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[cash register rings]
Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX
[coins jingle]
["1 Por Amor, 2 Por Dinheiro" plays]
Revolution will come from the bottom, from the roots.
♪ 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 ♪
Yo, film all these police cars, bro.
[sirens blaring]
We've all watched Dr. Dre's concert.
The dude walks on the stage through a screen, like it was…
-[man] Three-dimensional. -Exactly! A three-dimensional image.
It's futuristic.
So we watch that, and we get inspired like,
"Wow, man, let's rap, because… that's what's going on!"
Check this out.
Right there, that's our stage.
[hip-hop beat plays]
[crowd cheers]
For those who didn't become shark food.
Those who suffered the botched transatlantic transplant.
For the naturally strong.
This is for you.
[interviewer] Do Racionais do social work?
Here. This is our social work.
Music that changes people's attitudes, gets into their minds.
[man] One, two, three, four!
[soul sample plays]
One, two, three, four!
[no audible dialogue]
[rapping in Portuguese]
HUMAN MOUSETRAP IN CAPÃO
[reporter 1] The most violent weekend of all time.
A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
[chanting] End racism! Now! Now!
[woman] The police didn't even ask for an explanation.
They just shot him with machine guns.
[reporter 2] 23-year-old Wanderley was murdered in the next bedroom,
in his sleep,
Ms. Ivanda says he was a hard-working man.
[man] I came back bigger.
[rapper] São Paulo, Brazil.
[rapper] This is Racionais MC's!
[gunshot]
[shell clatters]
[rapper] Capão Redondo, São Paulo, Brazil.
[man 1] The South Side, in the 1970s, was still almost rural.
Horses, cattle, dirt roads, fences, soccer fields, lots of kites, you know?
[Mano Brown] I was living for the sake of living.
The way I was back then, I wouldn't have made it.
Completely empty-minded, ready to become a thief.
I went to a all-white school,
so they made fun of me for my hair, my lips.
When they came at me, I reacted 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! ♪
[Mano Brown] Being a recording artist or a singer,
that felt as distant as Saturn or Jupiter.
I knew we would be heard eventually.
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." Got it?
[man 2] I used to live in a war zone, the most dangerous area of the South Side.
My street ended in a wooded area.
Every day, there'd be a new corpse there, right near the soccer field.
The corpses became natural to us.
Somebody who'd be hanged or shot
would be left there for two, three, four days.
That's exactly what the 1980s were like.
[rapping in Portuguese]
It's a challenge making people aware of what is actually happening.
Mine and Brown's mother were friends.
And they both went to the Seu Isaac's Candomblé house.
I remember vaguely us living in the Santa Rita family backyard
back in the 1970s.
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 and barbecue cookouts.
So we grew up surrounded by music.
[singing in Portuguese]
["O Mau e o Bem" plays]
[man 3] The North Side during the 1980s, had a lot of very violent places.
Where I lived in Mazzei, there was some violence, but not as much.
At the time, most parties were still at home.
That was the culture, you know?
So there was always a party to go to.
[song continues]
[KL Jay] There's this sense of brotherhood which goes back 400, 500 years,
Like we were together in our past lives.
[Edi] I had a large family, and we liked to party.
I lived in Vila Mazzei, and when I was 14, I started going out.
It was formative.
I carry it to this day.
It's how I got to know music,
the streets, the world, life.
I also met KL Jay in Mazzei.
KL Jay was dancing in the middle of a crowd.
He even had Ray Parker's hair, like Michael Jackson.
He 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 ♪
[Edi Rock] I can see it in people's eyes when the concert is over.
Our mission is to make them feel good and uplifted.
The record's dope, right?
[KL Jay] It's powerful.
We're here to accomplish a mission through music.
[funk rhythm plays]
[Mano Brown] Yeah, see. We rocked at rapping.
Hey. Remember that video when we went to that white guy's house?
[KL Jay] Edi Rock and I were from the North Side.
Brown and Blue, the South Side.
-[Ice Blue] That's a fuckin' awesome beat. -[Mano Brown] It is.
-[Edi Rock] How'd you go? Bus? -[Mano Brown] For real.
-[Edi Rock] Was there a subway? -[Ice Blue] Bus til Bandeira.
[Mano Brown] You gotta take a bus, a subway, another bus.
Yeah, we had to take the bus to Bandeira Square.
-Subway to Santana… -[Ice Blue] Bandeira, subway.
-[Mano Brown] Remember we left from here. -[Ice Blue] Yeah, yeah. Capão.
We took the bus. It took a hour and a half to get downtown.
It was a real journey, almost a spiritual one.
You left a place of poverty for a place where all the lights were on.
["De Volta A Cena" plays]
[Mano Brown] Going downtown when we were broke,
we'd even get hungry on the bus,
But we fed on the lights and the shop windows.
The clothes.
We'd go to the record stores on Paulista Avenue to look at the posters,
at the art covers, the sneakers people were wearing.
Man, Galeria was like being in Harlem.
The music, the barbershops, all the gestures.
The rituals of Black youth.
It was beautiful to see.
Going downtown was like going to New York.
Seeing Black people from all over, north, west, east.
[funk music plays]
[Ice Blue] We started going to parties.
We would leave the South Side to find a party.
[KL Jay] I liked being in the middle of it.
Black people all around, I played the coolest music.
[Edi Rock] We formed our own team.
KL Jay and I.
We played in the hood what we heard at the parties.
We took downtown to the hood.
The teams had this tradition of bringing over international groups.
When I saw one of them for the first time, like Kool Moe Dee,
I thought, "Wow, we can do that."
You'd just sing a rhyme,
while a DJ scratched some records in the back. Easy.
Rap music, my rap music, came to me in '88, '87.
I was 17 years old.
I worked at a warehouse at Brigadeiro Luís Antônio Avenue.
We unloaded trucks as they came in.
When they were late, I wrote.
I was an office boy
and I got 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.
A powerful place.
[hip-hop plays]
[radio DJ] Starting now,
two hours of the best sounds in São Paulo, with the Zimbabwe team.
The sound of the people.
[music continues]
[Mano Brown] We were at São Bento. A guy shows up and said,
"Who are the guys from Capão who said they're fuckin' great at singing?"
I said, "Me!" [chuckles]
I mean, he asked. I wasn't trying to brag, but, you know.
RAP COMPETITION
[Ice Blue] "Yeah, there's this rap competition. Let's sign up, bro."
"What will our name be?"
"Let's just come up with one."
So we came up with B. B Boys and signed up.
We sang two raps and won the competition.
Holy shit, we joined and just won!
"B" dot "B" Boys, you know? B. B Boys.
Bad Black Boys. What'd you expect?
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 ♪
♪ We came from the underground Who would've thought? ♪
♪ This is no American ghetto This is Brazilian periphery ♪
♪ Anything can happen No one can avoid it ♪
♪ We kill and we die For no reason, yeah ♪
[Mano Brown] We ended up at Edifício Copan.
There were some people recording, and Edi Rock and KL Jay were there.
"What's up, DJ!" And he flinched back.
We were thugs from South Side. [clears throat]
Kleber was always discreet.
"My name is Edi…" And he went, "Rock!"
