
Some had to pull strings to help their mothers.
No one here is better than anyone.
Everyone makes mistakes, everyone has flaws.
We can't point fingers and want punishment,
because you're all being punished and nobody likes it.
-Right? -Yeah!
Chase yours, I'll chase mine. That's the magic formula for peace.
This damn place is a minefield
How many times I thought of Throwing myself off?
But my hood is all I have
My life is here, I can't just leave
Escaping is too easy, but I won't
I won't betray Who I was, who I am
I like where I'm going and where I've been
Teachings from the favela Were too good for me
That song is about its time, so people liked it.
It was a blessed time.
Because that was my reality.
I lived there. I understand why people
hold on to that song.
That's a blessed song.
Yo…
Does anyone remember when this happened?
Maybe a large portion of you were children and won't recall.
But the rest of you will remember.
It's a part of Brazilian history that was recently written.
Like it happened in Vigário and Candelária.
And it happens in São Paulo all the time too.
Another part of Brazilian history that was written in blood.
341 riot police officers from São Paulo
received orders to invade the 9th pavilion of Carandiru prison.
WE WANT OUR RIGHTS
Soldiers were meant to contain a riot.
WE ARE IN MOURNING
During the operation, 111 inmates were killed.
São Paulo, October 1st, 1992.
8:00 a.m.
Here I am, another day
Under the bloodthirsty gaze of the lookout
You don't know what it's like to walk
With your head in the sights of an HK
A German machine gun, or maybe from Israel
Shreds thieves up like paper
Here's the deal, I didn't want to write that song.
The guys from the 9th pavilion asked me.
"Nobody talked about it and now you have to."
Some of my friends in prison and others were watching
this chat on the soccer field.
I was introduced to a guy who was older than me.
Jocenir.
He had written a political piece about the slaughter.
When they introduced us on the field in the 8th pavilion
during the game,
it was so hot, and we were smoking joints this thick.
I read it and went, "That's dope!"
I left with his lyrics and he thought nothing of it.
I looked for him a year later, but he was in a different prison.
It took me a year to find him again.
And the song had blown up.
You feel me?
It blew up because we shot the video at the prison,
and the video won the MTV Brazil People's Choice award.
The song blew up.
Racionais MC's!
BEST RAP VIDEO "DIÁRIO DE UM DETENTO," RACIONAIS MC'S
It was a milestone for the entire movement. Not just for us.
For us, it was like the World Cup. Everyone was watching and cheering.
We went up there and gave a nine-minute-long speech,
just giving shout-outs to people, talking about favelas, the prison system.
Many people didn't believe in our music.
They said rap ain't music.
But here's the deal.
Racionais has a mission and we're not gonna stop.
Our music is from the hood.
It's the music of Black people. From Black people to Black people.
The four boys from the favela still live in the favela,
but we now have a voice.
We're here to stay.
The artists who rock the world are here.
Brazil, Racionais MC's, "Diário de um Detento."
The album went abroad. We went abroad.
We went to California, New York, Germany, Japan a few times.
He told me to go have breakfast and walked away.
I asked him to wait, then the door closed.
Now I'm waiting for the key.
Thanks.
I could see Brazil differently from the outside.
There's a way of being that's different from what's out there.
-It's best not to try to understand it. -What's up, man?
Hey, how are things?
Cool. I'm here with the boys. Look, here they are.
DJONGA NEW-GENERATION RAPPER
-Yo, yo. -Yo, bro!
Look at the rappers!
Yo, yo.
The bank robbery's in progress. Check out the project.
That's how I like it.
-See how they're doing. -Take over the world?
Rule the world.
There are a lot of good people, many songwriters, thinkers,
who are opening up the dialogue, broadening perspectives,
renewing the fight.
My mother's ancestors came from here.
East Africa. The Cushitic people.
They're very old people who inhabited this entire region. Look.
-That's rare, right? -It's rare.
Most come from this side here.
Yeah. Brazil mostly came from this middle section.
And from here, too. Benin.
My mother's ancestors also have blood from Benin.
They left from here to there and went from the port to Brazil.
I often say Sobrevivendo no Inferno was my liberation from slavery.
Good evening.
