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Biography
Unreferenced|date=December 2010Infobox musical artist| name = Racionais MC's| image = Racionais MC's.png| caption = Logo used by the group in their more recent albums .| image_size =| background = group_or_band| alias = Racionais| origin = Sao Paulo , Brazil | genre = Alternative hip hop , Rapping|rap | years_active = 1988& ndash;present| label = Zimbabwe, Cosa Nostra| associated_acts =| website =| current_members = Mano Brown Ice Blue Edy Rock DJ KL Jay'''Racionais MC's' is a Hip hop music|hip hop group based in São Paulo , Brazil . Mano Brown (Pedro Paulo Soares Pereira), Ice Blue (Paulo Eduardo Salvador), Edy Rock (Edvaldo Pereira Alves) and DJ KL Jay (Kleber Geraldo Lelis Simões) formed the group in 1988. Each member hails from the ring of favelas ( slums ) around São Paulo locally called the periferia . Their lyrics combine themes of social justice with gangster imagery, a far cry from the idyllic breeziness typically associated with Brazilian music.
History
The Zimbabwe Years (1988-1995)
Racionias MC's first appeared on the Zimbabwe label compilation Consciência Black (Black Conscience) in 1988. Their songs Pânico na Zona Sul ("Panic on the Southside") and Tempos Difíceis ("Hard Times") offer a snapshot of favela life with lyrics vividly depicting rampant police brutality, racism , poverty , and crime. The group released their first album, Holocausto Urbano (Urban Holocaust) in 1990. The EP included the two songs from Consiência Black along with three new tracks dealing with themes of loose women and institutionalized racism. The group played several shows around the city and state of São Paulo over the next two years, including two shows at the FEBEM ( Fundação Estadual do Bem-Estar do Menor ) juvenile detention center and a special show with Public Enemy at the Ginásio do Ibirapuera.
Racionias MC's gained national attention with their participation in the Ministry of Education's ARAPensado e Educação (loosely translated as "The Rap Thinking and Education) program in 1992. The program included lectures and discussions in schools on a variety of issues affecting favela inhabitants, including drugs, police violence, poverty, and racism. These forums had the dual effect of expanding awareness of Racionas MC's agenda along with their fan base, as residents the favelas in cities across Brazil could relate to the Paulista rap group's experience. That year the group released their second album, Escolha o Seu Caminho (Choose Your Path), with the notable tracks "Voz Ativa" ("Active Voice") and "Negro Limitado" ("Limited Black Man"). Following its release the group headlined the Rap no Vale show at Vale do Anhangabaú in São Paulo.
Cosa Nostra (1995-present)
update|date=November 2010Legal problems following the 1994 Vale do Anhangabaú show delayed the release of Racionais MC's third album. This led them to leave Zimbabwe and start their own label, Cosa Nostra. Sobrevivendo no Inferno (Surviving in Hell), appeared in 1996 and sold 500,000 copies. " Diário de um Detento " ("Diary of an Inmate") and " Mágico de Oz " ("Wizard of Oz") won them awards for Best Rap Group and Audience's Choice at the 1998 MTV Brasil Video Music Awards.
Discography
Studio albums
1990 - Holocausto Urbano
1992 - Escolha Seu Caminho
1993 - Raio-X do Brasil
1997 - Sobrevivendo no Inferno
2002 - Nada Como um Dia Após o Outro Dia
Live albums
2001 - Ao Vivo (album)|Ao Vivo
2006 - 1000 Trutas, 1000 Treta
Compilation albums
1989 - Consciência Black, Vol. I - (Various artists - contained the tracks "Pânico na Zona Sul" and "Tempos Difíceis")
1994 - '' Racionais MC's (album)|Racionais MC's
References
Reflist
External links
http://cliquemusic.uol.com.br/artistas/ver/racionais-mc-s Racionais MC's in CliqueUol
http://www.kboing.com.br/racionais-mcs/ Racionais MC's songs in Kboing
Category:Brazilian hip hop groups Category:Musical groups established in 1988