"My name is Edi."
Then he pointed at Kleber who went "rock, rock, rock."
I said, "Bro!"
"That's fuckin' dope! That's New York style, bro."
[chuckles] We became their fans, you know.
[hip-hop beat plays]
♪ 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.
["Mano na Porta do Bar" plays]
[Edi Rock] I met Milton Sales, who is an important part of our history.
[Mano Brown] Milton… he was a part of our
pre-history.
Way before we were called Racionais.
So Milton was responsible for the meeting of KL Jay, Edi Rock, Brown, and Blue.
He was a big Bob Marley fan, and he managed a reggae band.
He was sure that we'd be like the Brazilian Bob Marley,
talking about the lives of our people.
If he disagreed with the politics in our lines, he'd question it.
He pointed us in the right direction.
"Hey. You guys should talk about this, 'cause no one else is."
"Hey. You have swing. You're good with beats and samba."
He said, "You have to use that to defend the people."
Dude, I didn't even have a hot shower, 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 is 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 ♪
[Mano Brown] Rap took me out of Capão.
I took a job far away.
KL Jay lived on the North Side, so that's where we stayed.
That might have stopped us from dying there. You know?
Because Capão had nothing to offer… but mud…
and getting shot.
S. LUÍS CEMETARY
["Somos o Que Somos" plays]
[KL Jay] Brown was unemployed.
I worked as an office boy at a firm downtown,
so I told him I'd get him a job there.
It was great. We started seeing each other every single day.
[upbeat music plays]
[Mano Brown] That's when Edi Rock got the invite from Zimbabwe.
So he went, and I tagged along.
[Edi Rock] Zimbabwe had a party network in the hoods.
At the time, we called them Bailes Black, because 90% of the clientele was Black.
Maybe even 99%.
SERAFIM GRAVADORA ZIMBABWE
After a while, we began to grow and expand
to the point where we saw the need to have live performers,
because we didn't have any.
We had to get Carlos Dafé, Banda Black Rio, Tim Maia,
all of whom were from Rio.
Maybe if we had a record label, we could begin to spotlight something of our own.
We wanted to be like a Brazilian Motown, you know?
Only Black music, only Black people.
We came up with a compilation album called Consciência Black
that would feature several MCs,
and whoever stood out would get their own LP.
KL Jay arrived with a James Brown record.
He made a loop of a fuckin' amazing James Brown song,
and I put my rap over it.
When I put my rap over it, everyone said, "Fucking dope, bro!"
"That's real ghetto!"
The tape got to the guys at Zimbabwe,
and they didn't even know it was me singing.
"Who's singing this?"
"Oh, 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?
[Mano Brown] Not really, bro Who's bringing back the innocent victims?
[Ice Blue] But life goes on So what? Who cares?
[KL Jay] Society just slams its doors anyway
-[Edi Rock] What's up, Ice Blue? -[man] Panic!
VIOLENCE TAKES OVER SÃO PAULO 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 ♪
♪ Which is 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? ♪
[KL Jay] "Pânico na Zona Sul" was telling on the vigilantes.
No one would say it, but we all knew it.
It denounced them, bro. That's fucking brave, you know?
And with straightforward language.
♪ 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 ♪
[KL Jay] It was a fork in the road.
Like the Atom Ant.
It was small and unknown, but strong.
A lot of people started paying attention.
["Hey Boy" plays]
[KL Jay] So naturally we got together, you know?
We shared the same desire to make powerful music
for people to listen to.
For the ghetto to listen to, for Black people,
for the persecuted, the oppressed.
I often felt guilty for not being from a favela.
But, when I found out that Jorge Ben wasn't either,
I thought… [laughs] "Oh, it's all good!"
[laughs]
["Foi Num Baile Black" plays]
That's us! That's our thing!
It's us. South Side. Our thing.
[Ice Blue] When we went to Mrs. Maria's to rehearse at Kleber's.
Mrs. Maria had to put up with us.
and all that fuckin' racket we made all day long, bro.
[chuckles]
Zimbabwe made an offer to record an LP.
[Mano Brown] The album took too long to come out.
The group was struggling by then.
We were doing some gigs, but, for me, that wasn't enough.
I had a son. I had two brothers.
I had rent to pay.
[Ice Blue] I quit my job, but the record wasn't out yet.
Damn. The record wouldn't come out. It just wouldn't.
Then suddenly comes Serafim with the record,
Holocausto Urbano, in his hands.
He said, "Here it is."
["Tempos Difíceis" plays]
[exclaims] Damn! We all hugged, saying "Fuck, it's finally out!"
"Damn! Holocausto Urbano is out!"
[song continues]
[Edi Rock] The songs were even more aggressive.
That wasn't our intention, but I think those times asked for it.
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… ♪
Things started happening.
Brown married 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 so… so happy.
We got off the back of the bus without paying.
The driver called out.
We walked away without saying nothing.
We were already far away when the police stopped us.
Called the cops and they came running.
They put us on the wall and, man!
[scoffs] They gave us a beating.
They took a heavy beating, especially Blue and Brown.
The policeman made Brown face the wall as he crouched down,
then he punched him between the legs, driving his fists up from the floor.
I was in cuffs, and he officer punched me right in the face.
Then the officer said,
"You're going into custody."
"And you ladies can go home."
I said, "I'm not going home."
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. You're going home.
Then you get beat up.
Our lyrics already talked about protesting and urban issues.
It was confrontation and resistance
to all the oppression and repression that we suffered after the dictatorship.
[funk music plays]
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
[Ice Blue] It's crazy, isn't it?
The guy puts out a statement
saying Black women can't have children
because Black people can't become a majority and take the power.
CONTROL OF BLACK BIRTH RATES
It was about extermination.
A new democracy was born, though it didn't really exist.
And people didn't even know what it was like.
Because 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 war, you know?
Feeling hatred is one thing, but feeling nothing is another.
As soon as we started feeling ambitious about rap,
we became like Public Enemy,
even though they didn't even know we existed.
You know?
Wherever Public Enemy is, that's where I wanted to be too.
These names started coming up, like Malcolm X.
We wanted to learn about these things, so I went to a Black movement party.
Other rappers started going too.
We had to bring together two things that were related but separate.
The organized Black movement,
comprised of older and more educated Black activists
who, while they were making headway,
didn't have access to a certain demographic,
Black youth who weren't aware of the movement.
Racionais had access to that youth.
That's when things started happening.
[Ice Blue] There was gonna be a march to bring Black people together,
but a rumor came up that some skinheads were gonna be there
and give everyone a beating or something.
We were at Geledés, and everyone was terrified.
"No, it's no good. We should cancel it."
We said, "What?"
"Just a sec, bro."
"We're going to the hood real quick, 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 will dare show up. We'll light 'em up."
[Mano Brown] Two families came together, the political Black movement,
and these new kids who sang.
["Negro Limitado" plays]
♪ 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 ♪
-♪ Narrow-minded brother ♪ -♪ One less virus ♪
-♪ Choose your path ♪
[Mano Brown] We didn't know who we were, if we'd ever become something,
which way the fight was going, or who our adversary was.
Everything was our adversary.