I'm William. I'm from Zimbabwe Records.
We are here to give the gold record
and platinum record to Racionais!
For their hard work, with no publicity. You all did this.
This is Mano Brown.
He let us run out of gas.
Can you believe it?
Mano Brown…
from Racionais MC's!
Racionais extended to many other people, not just the four of us.
It's always been about the legacy and our allies.
Each one of us had connections with other artists.
That was the intention, you know?
To promote new artists and keep the machine going, right?
Ed Loco is teaching us how to distribute power to our people.
Tell us a bit about setting up a studio to help the groups.
I'm still small, just starting out from home,
doing what I can to help the movement.
Racionais were more mature,
more independent when it came to making music.
We had our own equipment, and we could do it at home.
Dexter got an offer and started recording from prison.
We were called in to produce the album.
There was an ongoing project at the jail that allowed weekday visits.
We'd stay and talk to him,
and the movement leaders came to talk to me.
There were a lot of rap groups in jail.
It was a social phenomenon.
"Diário de um Detento." Because we shot the video there,
it opened their minds.
They had free time, being stuck in there.
So they started rapping, all these new groups.
When we started listening to Racionais, good God!
Black people became deeply moved
in all the different hoods.
It was an awakening.
An awakening, a wake-up call, a call to arms, a demand for attention…
It was everything you can imagine.
I asked for that gothic lettering on the cover
because rappers from LA used them.
It went well,
with the symbols and everything. I wanted that for my CD.
We put that cross on the cover,
and some guys showed up at the concerts carrying giant bibles,
dressed like priests.
Some extremists.
Mixing thoughts of race, God, and crime. Feel me?
-You're hurting me, okay? -Coquinho! Close the window.
You're going to hurt your arm, bro!
Oh, God…
His arm could snap on the spot.
-Yeah! -Damn, son!
Yeah. 1998.
Mano Brown, KL Jay, Ice Blue, Edi Rock.
South Side, North Side.
The voice of the favela that is part of it.
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil,
for You are with me."
We're in this bitch, son!
So what did I notice?
That record was becoming an exorcism.
When I sang it in the shows, repeating those words,
the same thing over and over, everybody together,
it was the worst possible atmosphere.
I didn't like it. I'd sing them without heart.
I was no longer enjoying the party.
We came from a spiritual background.
And those songs mentioned pools of blood.
People were listening to it at home,
at places where you should be having fun.
For the love of God. That's dangerous.
It had to change.
I believe in the power of words, of repetition.
Yo, here's the deal…
When I saw dead bodies at my shows,
wearing Racionais' T-shirts, I started to think.
When they threw that corpse at my feet in Bauru,
I was already rethinking other stuff.
I was even questioning how useless I was for everything.
What would they do if someone was shot?
They'd throw him at my feet.
You know?
People were stepping over him to ask for autographs. I saw it.
He was writhing in pain and people were stepping on him,
asking for autographs.
-Stop, bro. Yo, guys, stop. -This is bullshit, all right?
Am I a clown to talk about peace while you kill each other down there?
Yo, fuck you!
Am I crazy to be talking about peace?
Let me tell you this.
The system doesn't care if there are ten dead guys outside, okay?
They want all of you fucking dead.
All you've got is each other, you feel me?
And your brains. Right?
Let me say this,
Sobrevivendo no Inferno drove us away from the favela.
College kids loved it.
When I realized that, I had to use a new strategy.
I told them, "Let's disappear, bro."
"Everything is wrong. I'm not enjoying this. It's getting old."
One day, Brown said,
"How many shows are left?"
Bam. "Just this many?"
"Let's do them and then let's quit, indefinitely."
"What do you mean? We're going to starve."
"Deal with it. Didn't you use to be a gangster?"
"Deal with it. Is singing all you can do?"
"Let's use what we have. Let's start over."
And we went back to living in the hood.
We spent time there and breathed in that air.
After we left the scene, I got to go back and go even deeper.
I went back to Jardim Leblon, to my roots,
to check on my people. I went back there.
Shout-out to Brazil, especially São Paulo.
Let's talk about these 500 years, this lie.
Fuck the 500th anniversary of discovery!
