Sunday, September 14, 2008



Menor do Chapa - Vida Loka (right click and save)







Two days ago I was painting on the hill with our three co-painters giovanni, Vitor and Robinho while listening to a local radiostation. The station plays 'proibidao' which means that the music might include what could be translated as apologies for crime. In general these are songs about local drugfactions and it's traffickers or about only getting with 'as novinhas' which could be translated as girls of 13-15 years of age.
This is all very normal if you're from one of the many favelas and after spending more than a year working in Vila Cruzeiro I can't say that i'm shocked easily. I could post any of the millions of proibidao songs out there but if you dont understand Portuguese the will just sound like very distorted vocals over very rudimentary beats, mostly live recordings.
I can't hate on Baile Funk though as Rio's most original form of new music. So while listening to the radio with a bucket and a paintbrush in my hands I heard this song by a guy whose voice has been catching my attention for some time. I asked Vitor who the guy was.
So above is a song by Menor do Chapa, one of Rio's most renowned MC's. Well known for his 'apologias' to the Comando Vermelho, the drugfaction that runs Vila Cruzeiro and Complexo da Penha. Imagine what this guy looks like and then click here.

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