Even our own ignorance was our adversary.
Not knowing our cause.
Considering all this,
it's really phenomenal that we did all that.
[chuckles]
The orishas must have interfered, bro.
We weren't intelligent enough to have done all that.
For real.
[KL Jay] Man, lookin' at those photos.
[scoffs]
["Amor Distante" plays]
[whistles a tune]
[Edi Rock] That's the same funk song.
[Mano Brown] This was at Zimbabwe.
-[Ice Blue] I remember that girl. -[Mano Brown] Did you know?
-[Mano Brown] Yeah? -[Mano Brown] Yeah. At Zimbabwe.
[mellow music plays]
[Mano Brown] Back then we'd smoke a joint in the car, 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 that easy to join a political idea with a dancing beat.
It's knowledge we didn't have yet. You know?
His vocabulary was amazing. It was loaded with rhythm.
I pay attention to this one backing track,
right in the middle of the harmonies, like this,
♪ "Carol, Carolina" ♪
[chuckles] I said, "Wow, that's dope!"
"He just sang the vocal in Arabic. He went to Africa!"
Those were the songs I was into during the making of Raio X do Brasil.
["Fim de Semana no Parque" plays]
♪ 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 ♪
[playing beat and scratching record]
[Edi Rock] KL Jay!
[Edi Rock] Tear it up!
[scratching rapidly]
[spectators cheer]
-[music ends] -[cheering continues]
[Ice Blue] KL Jay, the rabid dog from North Side.
Yo!
[spectators yelling]
Wanna see something?
What's up, my people from the South Side?
[spectators cheer]
[Mano Brown] Yo, DJ.
[chuckles] Everything cool?
I'm rooting for the North Side.
[Edi Rock] I'm rooting for the East Side.
I'm rooting for the West Side.
I'm rooting for peace to all the poor communities from the South Side!
[spectators cheer]
[Racionais MC's performing "Fim de Semana no Parque"]
♪ A weekend at the park ♪
[spectators rap along]
♪ 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! ♪
Back then, many Black and poor people fuckin' related to that song a lot.
That was the great revolution,
when we became popular.
["Fim de Semana no Parque" plays]
[Mano Brown] Our first hurdle was getting into the hood. Until then, we couldn't.
Who was interested in those ideas? "Voz Ativa," "Negro Limitado"?
Some students, some teachers, some specialists. Always just "some."
When "Homem na Estrada" came out, that's when we broke through.
["Homem na Estrada" plays]
Who rules everything?
The rich.
Who sits in judgment?
The rich.
Who are the ones in congress?
The rich.
I've never seen a rich thief die.
Many of my homies haven't even made it to 23.
They've either been arrested, 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 of that
just because they think you're inferior.
Everybody here could be whatever they want.
Councilmen, congressmen, teachers, lawyers,
soccer players, samba singers, or rap.
[performing "Homem na Estrada"]
♪ 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 entered the hearts and souls of the Brazilian people.
How do you talk about Black and white or poor and rich to Brazilians?
They're not from the Bronx.
They weren't born into "whites only" or "Blacks only" bathrooms.
It's a different perspective, a different sensibility.
The song exploded overnight.
For every ten cars that drove by,
eight were listening to "Homem na Estrada."
The song started playing on radio stations
that didn't belong to the Black circuit, you know?
The Black parties where we played it.
It started playing all over Brazil.
Everyone was happy because the songs were playing on the radio.
We were selling the LPs.
But Brown said, "Serafim, I need to talk to you."
"Here's the deal."
"I'm really upset, man."
"This is bullshit, Serafa."
"My song is playing everywhere."
"It's playing on rich people's radio stations, even on religious radio."
"I didn't write my songs to be played everywhere."
"Why are they playing it?"
"You call them and get it pulled off the air."
I told him,
"I don't even have the power to put it there in the first place."
"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 became famous with "Homem na Estrada,"
in that line "I don't trust the police, those motherfuckers"
got stuck in people's heads.
The police just went, "Who are those guys?"
And they came after us.
We recorded that line, and we sang it at concerts.
The audience repeated it.
50,000 people repeated it. 100,000 people repeated it.
During a concert in Anhangabaú, security was being done by the police,
and everyone sang "I don't trust the police, those motherfuckers."
What do you think happened?
The fucking police just ended the show.
[Ice Blue] Every police officer dreamed of starting something with Racionais.
[Mano Brown] The police stations in the neighborhood were alerted
when I went to sing.
They said, "Anyone can sing here but those guys."
"Those guys aren't allowed in my precinct."
It was a matter of honor for the cops, at the time.
We risked getting shot on the way out, brother.
[woman] I was in the kitchen when the telephone rang.
"Hey, tell your son we're going to kill him."
"We'll teach that arrogant kid to badmouth the police again."
MS. LOURDES ICE BLUE'S MOTHER
So I told them, "If you want to kill him,
you're gonna have to come here and kill me first."
My spiritual father is called Ogum-de-Lei.
He takes care of us.
Ana was always with them.
This one here is also my friend. Where's my friend? Where'd they…?
MS. ANA MANO BROWN'S MOTHER
Over there?
[Lourdes] She'd follow her son everywhere.
She'd travel everywhere with them.
[laughs] Get outta here!
[Lourdes] She was very close to her son.
Well, it was just the two of them.
She followed everything he did.
She even knew the lyrics to all his songs.
[Mano Brown] Yo, Blue.
[Mano Brown] We're actually gonna take a walk to the police station.
'Cause, you know, we gotta go.
There's no way out of it. That's the system.
We want to see our people away from alcohol, away from blow,
away from crack, away from crime.
But some people want to see us in more and more trouble
-So that more and more of us die. -[Ice Blue] That's right.
While the rich get richer, and our people get fucked.
[Ice Blue] Yeah.
And, if you say that's not what you want, you're dangerous.
3RD POLICE PRECINCT
[Mano Brown] Once you define which side you're on, confrontation follows.
[Ice Blue] We said exactly what they didn't want to hear.
And we acted exactly the way they didn't want us to act.
Please leave.
[Edi Rock] They started persecuting us.
[Ice Blue] When we got to the station, the chief was terrified.
"Who is responsible for this?"
"Which officer is in charge of this?"
"See the trouble you've brought to my station?"
"Three attorneys, one senator,
two congressmen, and the mayor calling me on the phone."
That's when Racionais showed their strength.
-[sirens blaring] -[spectators cheering]
Are you ready for war?
One for all,
and all for one!
KL Jay!
[shouts]
I want more noise!
[Mano Brown] Racionais!
[spectators] Racionais!
-[Mano Brown] Good people! -[spectators in Portuguese] Good people!
[Mano Brown] Faith in God!
[spectators in Portuguese] Faith in God!
[Mano Brown] The greatest!
[spectators] The greatest!
[Mano Brown] From the streets of São Paulo to the world…
[spectators cheer]
ANGRY, RADICAL, RACIONAIS MCS
THEY'RE BLACK, ANGRY, AND MEAN, AND THEY TAKE NO PRISONERS.
[Edi Rock] We started traveling and doing concerts outside of São Paulo.
[Ice Blue] We got on a bus and went where the music had to go.