Pedro Álvares Cabral and Christopher Columbus,
those shameless Europeans,
they came over here and slaughtered everybody.
And at school they're treated like heroes.
Fuck that, bro!
Yo, next week we'll have UTen Play, all right? Bye.
Like it or not, the year 2000 was a turning point.
Everything from the '90s began to look like the '90s.
From 2000 on, there was no other way.
When the subway and Lula arrived,
modernity came to Capão.
Along with PCC and everything else.
BACACHERI - ROAD AND RAILWAY AIRPORT - BR116 SÃO PAULO
CARANDIRU DETENTION HOUSE SÃO PAULO
Next Station, Capão Redondo.
Then, I understood it all over again.
There was a new generation of addicts, crazy people,
sad people, people suffering again for new reasons.
But I also saw people overcoming all of that with such fucking poise.
Overcoming disease, poverty…
Not crying or complaining, but elegantly, bro.
Beautifully.
At that time, there was a friend of ours, DJ Nel.
During the transition between records, I became friends with this guy,
and he started telling me about other things.
Other sounds.
He said, "Man, you gotta listen to Milton Nascimento."
"You gotta listen to Miles Davis."
"You gotta listen to Clube da Esquina."
"Your sound has no dimension."
"It's like a stone to the listener's face."
"It needs more layers, bro."
I asked, "More layers?"
"You gotta know about LSD."
He would go on about water and wilderness
He would keep playing music, drink wine, smoke a joint,
in the middle of the afternoon, for ten bucks.
That was his deal.
I thought, "Wow, that's cool! I wouldn't have noticed it."
"Bro, enjoy the moment, just enjoy what you can, you know?"
"Not everything is about society and stuff."
"We can't even handle all of that."
"Know yourself first."
All I did was agree with him. I knew nothing, bro.
It was a wacko advising an idiot, me.
I thought I was the man, but I was an idiot.
I didn't know shit. I'd just agree.
That was missing in the last record.
This new dimension.
When I found out about it, I was in love.
He really feels the music.
I started going to the dam when it rained.
I went when no one else was there.
When it was all just for me.
The gray light…
It was somewhat introspective.
Wind, thunder…
neurosis…
It was a perspective we hadn't accessed
in the last record,
the feelings of weakness we share that remain unspoken.
Your blessing, Mom
We begin our transmission
This is your Exodus radio
Hey, hey
Let's wake up, let's wake up
'Cause the sun doesn't wait Come on, let's wake up
Time never gets tired
You asked for it
You asked for an opportunity A second chance
God is good, isn't He?
Hey, a new day just for you
What an awesome blue sky!
Let's wake up, let's wake up
Look at your face I trust you in this war
Sloth is the enemy of victory
There's no place for the weak The coward dies without even trying
I'll tell you the truth, things are tough
There is no trust, not even in yourself And enemies come for free
It's a concrete jungle It crushes the humble
You're as big as your dream
Do the right thing, do your thing
Let's wake up, let's wake up Hold your head high with sincerity
What are you scared of? It's never been easy
Gather your pieces and join the fight
But remember, whatever happens
There's nothing like A day after the other
We're back, brothers!
You're in the streets of São Paulo
Where boys keep their feelings On the soles of their feet
It's not pessimism It's just what it's like
Living and living large The boys blow smoke
That's the sweet venom…
Uh! Canela!
I tripped, but I came back for you
I came back for the brothers
And consequently, for the green
And Lord
Is it good!
That's how it is
My mind is a maze And my heart weeps
It weeps now but will laugh later
Come with me, brother, come with me
We focused on our hood.
The brothers, the get-togethers, our families. Our roots.
A band of madmen Gathered around street corners
And said, "Let's make this shit happen!"
By all means necessary
Do it yourself
You for us, us for ourselves
For us and our peers
And for our neighbor
And that's that
I feel what I can, nerves and bones, yeah
If we are who we are A mesh of chromosomes
With strengths and weaknesses
That's that and that's how it is
Have faith, for God is just
Never forget, brother,
Hold your head up high
No matter what or when
Have faith Because flowers grow even in the dump
Pray for us, pastor, remember us
Tonight's service is still going well
I admire the believers Please, excuse me
What a rip-off, what a scheme My apologies
Sometimes I feel a little insecure
Like a mutt With no faith in the future
Then someone comes along? Who is who? Who could that be, brother?
