From DJ Marlboro to Anitta, remember funk hits; the date is celebrated in Sao Paulo and pays homage to MC Daleste
From dancing in the Brazilian suburbs to the Coachella music festival in California, national funk has dominated the world charts. Whether it’s college parties or TikTok dancing, rhythm is one of the country’s main cultural products. Despite being a typically Brazilian song, the history of funk it originates elsewhere.
To the State Funk Day in Sao Paulocelebrated this Thursday 7, in honor of the singer MC Daleste – who passed away on 7 July 2013 -, the Estadio make one historical retrospective of the genreexplains how an American rhythm became something so Brazilian and highlights six of them artists who have marked the national funk scene.
The rhythm, born in the United States, dates back to the 60s and 70s. Inspired by jazz, soul and blues, American funk has emerged as a new strand of black music. Singer James Brown was the main exponent of the genre, receiving the nickname “father of funk”. In Brazil, the sound found an audience in dances that played black music in the 1970s in Rio de Janeiro. Names like Tony Tornado and Tim Maia have also flirted with the American genre in their productions.
During the 1980s, the emergence of the hip hop movement and the popularization of electronic music began to influence rhythm, which adopted electronic sound. Here the turning point took place at the end of the 80s. It was DJ Marlboro, armed with his electronic drums, who created the first typically Brazilian funk songs.
Throughout the 1990s, the pace left the carioca suburb and entered national culture. Duos like Claudinho and Buchecha, responsible for hits like I am like this without you And I want to find youand MC Cidinho and Doca, authors of Rap of happiness And Shot of arms, propagated the name funk beyond the bubble where the musical genre originated. In 1998 the “funk tamborzão” emerged and conquered the market, with the famous rhythms of atabaque.
It was in the 2000s, however, that the pace really exploded in the country. songs like Pocoto mare, wax in hand And Spanking doesn’t hurt he hasn’t stopped playing on Brazilian radio. If until then the cultural center of rhythm was Rio de Janeiro, the scene diversified in the 2010s. In Sao Paulo, the emergence of ostentação funk reached national reach with artists such as MC Guimê.
In recent years, the rhythm has imposed itself at the top of the music charts and has increasingly become part of national pop music. Collaborations with artists of other genres have become the order of the day and the presence of funk at international festivals proves that the beat has never been more popular. At the moment, the sky is the limit for the Brazilian funk.
But what would rhythm be without the artists who create it?
Meet six artists who have shaped national funk into the success it is today
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DJ Marlboro
If there is a man responsible for creating national funk, that man is DJ Marlboro. Inspired by American hip hop and electronic music, “Rei do Pancadão” adapted the rhythms of these genres to the Brazilian music scene in the 1980s. At the time of the Rio dances, it was common for foreign songs to undergo slight linguistic adaptations. Since most of the audience at parties didn’t understand English, they translated the sound of English words into Portuguese words that sounded similar. These versions became known as “melôs”. Marlboro was one of the leading names in carioca melodies and was responsible for creating the first Brazilian funk with lyrics in Portuguese.
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Claudinho and Buchecha
You probably danced to the music of Claudinho and Buchecha. The duo had a fever in the 90s and introduced the funk melody to Brazil, a sub-genre that bets on romantic lyrics rather than the strongly present sexual theme in carioca funk. Love songs rocked the country and ensured fame and success for the duo. The trajectory of the group was marked by a tragedy in 2002, when Claudinho died in a car accident. The friendship of the two was immortalized in the verses of the song. I am like this without you – “Love without beijinho / Buchecha without Claudinho / It’s me without you”. For 2023, a biopic of the duo is in the works. The long one will be called Our dream.
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Tram Tigger
There are only two certainties in life. The first is that death comes to everyone. The second is that, if you lived in Brazil in the 90s, you got tired of listening to the songs of Bonde do Tigrão. to be with wax in hand, Bye bye or all the dance, the Cidade de Deus group conquered the country with its choreography and songs that mixed humor and sexuality. The group, formed by MCs Leandro, Gustavo, Tiago and Vaguinho, was promoted by producer Furacão 2000, the main carioca funk label in the 90s and 2000s. In addition to musical success, Bonde do Tigrão was also responsible for the addition of the term “tchutchuca” to the national vocabulary.
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MC Guime
If until then funk was a carioca thing, the ostentação funk movement changed it. Hailing from São Paulo, the subgenre sang of a life of luxury, consumption and ostentation, something different from the lyrics featured in the carioca funk. Names like MC Lon, MC Gui and MC Daleste have stood out, but none represent the style of Sao Paulo like MC Guimê. successful author plate from 100, the musician came from humble origins, but that didn’t stop him from dreaming of a prosperous and rich life in his music. Over the years, Guimê has established himself as one of the biggest names in national funk.
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Kevin O Chris
150 beats per minute. This is the pace needed to conquer Brazil. At least, that was the trick Kevin O’Chris used for his meteoric rise to success. Born in Duque de Caxias, the funk singer was the main name of Funk 150 BPM, a branch of the genre that bets on accelerated rhythms – 150 per minute – to produce his songs. With the right to sample bands like the Beatles, the singer popularized the Cage balla party that takes place in Complexo da Penha, and has rocked Brazil at a frantic pace.
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anita
Love her or hate her, it is impossible to ignore Anitta. The singer emerged in the world of carioca funk and, despite the controversy, helped popularize the rhythm around the world. In 2011, Anitta took her first steps in the world of music with the support of Furacão 2000. The national success, however, comes when the singer begins to mix funk with pop music. It’s true that she wasn’t the one who created the beat, but between an appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s talk show and a participation in one of the biggest music festivals in the world, Anitta is the face of national funk for the rest of planet Earth.
Source: Terra
Emily Jhon is a product and service reviewer at Gossipify, known for her honest evaluations and thorough analysis. With a background in marketing and consumer research, she offers valuable insights to readers. She has been writing for Gossipify for several years and has a degree in Marketing and Consumer Research from the University of Oxford.