No way around it.
Rap had to get there.
Then, we were told to open a company.
We had the paperwork, an office and everything.
Then the accountant said, "You get to carry guns now."
I said, "Really?"
We're armed and dangerous.
Come at us if you want.
That's why we have that reputation.
"Oh my, Racionais! Ah!"
'Cause when we got to the venues, the venues 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, ready.
[Mano Brown] Don't take the cameras off those guys.
Fuck…
When we got to the party in Pelotas, there were tons of cops.
Those huge, white cops, very strong.
They were just 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 who was with us noticed one of the cops slip up,
and he took his gun and got to the bus.
Suddenly, the bus was surrounded, and we were stuck inside.
Then, Priscilla shows up.
And she goes…
[in high-pitched voice] "Excuse me, I'm their manager. I'll talk to them."
"Don't worry."
The bus doors open, Priscilla walks in.
Couple of minutes later,
we were in the windows pointing our guns at the police.
[yells] "Fuck you, assholes!"
[Ice Blue in Portuguese] 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?"
"All right."
And then they let the bus go.
But on the road,
when we were about 10 kilometers from where it all had gone down,
they shot up the bus.
Many shots were fired.
Shoot.
That bus company never rented us a bus again.
-[policeman] You're fucked. -[Mano Brown] You're the one fucked.
[policeman] No I'm not. I don't just scold!
-[Mano Brown] So what? Fuck you. -[policeman] I'm the police.
[Mano Brown] So what? So what?
[speaks Portuguese]
["Fio da Navalha" plays]
[no audible dialogue]
[group chattering and laughing]
[Edi Rock] After all the persecution, we had our first flight as a band.
We made it. Right, man?
I'd never flown before.
The first time was with Racionais.
-Is that André, the co-pilot? -[man 1] Yeah. André's here.
[Mano Brown] How many left to board?
[man 2] You guys are skinny.
You gotta switch with us 'cause we don't fit here.
[pilot] All right, everyone's inside.
Let's get ready for takeoff.
-[laughs] -Come on…
[Ice Blue] Hey. Let me say something.
[both] Help!
Let me say this, we only really started travelling after '94.
Before then, not much.
We did go to Brasília.
Those photos were in Brasília.
-[KL Jay] We took the bus, right? -[Mano Brown] Can't remember. Not plane.
Man, how did we go? I remember it was fucking awful.
Remember that time Cabelo forgot our paycheck?
[laughing]
[all chuckle]
[Mano Brown] Our manager was an idiot!
[scoffs]
Cabelo came back with the money in his hand.
"Is it money you want?"
[all chuckle]
When I first got my paychecks along with the money from record sales,
I had no idea.
I was like, "What am I supposed to do with this money?"
Milton put the money on the table,
and I was like, "Whoa, Milton. What is that?"
"Where am I going with all this money?"
"I'm not walking around with this much money on me."
"But it's your money."
I was like, "Whoa. All this money is mine?"
I bought a new motorbike, and when I showed up with the bike,
they were all like,
"Are you showing off now? They won't understand."
I was like,
"So just because we're Black and political,
we're not allowed to have a nice ride?"
"What the hell?"
"If that's the case, then I'll just quit the band,
and become a thug and have my own shit."
"How's that?"
[groans]
"Can I ride my bike, then?"
"I bought it with my own money."
"All right?"
"Fine."
And when they least expected it… damn!
I bought a green Silverado truck. Wow!
I told 'em, "Hey, I needed a car to move my bikes around."
["Cissy Strut" plays]
We're tryin'.
[chuckles]
Capão Redondo, South Side, Ice-T, Racionais. All right?
It's rugged down here. It's real, though, you know?
I think some of the people in South Central
need to come out here and see what it's really like.
And this is Ice-T co-launching with the Racionais MC's.
-[Mano Brown] Sounds of the favela. -MTV Brazil.
Peace.
RACIONAIS AND PUBLIC ENEMY SÃO PAULO. BRAZIL
[Ice Blue] We had really started making our living from music.
We were really being rewarded.
I couldn't sit at home.
I was single, and I had money.
Sometimes I'd spend a whole week without going home.
My mother went crazy.
"Edivaldo, boy!"
[Ice Blue] I used to hang out with Edi Rock all the time.
We went to Clubhouse, just the two of us.
Many times.
It was a time of transition between… you know,
being poor kids, making money, and being famous.
Let's say, you will go through some bad times if you're not responsible.
I was very irresponsible, very immature.
["A Vítima" plays]
We were driving to a concert, on the highway, on Marginal, of course.
I stepped on the gas because we were running a bit late.
-A van drove into the road. -[tires screech]
I was following the car in front, which swerved, and I missed it.
I hit the car, and it drove into a streetlamp.
And because people didn't wear seatbelts back then,
the driver hit his head.
He died of a head trauma.
COLLISION WITH RAPPERS' CAR LEAVES ONE DEAD
My car flipped over. I was hospitalized.
POLICE ALLEGE ILLEGAL STREET RACES
It was terrible.
SINGER DENIES
I was happy, and suddenly, bam!
The world falls apart. I was like, "God damn it!"
I involved the guys in something that wasn't their fault.
It was serious.
The group could've ended right there.
[Mano Brown] With every album, something came along with it.
There was Edi Rock's accident.
Blue lost a son.
We had to be strong.
All that happened the same year the record came out.
Our first taste of success came with death.
[KL Jay] Money started to run out.
I had bills to pay, but how was I supposed to pay them?
It was kind of punishing.
At that time, I was living in front of a cemetery
with no windows, so the house was covered in mold.
I thought, "Damn, bro. You can't live here, you know?"
"Look at your situation."
[Mano Brown] I was living in Cohab.
Just when I thought my life was about to get better,
I learned that it could get worse.
Cohab was harsher, despite the asphalt.
Less romantic, you know?
Some weird things happened there.
[Edi Rock] My daughter was born, and then my second daughter was born.
I had to become more grounded.
I always ask to be a guiding light.
One day, Brown came to me and said, "Bro, let's make the next record."
I didn't even know where to start.
[Mano Brown] Politics reached a boiling point in Brazil.
["Expresso da Meia-Noite" plays]
[KL Jay] Hip Hop was taking over the world.
A more libertarian position began to blossom.
[Mano Brown] By then, we had already been convinced by outside forces
that we had a mission.
[bell tolls]
[singer vocalizing]
[Mano Brown] I'd experienced a new way of living,
and that went into the music.
That was our gothic phase.
Heavier language, more hardcore.
-[bell tolls] -[man continues vocalizing]
[Mano Brown] This record was a deep dive into hell.
["Capítulo 4, Versículo 3" plays]
[man] 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.
[song continues]
[KL Jay] We speak for the people.
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 know, bro?
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've got 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 ♪
[Mano Brown] The record was a phenomenon.
All the songs were hits.
The idea was really to make it popular among kids, you know?
Among our peers.
I joined them on the tour "Sobrevivendo no Inferno."
My phone number was on the cover of the album,
and it didn't stop ringing.
They had two, three shows every night.
So I was the support.
I had to be alert 24/7 because something could come up.
So I had to always be ready to contact a friend or a lawyer.