Get me a toy that pierces clothes…
I'm pretentious enough to say I embodied the spirit
of the São Paulo hood that day.
All of its codes.
I'm a warrior of rap
Always in high voltage
One for one, God for all I'm here just passing through
Crazy life I'm not cut out to be a victim
Justice and freedom My cause is legit
My rap starts the choir of the mad And the romantic
I wear a child's smile wherever I
Go For the brothers
I offer my presence
Maybe it's confusing But it's real and intense
My best Marvin Gaye Saturday on the highway
Whatever will be, will be And we ride to the end
Call on me, call on us Wherever we're needed
In Paradise or on judgment day, pastor
Call on me and on the brothers It's what I ask
Favela, Fundão Immortalized in my poetry
Crazy life
The people from the hood, they understood themselves there.
It wasn't restricted to Brown or Blue, it was for a lot of people.
They organized one street and the next, and the next, starting a chain reaction.
A lot of teams, names, and labels were born in the hood,
a lot of different colored hats.
A lot of collectives were born from that moment.
It's a mixture, you know,
of ambition with affront, self-esteem, independence…
And that's how we really managed to bring the hood along with us. Everyone.
People who didn't like rap liked representing their hood.
And not lowering their head for anyone.
The people no longer seemed so oppressed and deluded.
If you pay attention, with its rights and wrongs,
the hood has its opinions and is setting things in motion.
"Yeah, that's right, let's do it, et cetera."
It was really happening there.
Our line of thinking before this album
was of a submissive, ignorant hood. Alienated. Get it?
Which I refute in this record.
It's our first time playing an open event, in the middle of the night, in São Paulo.
Right at dawn, at 4:00 a.m., maybe 5:00 a.m.
For those heading to work,
grab your coat and your beanie,
because it is ten degrees in São Paulo.
The full moon lights the streets of Capão
God alone is above us Humble, right?
Cheers! Clink! Women and loud music
White wine A good lawyer for everyone
It's cold as fuck
But what to do? Tuesdays are no good for partying
It has never changed, and it never will
The scent of a bonfire fills the air
Sunday, early morning in São Paulo.
Turmoil and vandalism
at a Racionais MC's show during Virada Cultural de São Paulo.
…at rap group Racionais MC's show.
Racionais MC's.
…of Racionais MC's.
Praça da Sé became a true war zone.
People desperately attempted to escape from the confrontation.
Come here, man! Come here, man!
Couldn't the police have avoided it?
That was a poem.
Let me tell you where it started.
It was like this.
There was this boy.
The cops were chasing him.
A Black kid. And he dodged the police.
It was raining. The floor was wet.
The cop fell down and couldn't get back up.
The cop was screaming in pain. And the other cops went after the boy.
A lot of them. And he was running.
So I said on stage,
"Yeah, the military police was created to catch runaway slaves."
"Careful with those guns. Don't shoot anybody!"
The rap group asked the crowd to step away from the officers. In vain.
Step away from the cops! Leave them alone!
A fight broke out, and then it was like it parted.
The cops to one side and kids to the other.
Hell broke loose.
I felt like I was in a war zone.
Boys with sticks and stones The police with rifles and bombs
Cars on fire Steel doors close
A mother calls for a son While she gets shot
Someone lost someone The soul is in the trigger
Run away to the subway
Trouble in the hallway
Someone was trampled And there they stayed
In the adjacent streets The scene went on
War and destruction The world at an end
It was never a sure thing. It was always tense.
They forbade us from performing in the open,
and they started their persecution campaign.
Because we were said to be a danger to society,
a danger to public security, or to the security of society.
It was the State, the police. Anyway.
It was a setup
because everything was being done by the book,
the contracts and everything.
There was no reason for that to happen so suddenly
and for Racionais to be banned from performing in São Paulo.
I really think it was political, some kind of setup.
It felt like it'd be all over at any moment.
What am I?
