Racionais MC's

The Brazilian rap artists Racionais MC's began life in 1988 and nowadays are considered to be elder statesmen of the Brazilian hip-hop scene. Comprised of Mano Brown, Ice Blue, Edi Rock, and KL Jay, the group comes from the impoverished inner-city areas of Sao Paulo and their urban roots gave them the credibility needed to convince fans that they were an authentic hip-hop group with a real street knowledge. For the first part of their career, the band was on the Zimbabwe label with their best-known album being Raio-X Do Brasil released in 1993. It was reported that 10,000 people attended the album's launch party and the two best-known singles from the recording became "Fim de Semana No Parque" and "Homem Na Estrada," both written by band leader Mano Brown. The tracks have since become hip-hop anthems played on the radio and at parties all over Brazil. In 1995, the band signed a new deal with Cosa Nostra Phonographic and their label debut was the 1997 album Sobrevivendo No Inferno, which went on to sell more than a million copies. The band have always highlighted social injustice within Brazil and have campaigned on numerous platforms to highlight the plight of people living on the poverty line in Brazil's inner-city areas. Racionais MC's entered the new millennium with the LP Nada Como um Dia Após o Outro Dia, which featured the hit singles "Vida Loka I," "Vida Loka II," "Negro Drama," and "Jesus Chorou." The group's next studio album, Cores & Valores, arrived in 2014. Despite a lengthy hiatus, Racionais MC's returned in 2022 for their first-ever Rock in Rio performance, followed by the 2023 live album Racionais 3 Décadas.