So I'd monitor them over the phone.
"So? Are you there yet? Are you on your way there?"
Meire's number served as hospital, police station, ER, bank.
I often say she's the black box of Racionais' airplane.
["Qual Mentira Vou Acreditar" plays]
[KL Jay] Until then, I was the one responsible for booking the concerts.
She took over, from the phone in her house.
So I was able to go and focus on the creative process.
Everyone has their own process.
The energy comes out of your entrails, your arteries,
and enters the machine like a ghost or a spirit.
It goes in the machine, you press play,
you sample it and make the music, and it comes out.
I can talk about "Mágico de Oz."
I was at home with Edi Rock.
[Edi Rock] I showed him the lyrics. He said, "Damn, bro. Awesome."
"Let's find 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."
And it was like…
-[imitates rhythm] -[sample plays]
And he just said, "Wow! I want that!"
["Mágico de Oz" plays]
♪ It's all about reflection, brother ♪
♪ It's all about thinking Ha! ♪
♪ 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? ♪
[song ends]
[Mano Brown] Yo…
FEBEM JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITY
[Mano Brown] No one is born to live locked up or within four walls.
Or to wake up with their heads down
and their hands behind their back, all right?
So, if you're all in the same system, if you're all suffering,
everybody's coming from the same place, from suffering and poverty. You know?
Some people have a father who drinks, some don't even have a father, like me.
Some had to pull strings to help their mothers, you know?
No one here is better than anyone.
Everyone makes mistakes.
Everyone has flaws.
We can't point fingers and want to punish others,
because you're all being punished, and nobody likes it.
-Right? -[spectators] Yeah!
Chase yours, I'll chase mine. That's the magic formula for peace.
[performing "Formula Mágica de Paz"]
♪ 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 was topical.
It was timely, so people liked it.
It was illuminated time, you know?
Because it was my reality, you know?
So I understand why people hold on to that song.
That's a blessed song.
[Mano Brown] Yo…
Does anyone remember this occurred?
Maybe a large portion of you were children at the time and don't recall.
But most of 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 happened in São Paulo and all the time too, you know?
One more part of Brazilian history that was written in blood.
[tense music plays]
DETENTION FACILITY
[reporter] 341 riot officers from São Paulo
were ordered to invade the 9th pavilion of Carandiru prison.
WE WANT OUR RIGHTS
The soldiers were supposed to contain a riot by the inmates.
WE ARE IN MOURNING
During the operation, 111 inmates were killed.
[Mano Brown] 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 ♪
I didn't want to write that song.
The guys from the 9th pavilion asked me to do it.
I told them, "But the moment is gone."
They said, "No. No one's talked about it. You gotta do it."
Some of my friends from jail and a lot of other people
were watching this conversation on the 8th pavilion soccer field.
Someone introduced me to this guy who was older than me, Jocenir.
He'd written a political piece about the slaughter.
When they introduced us, on the 8th pavilion soccer field
during the game,
it was so hot, and we were smoking some joints this thick.
I read it and went, "That's dope!"
I left with his lyrics and 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.
It blew up because we shot the video at the prison,
and the video won the MTV Brazil People's Choice award.
[both] Racionais MC's!
[woman] Whoo!
VIDEO MUSIC AWARDS BRAZIL MTV - 1998
BEST RAP VIDEO "DIÁRIO DE UM DETENTO," RACIONAIS MC'S
[shouts in Portuguese]
["Diário de um Detento" plays]
[rapping in Portuguese]
[Mano Brown] It was a milestone, not just for us, but for the movement.
For us, it was like the World Cup, everyone was watching and cheering.
We got up there and gave a nine-minute-long speech,
just giving shout-outs to people.
We started talking about favelas and jail time.
[Ice Blue] 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 here's the thing, we now have a voice.
We're here to stay.
[cheering]
…the artists who rock the world.
[announcer] The artists who rock the world are here.
International viewer's choice.
Brazil, Racionais MC's, "Diário de um Detento."
["Diário de um Detento" plays]
[rapping in Portuguese]
[Edi Rock] The album went abroad. We went abroad.
We went to California, New York, Germany, Japan a few times.
He told me to go and have breakfast, and walked away.
I asked him to wait up, then the door closed.
Now I'm waiting for the key.
-[KL Jay sighs] Thanks. -[dialogue indistinct]
[Mano Brown] I could see Brazil differently from outside.
There's a way of being that's different from there.
-[Ice Blue] Don't try to understand it. -[Mano Brown] What's up?
Hey, what's good, my boy?
DJONGA NEW-GENERATION RAPPER
[Mano Brown] Cool. I'm here with the boys. Look. Look, here they are.
-Yo! -Yo, yo.
Look at the rappers!
What's up? Yo.
The bank robbery's in progress. Look.
Nice, nice. That's how I like it.
-[Mano Brown] Look how they're doing. -Taking over the world, huh? Way to go!
[Mano Brown] There's a lot of good people, songwriters, thinkers,
who are open to dialogue, broadening perspectives,
renewing the fight.
My mother's ancestors came from East Africa.
The Cushitic people.
They're a very old people living in this region.
-[Edi Rock] That's rare, right? -[Mano Brown] Rare.
-Mm-hmm. -[Edi Rock] Most come from this side.
[Mano Brown] Yeah. Brazilians mostly came from the middle section and from Benin.
They left from here, crossed the ocean, and came here.
They came from Benin to Brazil.
I often say Sobrevivendo no Inferno was my manumission.
[cheering]
Good evening, good evening. I'm William. I'm from Zimbabwe Records.
We are here to give the gold and platinum record to Racionais!
For their hard work, with no publicity. You all did this.
[cheering continues]
[funk rhythm plays]
[man] Hey! This is Mano Brown.
[chuckles] He let us run out of gas. Can you believe it?
Mano Brown!
[all laugh]
[man] From Racionais MC's!
[laughing continues]
[Mano Brown] See, Racionais extended to many other people,
not just the four of us.
It's always been about the legacy and our allies.
So 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 little bit about setting up a studio to help the groups.
I'm still small, just starting out from home, you know?
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.
We could do it at home.
[Edi Rock] Dexter got an offer and started recording from jail.
And we were called in to produce the album.
There was an ongoing project at the jail that allowed weekday visits.
We would stay and talk to all the inmates.
All the movement leaders would come to talk to me.
There were a lot of rap groups in jail.
It was a social phenomenon.
"Diário de um Detento."
All because of the video we shot there, you know?
It opened their minds.
They had free time, being stuck there,
so they started rapping, all these new groups.
[both yell]
[yells in Portuguese]
[crowd chattering]
[crowd cheering]
When we started listening to Racionais… Good God!
Black people were deeply moved in all the different hoods.
It was an awakening.
A wake-up call, a call to arms, a demand for attention…
It was anything you can imagine.
["Diário de um Detento" plays]
[Mano Brown] I asked for gothic lettering on the cover
because rappers from LA were using it.
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 these huge bibles, dressed like priests.
Extremists, you know?
Mixing thoughts of race, God, and crime. Get it?
-[Edi Rock] You're hurting me. -[Ice Blue] Close the window.