I'm clear and salty I fit inside an eye, but I weigh a ton
I taste like the sea And I can be discreet
I'm a tenant of pain Where I prefer to live
In the dead of the night I'm a hostage of vengeance
I'm a sister to despair I'm hope's worst nemesis
I can be caused by the vermin, mundane
Or by the love Of your cruel flower's thorn
I'm a lover of drama I come to your bed
Willingly Without permission, you make me suffer
I thought I was strong
I'll be weak When others come
If things are tough and the going is slow
Right now, let me walk against the wind
Why be tough if your heart is vulnerable?
Well, not the wind It's soft but relentless and cold
And I'm warm
I smeared the poet's morose sentence
I ran down the prophet's brown semblance
The worms clear the way As a man's tear falls
This is your lifelong struggle
They say men don't cry Yeah, right
Don't follow the crowd, brother Jesus wept
Damn, brother, I'mma tell you And I may be high
But the world is well fit to end
What can you do When the fortress trembles
And all the good around you Gets corrupted?
Everybody who stressed the importance of the Black revolution was persecuted.
And therefore, silenced.
Everything I did and do is based on Marighella's code.
The interval between records was ten years.
Marighella was the kick-start to our comeback.
Quiet, or you'll die. Quiet.
Move, move! Move, goddammit!
On your knees, motherfucker!
Freedom Radio is on the air.
It's what the hood thinks about Marighella.
A lot of people could relate to a lot of things.
Guys who'd never heard of him were interested.
…Carlos Marighella.
He was an angel at the same time. He had those simple dreams.
Dreams of equality.
Stand for the General
A thousand faces of a loyal man
Come on!
Stand for the General
A thousand faces of a loyal man Protector of the crowds
Three reincarnations of celebrity thugs
With brilliant brains gathered in Heaven The destination for the faithful
If God wants fealty Consummate…
You only get first place a few times in life.
And with this video we took first place again.
Racionais MC's!
We're alive!
And to close out the best VMB of all time,
the best VMB concert of all time,
I give you, Racionais!
Then we performed live on MTV after many years.
And on TV. We had been on MTV in '98.
How many years later? Fourteen.
We had a new outlook, with all that change,
all that experience, all that coming together, strongly.
That's where Eliane came along
and said, "We gotta do this together."
Racionais, in my opinion, they achieved this breakthrough.
From the low self-esteem and the lack of courage itself,
and they make us brave.
So we can go there and do it. "I can do it and I will do it."
This happened to me and to a lot of people.
I hear this daily. "Racionais changed my life."
"I heard this Racionais song and it changed my life."
"I started studying because of Racionais."
Racionais had left Virada Cultural in 2007,
after that whole incident, on bad terms.
But then, their management called them back to perform.
"Hey, the time has come. Let's do it."
All I said was, "The police can stay."
"There's no need for that. There will be no trouble."
"Racionais will communicate."
The audiences keep watching and paying attention to what they say.
It's like a channel, an umbilical cord.
And people get very angry when that channel is interrupted.
We eventually reached an agreement.
The police would stay in the back and not within the crowd.
And everything was fine.
There were 100,000 people at a Racionais' concert, without incident.
Racionais MC's!
Listening to Racionais
went viral.
Brown invited me to participate in the video for "Marighella."
It was an honor to be able
to describe the story of a Brazilian hero,
together with my heroes, Racionais.
I'm reminded of a quote by Malcolm X.
He once said the only people who have truly changed history
are those who changed man's concept of himself.
Racionais did that. You know? They did it.
They didn't change just one person. They changed an entire generation.
It's necessary to believe That the dream is possible
The sky is the limit And you, brother, are unbeatable
The bad times will pass It's just a phase
The suffering only feeds your courage
Then we started looking for venues.
Let's map out the top venues and we'll only perform at those.
But then people would say, "You're bringing Racionais here?"
"They'll destroy everything! Their audience will break everything."
I said, "No, they won't."
After 30 years, all you want is that people get back home intact.
That's the kind of cliché I can do without.
A dead body at the end of a Racionais concert.
This one is for you
Stay alive
A lot of people at that concert had never set foot in a place like that before.
QUAD STUDIOS NEW YORK - 2014
Then they decided to make the album.
They went to New York to record the album.
Got it? It can't be ba-dum, and then ba-dum-dum together.
