Olá, amigos! (Hey, buddies!)

Music tem um papel relevant (plays a relevant role) in the learning process of a foreign language. It can improve listening skills and help build up vocabulary, especially if you acompanhar a letra (follow the lyrics) to the song. Eu escrevi (I wrote) a post mês passado (last month) suggesting two major Brazilian albums from the ‘70s to escutar (listen to). After this journey ao passado (to the past), let us now turn to the present. Today’s post will focus on Brazil’s current rap/hip hop scene and present two artists who are representative of today’s music identity in Brazil: the rappers Emicida and Criolo. Ambos (Both) were born into poverty and, through their talent, were able to emerge from the margins of society and tornarem-se (become) revelations in the national music scene. In 2013, the musicians se uniram (teamed up) and collaborated in an album juntos (together).

Emicida

Emicida is a rapper, musical producer and admired MC from São Paulo. Notorious for his rhymes, Emicida’s victories in improvisation battles helped him gain widespread attention no país (in the country) and he is agora (now) one of the most important names in the music scene. A provocative poet, the rapper canta sobre (sings about) the gritty reality of the guetto, with a heavy political conteúdo (content) that addresses racism and our unequal society. The artist made it to this month’s cover of the Brazilian Rolling Stones magazine.

His musical style is firmly rooted in his afro-brazilian heritage while also featuring hip-hop beats. The captivating Doozicabraba e a Revolução Silenciosa (2011) received many positive reviews from critics. The album crosses many styles, making each track a surprise and a sequence of involving tunes.

 

Criolo

Criolo is a rapper Paulista (native from São Paulo). He spent his infância (childhood) in one of SP’s many shanty towns and took a variety of odd jobs antes de (before) becoming a teacher and working with at-risk children at the early age of 18. Embora (Even though) his success is fairly recent, the rapper has been active for over 20 years. A maioria (The majority) of his songs portray the hardships of urban life and the reality of living na cidade grande (in the big city).

Nó na Orelha (Knot in the Ear), from 2011, is his segundo trabalho (second work), and is regarded as his obra-prima (masterpiece). The album has a psychedelic groove to it, going beyond rap and presenting an original combination of rhythms that include hip-hop, samba, soul and jazz. Foi eleito (It was elected) Album of the Year at Brazil’s MTV Music Awards and the single “Não Existe Amor em SP”, which is a poetic outlook on the daily life in São Paulo, won Song of the Year.

Criolo has toured ao redor do mundo (around the globe) to promote the album, after which his popularity increasingly grew and he became an internationally acclaimed artist. All of his albums estão disponíveis (are available) for free download at his official website:

http://www.criolo.net/convoqueseubuda/

Here are the lyrics to his most famous song:

Não existe amor em SP

(Love doesn’t exist in SP)

Um labirinto místico

(A mystical labyrinth)

Onde os grafites gritam

(Where the graffiti screams)

Não dá pra descrever

(It’s impossible to describe)

Numa linda frase de um postal tão doce

(In a beautiful sentence on such a sweet postcard)

Cuidado com doce

(Be careful with sweets)

São Paulo é um buquê

(São Paulo is a bouquet)

Buquês são flores mortas

(Bouquets are dead flowers)

Num lindo arranjo

(In a beautiful arrangement)

Arranjo lindo feito pra você

(A beautiful arrangement made for you)

Não existe amor em SP

(Love doesn’t exist in SP)

Os bares estão cheios de almas tão vazias

(The bars are full of souls so empty)

A ganância vibra, a vaidade excita

(Greed pulsates, vanity excites)

Devolva minha vida e morra

(Give me back my life and die)

Afogada em seu próprio mar de fel

(Drowned in your own sea of bitterness)

Aqui ninguém vai pro céu

(Here, nobody goes to heaven)

Não precisa morrer pra ver Deus

(You don’t have to die to see God)

Não precisa sofrer pra saber o que é melhor pra você

(You don’t have to suffer to know what’s best for you)

Encontro duas nuvens em cada escombro, em cada esquina

(I find two clouds in each pile of debris, in each corner)

Me dê um gole de vida

(Give me a sip of life)

Não precisa morrer pra ver Deus

(You don’t have to die to see God)

Não existe amor em SP

(Love doesn’t exist in SP)