You're gonna hurt your arm, bro!
[Edi Rock] Whoa, watch it.
[Mano Brown] His arm'll snap on the spot.
-[Ice Blue] Careful, man. -[KL Jay] Damn, son!
[crowd cheering]
[Mano Brown] Yeah. 1998.
Mano Brown, KL Jay, Ice Blue, Edi Rock.
South Side, North Side.
The voice of the favelas.
That is the part of it.
"Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I shall fear no evil, for you are all with me."
We're in this bitch… son.
[Mano Brown] So what I did notice, that record was becoming an exorcism.
When I sang it at shows, repeating those same words,
the same things over and over, everybody together,
it was the worst possible atmosphere.
I didn't like it. I sang without heart.
I was no longer enjoying the party, you know?
See, the thing is,
we come from a spiritual background, bro.
Those songs mentioned pools of blood.
People were listening to it at home, at places where you should be having fun.
That's dangerous.
That had to change.
I believe in the power of words.
[Mano Brown] Yo, here's the deal…
-[gunshots] -[crowd screaming]
[Mano Brown] When I saw dead bodies at my shows,
wearing Racionais' T-shirts, I started to think.
When they threw that dead guy at my feet in Bauru,
right there, I was already rethinking things.
I was even questioning how useful I was.
People didn't even know what to do when somebody was shot.
They just threw him at my feet, bro.
You know?
People were stepping over him to ask for autographs.
He was writhing in pain and they were stepping on him,
asking for pictures and autographs.
[performing "Capítulo 4, Versículo 3"]
[rapping in Portuguese]
-[Mano Brown] Stop, bro. People, stop! -[Edi Rock] Bullshit, all right?
[Edi Rock] Yo. 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?
[Mano Brown] Let me tell you this.
The system doesn't care if there are ten dead guys outside,
you know what I'm saying?
They want all of you fucking dead.
All you've got is each other, you feel me?
And your brains. Right?
[Mano Brown] Sobrevivendo no Inferno was the record
that drove us away from the favelas the most.
College kids were the ones who loved it.
When I realized that, I had to use a new strategy, man.
I told them, "Let's disappear, bro."
"Everything is wrong."
"I'm not enjoying this. It's getting old."
One day, Brown said,
"Bro, how many shows are left?"
Bam. "Just this many?"
"Let's do them, and then let's quit, indefinitely."
"What do you mean? So we're just gonna starve?"
"What, deal with it?"
"Didn't you use to be a gangster?"
"Is singing all you can do?"
"Let's use what we have. Let's start over."
-[thunder rumbling] -[wind chimes clinking]
[thunder cracks]
["Salve" plays]
[Ice Blue] Man, we went back to living in the hood.
We spent time there and breathed that air.
[Mano Brown] 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-outs to Brazil, especially São Paulo.
Let me tell you 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.
[Mano Brown] Whether you like it or not, the year 2000 was a turning point.
Everything from the '90s began to look like the '90s.
There was no other way.
When the subway arrived at Capão, and Lula was elected,
a modern outlook came to Capão, along with PCC and everything else.
[Racionais MC's rapping in Portuguese]
CARANDIRU DETENTION HOUSE SÃO PAULO
[subway announcer] Next Station, Capão Redondo.
[Mano Brown] Then, I understood it all over again.
There was a whole new generation of addicts, crazy people, sad people,
people suffering for new reasons, already.
But I also saw people overcoming all of that with such fucking poise.
Overcoming disease, poverty…
Not crying or complaining, but elegantly, bro. Beautifully.
[berimbau playing]
During that phase, there was a friend of ours, DJ Nel.
During the transition between records, I made 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 client's face, that music of yours."
[bowing a steady tune on bass]
"It needs more layers, bro."
"Me? More layers?"
"You gotta know about lisergy."
He'd go on about water and wilderness
He kept playing music, drinking that wine, smoking that joint,
in the middle of the afternoon, with only ten reais, bro.
That was his deal.
I thought, "Wow, that's cool! I wouldn't have noticed."
"Bro, enjoy the moment. Just enjoy what you can, you know?"
"Not everything is about society and stuff."
"And we don't even have the mind to handle all 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 just an idiot.
I didn't know shit, so I just said, "Wow. That's true."
That's what was missing from the last record.
This new dimension.
When I found out about it, I was in love.
[DJ Nel] It's like a guitar, but with no frets. See?
[Mano Brown] Oh, yeah?
[Ice Blue] He really feels the music.
[Mano Brown] I started going to the dam when it rained.
I went when no one else was there.
When it was all just for me.
That was the deal, the gray light.
It was something… It was somewhat introspective, you know.
Wind, thunder, neurosis…
It was a perspective we hadn't accessed in the last record.
The feeling of weakness which we share, but that remains unspoken.
[alarm clock beeps]
["Sou + Você" plays]
♪ Your blessing, Mom ♪
♪ We begin our transmission ♪
♪ This is your Exodus radio ♪
♪ Hey, hey ♪
♪ Let's wake up, let's wake up ♪
♪ Because 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 And 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 so 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 ♪
[Ice Blue] We're back, brothers!
["Vivão e Vivendo" plays]
[high-pitched voice] ♪ You're in the streets of São Paulo ♪
♪ Where boys keep their feelings On the soles of their feet ♪
♪ That's not pessimism It's just what it's like ♪
♪ Living and living large The boys blow smoke ♪
♪ That's the sweet venom… ♪
Uh! My shin!
[rapper coughs]
♪ I tripped, but I came back for you ♪
♪ I came back for the brothers ♪
♪ And consequently, for the green ♪
♪ And Lord ♪
♪ Is it good! ♪
[rapper laughs]
♪ That's how it is ♪
♪ My mind is a maze And my heart weeps ♪
♪ It weeps now but will laugh later ♪
[rapper laughs]
♪ Come with me, brother, come with me ♪
We focused on our hood.
The brothers, the get-togethers, our families. Our roots.
["Vida Loka, Pt. 1" plays]
[Mano Brown] ♪ 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… ♪
[cheering]
I'm pretentious enough to say
I embodied the spirit of the São Paulo hood that day, bro.
All of its codes.
[cheering]
[chanting in Portuguese]
♪ 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 ♪
[audience rapping] ♪ 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 ♪
[Mano Brown] The people from the hood, they understood themselves there.
They saw it wasn't restricted to Brown or Blue.
It was for all the people.
They organized one street and the next, and the next, started 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.
[KL Jay] It's a mixture, you know?
Of ambition with affront, self-esteem, independence…
[Mano Brown] And that's how we managed to bring the hood along with us. Everyone.
People who didn't like rap started liking the concept of representing their hood
and not lowering their head for anyone.
People no longer needed to seem oppressed and deluded.
If you pay attention, with its rights and its wrongs,
the hood had its opinions and is setting things in motion.
"Yeah, that's right. Let's do it, et cetera."
That's something that was really happening there.
Because our line of thinking before this album
was of a submissive, ignorant hood.
Alienated. Get it?
Which I refute in this album.
["Eu Sou 157" plays]
It's our first time playing an open event, in the middle of the night, in São Paulo.
Right at dawn, 4:00 a.m., maybe 5:00 a.m.