It's…
Right?
Don't you have one single bass drum to do what these three are trying to do?
Because I made that one at home.
But I think it will never be as good as the real, original heavy bass drum.
You know?
The world had changed since 2002.
Thirteen years later.
It seemed like Brazil had really entered a phase of progress.
We could see it in the people, food, drinks, clothes, watches.
Real life.
That has an impact on the streets. And in the music as well.
All right, it's all set.
Soon, the boys will be there to collect the money from the water tower.
Attention! This is a work of fiction.
Any similarity to anyone's reality…
is mere coincidence.
Here's the deal, B.
There's a bunch of pigs in the street.
Things could go south.
Copy that. Tell the boys to stay alert,
to make sure they're not being followed, and their phones are working. Over.
Got it. The pieces are clean. I'll bring them over.
Same bat-place, same time. Over, bro.
Everyone is aware things are crazy,
the going is slow, and we got this.
Colors and values…
We've taken over!
Over.
We are what we are
Colors and values
We are what we are Colors and values
Funk Conspiracy International in Jamaica, Queens
Fundão, Sabin A job for me
If God made me like this
Then we're good, son I bought some green
Clouds and black sheep always follow me
The dark times come And it was us, too
I walk, walk, walk the thin dotted line
On the land whose hero killed A million Indians
Around the edges Black man is king
It doesn't matter if you like us or not
Degrade myself just to please you? Never!
Because I don't say it They think I don't know it
São Paulo has a lot of money to try
Without losing the focus Check the flow
You see, Cross Fox, Tucson, X5, bam
Black and golden yellow, it's opulent
We are what we are
Colors and values
2014 COLORS AND VALUES
That's rap. Business, real life.
The behind the scenes.
It's life on the table, perspective, invested dreams, a lot of things.
I'm a business leader, a clan patriarch. I know everything.
From philosophy to romanticism to…
It's more serious than it seems.
That's what Racionais is.
Oh, I see!
I want them to go beyond what I did, these new kids, these new rappers.
I want them to go beyond, because I aim to go beyond.
If they don't, I will.
To make it happen.
Shout-outs, shout-outs, shout-outs Shout-outs, here we are, awesome
Hail the race Progress for us
Expanding business In the back of the club
Slaying the dragon of sloth and idleness
A united family will crush a boycott
Let's go, Pixote Hollywood doesn't wait
Black people in the new era
Gotta make it happen Gotta make it happen, why not?
Every year that goes by, I plan to go further in.
You know?
Because the pressure for me to leave is immense.
From all sides.
Got it? I have to invest to stay.
It's not free, staying in the favela and keeping a close watch. It's costly.
I'm a boy from a favela.
When I saw a cool bike, I wanted one too.
And it's cool that people know I didn't steal mine.
Isn't it nice? Isn't it nicer if people know that?
That your dream of having a red Fireblade
A Repsol CBR, A VMAX, a pad
An Audi R8 GT, a Carrera Porsche
A Zenith on the wrist Or a Patek Philippe
A gold chain With diamonds and sapphires
A necklace people can't believe
A Black boy with no father who persists
Can make it to the store See a new car and say
"I want it, I'll buy it full price!"
But even if you can pay
Some will still be suspicious
Because racism has been in disguise For centuries
They don't accept your status Or your skin tone
I like to eat. I like going to restaurants.
And Black people don't go to restaurants in São Paulo.
But Blue goes.
I realized I was getting haircuts to go to those places, staying within the norm…
I thought, "Damn, bro."
"The time has come for me to grow out my hair, get more tattoos…"
"I wanna go there and cause a scene.
"I want them uncomfortable in my presence."
There's no going back. We're here to stay.
Slave quarters are over.
More than half of the Brazilian population consider themselves Black.
BLACK POPULATION RISES BY 32%
In Rio de Janeiro, Marielle was the fifth most-voted council member…
It's happening. We can see it!
We can feel it. We start seeing it.
"Damn, Black people are making it, bro!"
One of the country's top universities
will include Racionais in the 2020 curriculum for their SATs.
RACIONAIS MC'S ARE BRAZIL'S PUBLIC ENEMY
I wasn't thinking about a yacht or…
No, I just thought about white sneakers and really blue jeans.