[man] 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 ♪
[coughs]
♪ 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 ♪
[reporter 1] …early Sunday morning in São Paulo.
[reporter 2] Turmoil and vandalism at a Racionais MC's show
during Virada de São Paulo.
[reporter 3 in Portuguese] …rap group Racionais MC's show.
[reporter 4] …Racionais MC's…
[reporter 5] …of Racionais MC's.
PRAÇA DA SÉ
[reporter 6] Praça da Sé became a true war zone.
[siren blaring]
[reporter 6] People desperately tried to escape the confrontation.
[reporter 7] Come here, man! Come here!
[reporter 6] Couldn't the police have avoided it?
[Mano Brown] Ah, man, that was a story.
Let me tell you where it started. It was like this.
There was this boy.
The cops were chasing him, Black kid.
And he dodged the police.
It was raining, so the ground was wet.
The cop fell down and couldn't get back up.
All the other cops went viciously after the boy, a lot of 'em.
And he was so fast, so I said on stage,
"Yeah, the military police was created to catch runaway slaves."
Careful with those guns.
Don't shoot anybody!
[reporter 8] The rap group asked the crowd to step away from the officers.
[Mano Brown] Hey! Step away from those cops!
A fight broke out, and then it was like it parted.
The cops to one side and the kids to the other.
That's when it all went to fuckin' hell.
[KL Jay] It felt like a war zone.
["A Praça" plays]
♪ The 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 ♪
[sirens blaring]
-[gunshots] -[woman screams]
[song ends]
[Mano Brown] Things got pretty tense.
[Edi Rock] They forbade us from performing in the open
and they started their campaign of persecution.
Because we were said to be a danger to society,
a danger to public security, or to the security of society.
[cracks knuckles]
It was the State… the police.
It was some kind of 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.
It could've been over at any moment.
-[wind blows] -[thunder rumbles]
[thunder cracks]
♪ 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? ♪
[Ice Blue] Everybody who had stressed the importance of the Black Revolution
was persecuted.
And therefore, silenced.
Everything I do and did is based on Marighella's code.
[Edi Rock] The meantime between records was ten years.
Marighella was the kick-start to our comeback.
[tires screech]
[KL Jay] Quiet, or you'll die.
[Mano Brown] Move, God damn it!
On your knees!
[woman] Freedom Radio is on the air.
REVOLUTIONARIES TAKE OVER RADIO STATION
[Mano Brown] The hood's reaction to Marighella.
A lot of people could relate to it.
A lot of guys who'd never heard of him were interested.
-["Mil Faces de um Homem Leal" plays] -…Carlos Marighella.
[Mano Brown] At the same time, he was an angel.
He had dreams of equality.
[gunshot]
♪ Stand for the General ♪
♪ A thousand faces of a loyal man ♪
♪ C'mon! ♪
♪ 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 ♪
♪ Destination for the faithful If fealty's what God wants ♪
♪ Consummate… ♪
[Mano Brown] You only get to take the first place a few times in life.
And, with that video, we did it again.
[presenters] Racionais MC's!
[audience cheering]
We're alive!
And to close out the best VMB of all time,
the best VMB concert of all time,
I give you, Racionais!
[Mano Brown] Then we performed live again on MTV and on TV.
We'd been on MTV in '98,
and this was what, like 14 years later?
We had a new outlook, with all that change,
all that experience, all that coming together.
That's where Eliane came along and said…
[snaps fingers]
"We gotta be together to do this."
ELIANE DIAS RACIONAIS' MANAGER
Racionais, as I see them, they achieved this breakthrough.
We had low self-esteem.
We lacked courage, and they made us brave.
So we can take control of our lives.
"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
on bad terms, after that whole incident.
But then, their management called them back to perform.
"Hey, the time has come. Let's do it."
"Let's do it."
All I said was, "The police can stay."
"There's no need for that. There will be no trouble."
"Because Racionais communicates with the people."
The audiences keep watching and paying attention to what they say.
It's like a channel, like 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.
There were 100,000 people at Racionais MC's concert,
and everything went fine.
-[hip-hop plays] -[spectators cheer]
Racionais MC's!
[Ice Blue] Listening to Racionais went viral.
[Dexter] Brown invited me to participate in the video for "Marighella."
And it was an honor to have the opportunity
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.
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 break everything! They'll ruin everything."
"Their audience will break everything."
I said, "No, they won't."
After 30 years, all you want is for people get home intact.
That's the kind of cliché I can do without.
A dead body at the end of a Racionais concert.
-[choir vocalizes] -[intro plays]
[man vocalizing]
♪ This one is for you
♪ Stay alive ♪
[vocalizes]
A lot of those people had never set foot in a place like that before.
[music fades out]
[hip-hop rhythm plays]
QUAD STUDIOS NEW YORK - 2014
[Eliane] They made up their mind. They went to New York to record the album.
[hip-hop beat plays]
[vocalizes rhythm]
So, it's not…
[vocalizes and taps rhythm]
-Right. -And… [taps rhythm]
It's…
[vocalizing and tapping rhythm]
-Right. -Right.
Do you hear the alternating paths?
[Mano Brown] Don't you have one 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.
[hip-hop beat plays]
[Mano Brown] The world had changed since 2002.
Thirteen years later.
It seemed like Brazil had finally entered a phase of progress.
We could see it in the people, food, drinks, clothing, watches.
In real life.
That has an impact on the streets and in the music as well.
-[radio beeps] [Ice Blue on radio] It's all set.
The boys will be there to collect the money from the water tower.
Attention! Attention! This is a work of fiction.
Any similarity to anyone's reality…
BLACK BLUE RACIONAIS FAMILY
…is a mere coincidence.
[Ice Blue on radio] Here's the thing. There's a bunch of pigs in the street.
Things could go south.
[radio beeps]
[KL Jay] Copy that. Tell the boys to stay alert,
to make sure they're not being followed, and their phones are working. Over.
[Mano on radio] Got it. The pieces are clean. I'll bring 'em over.
Same bat-place, same time. Over, bro.
[Ice Blue on radio] Everyone is aware things are crazy,
the going is slow… and, yeah…
Colors and values…
[machine guns firing]
["Cores & Valores" plays]
[Mano Brown] We've taken over!
-[radio beeps] -[Mano Brown] Over.
[low-pitched voice] ♪ We are what we are ♪
[normal voice] ♪ Colors and values ♪
[low-pitched voice] ♪ We are what we are ♪
♪ Colors and values ♪
[normal voice] ♪ 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 ♪
[low-pitched voice] ♪ We are what we are ♪
[normal voice] ♪ Colors and values ♪
[cash register rings]
[Mano Brown] 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…
It's more serious than it seems.
That's what Racionais is like.
["Você Me Deve" plays]
[rapping in Portuguese]
[no audible dialogue]
[Mano Brown] Oh, I see!
[Mano Brown] I want these new kids to go beyond what I did,
these new rappers.
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 prepare myself to stay even longer.
Because the pressure for me to leave is immense.
From all sides, you know?
I have to invest to stay.
It's not free.
Staying in the favela and keeping a close watch. It's costly.
[Ice Blue] I'm a boy from a favela.
When I saw a cool bike, I wanted one too.
And it's cool that people know that I have one that I didn't steal.
Isn't that 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 ♪
What I like to do is eat. I like going to restaurants.
And Black people don't frequent restaurants in São Paulo.
But Blue does.
Once 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 to feel uncomfortable in my presence.
We're here to stay. Slave quarters are over.
[reporter 1] Over half of all Brazilians consider themselves Black.
[reporter 2] In Rio de Janeiro,
Marielle was the fifth most-voted council member to office…
It's happening. We can see it!
We can feel it, bro. Fuck!
Black people are making it, bro!
[reporter 3] One of the country's top universities
will include Racionais in the 2020 curriculum for their entrance exams.
RACIONAIS MC'S ARE BRAZIL'S PUBLIC ENEMY SAYS SPIKE LEE
I wasn't thinking about a yacht. No.
I was just thinking about
really 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."
[Edi Rock] 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…
Ah, fuck.
[sniffles]
It's moving. It's fucking heavy.
[crowd cheering]
-[Ice Blue] …set up the stage to sing!? -[Edi Rock] No, that was in…
When I almost died?
[both chuckle]
[Mano Brown] Remember?
Milton scheduled us at 6:00 a.m. in Taboão to load the truck.
[Edi Rock] I remember that. Wasn't he angry as fuck?
At 6:00 a.m.
-[Edi Rock] "You're artists?" -[KL Jay] He showed up…
-[Mano Brown] He arrived at 12:00 p.m. -[chuckles]
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 was a '66 guitar, from festivals and stuff."
It was really fucking awesome.
The guitar was laying on the floor, and we were just admiring it.
Man, I was so angry. There were so many boxes.
I remember I had to unload a bunch of them.
[Mano Brown] There was a horn on top of a box.
It slipped, and he couldn't catch it in time.
-[both chuckling] -Guess where the horn fell.
-The guitar! Bam! -[Mano Brown] On the guitar, bro!
The box fell on his head, so I was like, "Blue! Blue! Are you all right?"
And the guy was like, "Fuck him! My guitar!"
It tore off the butt of the guitar You know? The curvy part.
[Ice Blue chuckles] Man…
He said, "What was that?!"
He looked at the guitar and went,
"What the hell did you do?"
[all laughing]
[laughing] "You imbeciles!"
[KL Jay] "Imbeciles" isn't enough…
[Ice Blue] Thirty-one years later.
[Edi Rock] It's a different moment, but I'll always be here.
My roots are here.
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 by your side.
[singing Candomblé chant]
[Edi Rock] It makes you look at yourself, at life, at the past…
[Mano Brown] A connection with myself from way back.
As if I was waking up in my house in the hood, back in '87.
If I could go back and see myself now, I won't understand who those guys are.
D major.
♪ When the rooster crows Announcing a new day ♪
♪ 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 ♪
[Edi Rock] Yeah!
♪ Flowers bloom even in the dump As Racionais once sang ♪
♪ When the rooster… ♪
♪ When the rooster crows Announcing a new day ♪
[Mano Brown] A lot of our upbringing came from them, from their family.
Our discipline and our outlook on life.
[Ice Blue] The stage was always full because everybody was there.
Our cousins were always with us.
You know that line, "I do my own security myself"?
That's the deal. Only us.
[drums play steady rhythm]
[Ice Blue] And throughout these 30 years of Racionais,
being alive is impressive in itself.
All four of us? Being alive?
Impressive.
'Cause it was hard.
A lot of protection, a lot of prayer.
a lot of blessings, my Orishas looking out for me.
[women's choir vocalizing]
If we stopped to think about the dangers, we wouldn't have moved.
Because danger has always been present.
Before, during, and after.
[reporter 1] A store owned by a traditional brand
was accused of racism by a Black customer in Salvador.
[reporter 2] 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.
He claims to have mistaken him for a robber.
The victim was Black.
The ten-year-old boy was murdered by…
[reporter 3] Five young men were killed by military police officers,
with no less than 111 bullets shot at a young man's car.
[woman] 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.
[KL Jay] Black people are in enemy territory.
I can see my children getting killed,
And I'm transported back to the Brazil of 500 years ago.
[Mano Brown] 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 gotta complain.
If you're white and you see a Black person in danger,
you take that bullet too.
We're in enemy territory.
You know?
In Haiti, the Black population took over by force.
Slave labor landed there and became the majority.
And the fear of a Black majority taking over arrived in Brazil too.
[reporter 1] Councilwoman Marielle Franco has died in Rio de Janeiro.
She was murdered on Wednesday evening, when her car was shot.
They're afraid. Afraid of a Black planet.
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.
The more power you gain, the more powerful your foes.
[chanting] 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 ANY MORE TEARS
STOP KILLING US THE FAVELAS RESIST!
[Edi Rock] We haven't seen a political force for Black people,
for the majority, in a long time.
They tried to silence us, but we got bigger.
Stupid racists, leave us alone!
This genocide is happening out there in the open.
But things are gonna change.
They're gonna change. It's gonna change, bro.
ALL BLACK LIVES MATTER
Survival is daily. The fight is constant.
There's no rest.
[breathes deeply]
Racionais didn't invent the cause. The cause is much greater than Racionais.
And many people came before us hitting the same key.
Without fanfare or an album cover
or a music video, but the fight is the same.
In the '70s, when I was born,
Black people were doing the rituals from the '70s, you know?
With the hair, clothes, and the struggle at that time.
With the body movement of that time.
And it's happening again.
With the new aesthetics, a new ritual…
a new worship.
If you don't think the Palmeiras stadium filling up with 15,000
waiting for James Brown to go on, singing, is an act of worship…
It is an act of worship.
[ominous chord plays]
It's spiritual.
[crowd chattering]
[whistling and cheering]
[Edi Rock] We sing freedom, right? And it speaks for itself, in all corners.
It comes from Africa, and it's very rich.
[cheering]
Black music is very spiritual by itself.
That's what Racionais has always been.
We didn't know it at the time, because we were 19.
We're 50 now, with a different perspective.
[cheering intensifies]
And more power.
[cheering grows louder]
[performing "Negro Drama"]
[Edi Rock] Cheers!
[Ice Blue] C'mon! C'mon! C'mon!
♪ 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
[Mano Brown] 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,
It was an empty stomach, hatred, ambition.
[Mano Brown] ♪ 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 whiskey, Red Bull Nike, and 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 ♪
[muted beat continues and fades out]
[violin plays melancholy solo]
[Mano Brown] You're already a survivor of a massacre, a genocide, bro.
The strongest survivor of the genocide,
who suffered the botched transatlantic transplant,
who didn't become shark food.
Your ancestors were fucking strong.
You can't buy that.
[beat resumes]
[woman vocalizing]
Alone, we're weak. Together, we're powerful.
Today, I'm more in love with music.
I love my race first and foremost, and I make music for them.
That's my way of doing politics.
Because the revolution is in need… of a heart.
[rapping in Portuguese]
[song fades out]
["Vida Loka, Pt. 2" plays]
[no audible dialogue]
[spectators cheering]
[song fades out]