That was this thug's dream.
I thought, "Damn, white sneakers and really blue jeans."
"And as soon as I get some money,
I'll spend it all on cookies and pudding
and eat until I'm sick."
I look back while I'm singing
and I see Kleber up there,
that fucking amazing stage, that enormous table,
and he's still scratching like he did when we used to rehearse at…
Damn, that's dope.
It's very moving. It's fucking dope.
…set up a stage to sing…
-No, that one was in… -That day I almost died?
Do you remember it?
Milton had scheduled to meet us at 6:00 a.m. in Taboão, to load the truck.
I remember that. Wasn't he angry as fuck, cursing us out?
At 6:00 a.m.
"Aren't you artists?"
-He showed up… -When did he arrive?
At 12:00 p.m., man.
The owner of the venue was happy.
He placed a guitar on the floor and said, "See this guitar?"
"I like this guitar more than I like my wife."
"This is a '66 guitar, from festivals and stuff."
"Wow, awesome."
It was awesome. The guitar on the floor…
And we were just admiring it.
I was so angry, there were so many boxes,
I had unloaded a bunch of them.
There was a horn on top of a box.
The horn slipped and he couldn't catch it in time.
Guess where the horn fell.
-On the guitar. -On the guitar! Bro!
The box fell on his head, so I was like, "Blue! Are you all right?"
And the guy… "Fuck him! My guitar!"
Tore off the butt of the guitar.
-That curvy part. -Wow.
It tore off part of the guitar.
The guy, "What was that?!" When he looked at the guitar, he went,
"What the hell did you do?"
"You imbeciles!"
"Imbeciles" isn't enough…
Thirty-one years later.
It's a different moment, you know?
But I'll always be here. My roots are here,
because this is a nice moment to be with the family.
It's my roots, man.
The simplest things, you know?
That's where the true value is.
Somebody you love and who loves you to be by your side.
All of this makes you look at yourself, at life, at the past…
A connection with myself from way back.
As if I was waking up in my house in the hood, back in '87.
If I can't go back and see myself there, I won't understand the guys now.
D major.
When the rooster crows Announcing a new day
RACIONAIS AND SANTA RITA FAMILY
Bless us, Our Lady of the Rosary Pray for our joy
Let me tell you!
Forgive me if I have asked for your help With our Father too many times
May the blood of my brothers Never again stain the earth
May the cry that once called for war Become a chorus for peace
Flowers bloom even in the dump As Racionais once sang
Racionais
May the cry that once called for war Become a chorus for peace
Flowers bloom even in the dump As Racionais once sang
When the rooster…
When the rooster crows Announcing a new day
A lot of our upbringing came from them, from their family, you know?
Our discipline and our outlook on life.
The stage was always full because everybody was there.
Our cousins were always with us.
That line, "I do my own security"?
That's the deal.
Only us.
Throughout these 30 years of Racionais,
being alive is impressive in itself.
All four of us? Impressive.
Because it was hard.
A lot of protection, a lot of prayers.
A lot of blessings. My Orishas looking out for me.
If we stopped to think about the dangers,
we wouldn't have moved.
Because danger was always there.
Before, during, and after.
A traditional brand was accused of racism by a Black customer in Salvador.
The parents of a young girl claim their daughter was a victim of racism.
The Naval officer was arrested after shooting a neighbor to death,
mistaking him for a robber.
The victim was Black.
The ten-year-old boy was murdered by police while trying to…
Five young men were killed by military police officers,
with no less than 111 bullets shot at the young men's car.
It's unacceptable that every 23 minutes a young Black man is murdered.
It's unacceptable that every 23 minutes a Black woman will stand by a grave
burying her Black son.
Black people are in enemy territory. Really, in enemy territory.
I can see my children being killed.
And I'm transported back to the Brazil from 500 years ago.
At these times, people look for a leader.
"Racism? I got it!"
But that's not it. It's not just about Black people.
Racism is wrong, injustice is wrong.
You have to speak up.
If you're white and see a Black person being targeted, speak up.
We're in enemy territory, man.
You see?
In Haiti, the Black population had taken over by force.
Slave labor landed there and became the country's majority.
And the fear of a Black majority taking over hit Brazil too.
Councilwoman Marielle Franco has died in Rio de Janeiro.
She was murdered on Wednesday evening, when her car was shot.
They are afraid. Afraid of Planet Black. Afraid!
The rise of Black people in society is tough, bro.
The higher the rung, the bigger the enemy.
They don't get any less powerful, no.
The more power you gain, the more powerful your foes.
There's no rest! There's no rest! The government is killing Black women!
They're killing our children!
-We can't take it anymore. -Enough!
Enough racism!
Enough murder!
Enough racism!
BLACK MOTHERS CAN'T TAKE MORE TEARS
It's been a while since we've seen a political force for the Black people,
for the majority.
It has only gotten bigger.
They tried to silence us, but we got bigger.
Stupid racists, leave us alone!
This genocide is happening out in the open.
But it's gonna change.
It's gonna change.
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Survival is daily, and the fight is constant, all the time.
There's no rest.
Racionais didn't invent the cause. The cause is much greater than Racionais.
A lot of people came before us hitting that same key.
No fanfare, or an album cover,
or a music video, but the fight is the same.
With or without spotlights.
In the '70s, when I was born, Black people were doing the '70s rituals.
With the hair, clothes, and struggles of that time.
With the body movement of that time.
And it's happening again.
This thing with the new aesthetics…
A new ritual. A new worship.
If you don't think the Palmeiras stadium
filled with 15,000 people
waiting for James Brown to sing is an act of worship…
That's worship.
That's spiritual.
We sing about freedom, right?
And it speaks for itself, in all corners.
It comes from Africa, and it's very rich.
Black music is very spiritual by itself.
Racionais has always been about that.
We didn't know it at the time because we were 19.
We're 50 now.
With a different perspective.
And more power.
Cheers!
Come on!
Black drama Between the success and the mud
Money, trouble, envy, luxury, fame Black drama
Frizzy hair, dark skin, wounds, and brands Looking for a cure
Black drama Tries to see and sees nothing
Except for a fading star in the distance
Feel the drama In the price and the charges
In love, in hatred In the misguided vengeance
Black drama I know who's scheming and who's with me
The burden that I bear To be more than a fuck-up
The drama of jail and favelas
Graves and blood, sirens Cries and candlelight
A passenger from Brazil São Paulo, the agony
Surviving through honor and cowardice
Hoods, alleys, and hovels
You must be thinking What this has to do with you
AGAINST THE GENOCIDE OF BLACK PEOPLE MOURNING - RACISM KILLS
The feeling that made me fight in rap and in Racionais was rage.
It wasn't joy, comfort, and a full stomach.
Quite the opposite, an empty stomach, hatred, ambition.
Crime, soccer, music… Damn
I also couldn't escape it I'm just another man
Forrest Gump is a fairy tale I'd rather tell a real story
I'll tell my own
Look, it'd be a good movie
A Black mother with her son in her arms
Alone in a forest of steel and concrete
Look and look again At the face in the crowd
The crowd is a monster Without a face or a heart
Hey, São Paulo, land of skyscrapers
The drizzle rips the flesh It's the tower of Babel
Brazilian family, two against the world
A single mother to a promising bum
Lights, camera, action And recording, the scene goes
The bastard, another fatherless brown boy
Hey, slave lord, I know who you are
You can't hack it alone You can't hack it on your feet
You said it was good And the hood echoed back
We also have whisky, Red Bull Nike, assault rifles
I admit it, your cars are nice
And I can't make the Internet Or cassettes
Or the sick cars I might be a little late
I think I am
But your game is rigged And I can't fit in
I'm a lot of trouble From Carnaval to Carnaval
I'm from the jungle I'm a lion in your backyard
You're already a survivor of a massacre, a genocide, bro.
Naturally, the strongest survivor of the genocide,
who suffered the botched transatlantic transplant.
You didn't become shark food.
Your ancestors were fucking strong.
They don't sell that idea.
Alone, we're weak.
Together, we're powerful.
Nowadays, my passion is music. For my race, for sure, first and foremost.
But I make music for them.
It's my way to do politics.
Because
the revolution needs a heart.
Subtitle translation by: