The Rap Musician

Politicians steal millions and are not punished. A citizen who steals a package of rice from a supermarket can spend three months, up to one year in prison.

Introduction: N-Acor is pursuing his childhood dream, but does not receive any income as a rap musician in the band Realistas NPN. He must work a second job as a gardener to support his wife and children. His band endorses self-esteem and socio-political awareness among African-Brazilians and poor people in the favelas and outskirts of Belo Horizonte. Besides its musical focus, Realistas coordinates an organization called NPN, or Nós Para Nós (“Us For Us” in English). NPN develops socio-cultural projects in the northwest region of Belo Horizonte, initiates food and book collections, and provides seminars about rap and the importance of self-esteem, among other activities.

Belo Horizonte, Brazil, 2006

Serrano

I am going to talk a little about where I come from. It’s the northwest region of Belo Horizonte. It’s a complicated place. I live in the neighborhood of Serrano. Where I live nowadays is not a favela. I was raised in a favela. I can say that Serrano is as much as tranquil. It’s not extremely dangerous. But it has the same problems that other places have: the problem of social inequality, of violence, and the difficulty that children have to find recreation because a place for kids doesn’t exist. On the street where I live, four of my friends were murdered in a period of one week for small stuff. Among other things, the government has not presented a concrete project to end violence, to give an opportunity for young people to advance. Other problems of my region, which I think are complicated enough, are the absence of basic sanitation, absence of asphalt, absence of drainage… many streets don’t have water, don’t have electricity. So then, these are the problems of my region. Serrano. It’s the northwest region of Belo Horizonte.

Real Simple Work

My parents were born in Belo Horizonte. My mother and father are both Mineiros (1). My father is deceased, but he was a bricklayer. My mother was a housewife. Today she works ironing clothes, washing clothes, things like this. Real simple work—simple and poorly compensated. As far as the question of her age, and the like, to find a better job is difficult. Here, unfortunately, after a person passes a certain age it’s very difficult to enter the job market. I come from a humble family and my life continues along the same line of my parents.

Bar Vices

My father was at home until I was twelve years old, then he separated from my mother, leaving behind me and my siblings. I grew up without his presence. He rarely would come see us after he separated from my mother, so my upbringing was really distant from him. What I learned, I learned alone. He was as much as a good father. He was, but at the same time he wasn’t present because of his vices: alcohol, billiards, these things. So then, from his job it was straight to the bar. As far as his presence, you can say he was absent in almost all ways.

Separate Upbringings

We are three sons and one daughter. Now, of the men, I am the youngest. I am thirty years old, my middle brother is 32 and the oldest is 36. My sister is 21. After my father left, it was me, my sister and my mother. The other two stayed with my grandmother. My brother before me, Ronaldo, at the age of five months went to live with my grandmother because my mother became ill, she became deeply depressed due to problems with my father. She wasn’t able to take care of Ronaldo, so he went to live with my grandmother and was raised by her like a son. After a certain time, my oldest brother also went to live with my grandmother due to a lack of space in the house when my sister was born. So then, it was me and my sister. My upbringing, the greater affection, was more with my sister and my mother. She’s a good mother, she is an excellent mother. My mother wasn’t very strict. She worried about us and tried to do the maximum for me and my sister. But rigid? To punish and the like? No. She tried to transmit to us what she knew, everything that she knew, and tried to prevent us from entering into crime.

Drip before Dry

The minimum wage is R$350 per month (2). Let’s say a person pays rent, because a large percentage of people today pay rent. A minimum rent for a family, a man and a woman, a couple, to live in a minimum way: R$150. What’s left over is R$200. There’s no way a couple can feed themselves on just R$100; I will assume R$150 for food, to eat in a basic way, to not die of hunger. That’s R$300. What’s left over is R$50. And there’s water, there’s electricity. I am not including telephone, not including other necessities that a person needs. A person has to dress also, these matters, cut his hair, understand? So then, the possibility of living on a minimum wage is zero. But what happens? It’s what they offer. A person doesn’t have options. It’s like my mother says, “Drip before dry.” A person doesn’t have options, utilize what’s available. From my point of view, the salary for a citizen from the lower class, for the common citizen to live with dignity, at minimum should be R$1,200.

Half the Minimum Wage

My upbringing was very difficult. It was very difficult because my mother was always working for people, receiving a minimum value. Not the minimum wage, but a minimum value, way below the minimum wage. My sister was very small and I, in this case, didn’t have an option. People paid half a salary, which is below the minimum salary. I always worked on those terms, half of the minimum salary or lower. So then, it was a very small financial return. I wasn’t vain about clothes and things like this, no. My preoccupation always was to help my mother at home. I worked at a haulage company, also in a factory of large blocks. Later, I become vainer and, without stopping to help at home, began to acquire some things for me: clothes, tennis shoes, these things.

Trees that Disappeared into the Heavens

The most difficult phase of my life was when I was a kid living in the neighborhood of Praia. It was a new neighborhood, everybody was poor. There wasn’t any work, there weren’t any options. There wasn’t a water system where I lived. I remember that we suffered many hardships. We would go to church to ask for a cesta basica, and the like (3). I remember that where I lived it was the following: on the other side of the street was a vacant lot; behind this vacant lot, was a dense forest. So, what would I do? I always broke down escarpments, cleared lots for people, but when I didn’t have anything to do, I entered into this forest. I entered the forest and cut… there were trees this thick, but it was impressive, I don’t know the name of the tree. It disappeared into the heavens, higher than a telephone pole. I entered the forest and cut those trees and they fell. And from each that fell, I managed to make four or five posts about two meters in length. So I carried the posts home, rested and sold them to people to make fences. I sold them for R$2 each. So then, that was the most difficult phase of my life because we were without food… and that there is something that drives man crazy.

It’s so much so that during this phase, for example, if I had an opportunity to enter into crime, I would have entered. Only the neighborhood where I lived didn’t have this. It was a new neighborhood, everyone was poor, criminality and drugs didn’t exist. If they existed, for sure I would have been involved and for sure I wouldn’t be here today because you don’t last long doing that. So, it was a very difficult phase.

Any job where there was the possibility of a fit, I was placing myself, as a twelve year old. I worked at a metal factory, I worked in an animal feed house, I worked making concrete blocks too, understand? When I was 14 years old, I worked at a candy factory. So then, I was able to help out at home. My sister was real small at the time; my other two brothers lived with my grandmother, so I had this responsibility to help my mother with expenses. Now, the period that I can say is most tranquil is today. Besides problems with my marriage, I am in a super tranquil phase financially (4).

Lack of Schooling

Study? I studied, yes. I studied in the afternoon. Normally, I studied half a day. But when I worked in the candy factory, I stopped school altogether. I worked there for one year. When I left the factory, I studied three more years. Then I went back to work again. I managed to reach fifth grade, just fifth grade. Now, I am thinking of finding another job. I don’t have salary requirements, the only demand I have in this case would be to work weekdays so that on Saturdays I can compliment my income with the garden work I currently do. But, schooling is lacking. If you don’t have schooling it ends up not being good because businesses, when they contract an employee, they ask for schooling. So for me, school today is lacking. But I try to survive.

Memory of a Father

My father died from stomach cancer, I think due to excess alcohol. Cognac, for example, he liked a lot. So, I think this was the cause of his sickness. After he left home, after I already had two children—the first with my ex and the second with my current wife—he passed away. Of my father, what I remember of him—remember no—it is something that remains etched in our feelings, it’s a kind of revolt, you know. When he left home, he acquired enough things, he acquired stuff. But, as incredible as it seems, he didn’t do anything for us. Not even financially. He left us in an extremely precarious situation. My mother’s house, for example, didn’t have electricity. We illuminated with a blow lamp. He had other things, he owned a store, received rent, understand? He could have at least fulfilled his obligation, which was child support for his kids. He didn’t even do this. He left us completely abandoned and as my mother doesn’t have schooling—she only reached third grade and is of a certain age—she worked washing and ironing clothes to sustain us. All the while my father could have helped us. So, unfortunately I carry this pain until this day.

Maintaining a Relationship for the Children

My first wife—I was 18, almost 19—I met her, we started to go out, it was a forrozinho that was there close to home (5). So I met her at this party and after that we became involved. We had our daughter, our only daughter. Now, my second wife, she lived on the same street as my mother. We have known each other since we were kids. Only years later did we become involved. Today we live together; we have been together nine years. I have three children with her, four in all. Our relationship is a problem.

Our relationship at the start was like every relationship, happy and the like. But then, I don’t know, it’s a remarkable thing: it seems like there are people who, when you meet, you know them. With the passing of time, you don’t know them. So then, today our relationship is very complicated. She is very nervous, jealous, is even unstable, so we have a really difficult relationship. I already tried separation. Three attempts. One she tried to commit suicide, took several medications, I arrived home from work and she was on the bed at the time having a stroke, or something like this. The second try she cut her wrist… it’s complicated enough. And the third now, she entered into a deep depression. She’s in treatment; she takes three medications for depression.

I am still with her due to my children because they are still real small. Their ages are 7, 8 and 9. My fear is she will have a relapse. I prefer to not run the risk that she becomes depressed again and the kids suffer more with this. Today I can say that our relationship is practically due to my children. If she would accept the end of our relationship in a friendly way, fine, but I never would give up my kids. And that is that, she’s in a treatment that typically lasts five years.

The Gravity of Depression

I always thought it was nonsense when I heard talk, without substance, but depression is a serious illness. I saw that it is serious because I had to take care of her and I had a lot of work. The psychiatrist gave me three options: permanently admit her until she got better, admit her in a hospital where she would stay during the day and would return home at night, or take care of her at home. But either of the first two I knew would be more difficult for her, so I preferred to take care of her at home. She continuously cried, constantly cried and had fainting spells. She would be walking and out of nowhere she fell, fainted. So, I had to walk with her, worried that she would fall and hit her head somewhere. I had to leave work, so I had a lot of challenges with her due to this illness. Today I am afraid to risk ending our relationship and she has a more severe relapse. I feel imprisoned by her.

My mother also had this problem of depression, due to my father. But it’s a little different because I can say that he wasn’t a real husband, he wasn’t an involved husband. He was the type of man, like, he would go to work, from work to the bar, arrived at home drunk, on the weekends he left for the field to play soccer. He really loved soccer. He wasn’t present; he didn’t go out with my mom. My father, like, I can say that my father never even gave an iron to my mother as a present. He took off, left us in a place without electricity. My mother suffered a lot with my father. He left and we stayed in that place, and she entered into depression. So, depression was something I saw a second time with the mother of my children.

Now, it ends up affecting whoever is in the vicinity. Me, for example, when this happened I reached the point where I thought I would become ill, wouldn’t stand it. So then, it ends up attacking the psychology of whoever is around. It even attacks the children. My wife changed completely from what I knew. In this case, for me to dodge that there, for me to escape this situation, for me to not live merely that, is my work with music. Beside the compromise that I have, it’s very pleasing and satisfying too. And besides the shows that we have, we have debates, we have interviews… so then, music serves to distract my head, helps me deal with my problems.

A Childhood Dream

I am thirty years old. I was born in ‘76. A dream I always had, since childhood, was to sing. Today I am working with this, so I am very pleased. I didn’t dream about working with rap per se, my intention really was to sing, to work with music. Any music that I became involved with, I could sing and learn easily. I always had this aptitude, but I didn’t have one style of music that I wanted. After I got older, I started to listen to rap and decided that this style would be my work. Even if it was really only as a hobby, just for pleasure, I wanted to work with rap.

I found out that there was a group called Comando de Detentos in the neighborhood of São Mateus, which is next to the neighborhood of Serrano (6). I sought them out and proposed that we work together, that the group change its name to Raciocínio Consciente, which is a name with more meaning (7). We changed the name of the band to Raciocínio Consciente, one of the members left, another entered, and we continued together for four and a half years. I had to stop due to my obligation to my second wife and my kids. She became pregnant so, due to financial difficulties, I had to stop working with music. I stayed away from music for five years. I had two options: take care of my child with her, or work with music. I couldn’t do both for lack of conditions, really. So I chose my child. I think this would be the attitude of any man.

I returned to work alone in the studio, producing my songs more for pleasure, really, because it is something that is in the blood. I knew some people from the group Realistas NPN and they saw my rushing about, my effort to work seriously, and invited me to enter the group. The name of the group, Realistas NPN, is the theme of all our songs: it is to be as real as possible, to show reality, demonstrate reality and to raise awareness in a truthful way. I have been with the Realistas for one year and two months, but the group has been around for almost ten years. We produce together, but I write my own lyrics. Each member of the group writes his own lyrics, each member has his own style. My stage name is Negro Acor, or N-Acor. Each letter stands for something: “A” signifies African, “C” is Conscientious, “O” is Original, and “R” is Realistic.

Music and Money in Minas Gerais

I wouldn’t say it is very difficult to make money with music in Brazil, no. But in Minas Gerais, yes, because Minas Gerais doesn’t have a large producer, doesn’t have a record company, doesn’t have a business that invests in this type of music. So the space that musicians from Minas achieve is through their own effort, totally independent and without support. Minas Gerais is a lot more challenging than São Paulo or Rio de Janeiro, which have large record companies, people who invest on top of this and cultural support in various areas, principally in music. A large percentage of musicians here in Minas who gain recognition, it’s because they leave. São Paulo is the point of opportunity. It’s the capital of rap in Brazil. You can say that Racionais MCs are the pioneers of rap in Brazil. They are from São Paulo. Our idea is to find support in other cities, other places. We are sending materials out. We are working more or less in this way.

Investing in the Band

The actual music doesn’t provide us any income individually, but we obtain a fee for performing at some shows. For example, at this project FAN we managed to receive a fee (8). When we do a show, as in the case of FAN, we take this money and invest it in the group. Other shows we go for the marketing of our work and for the CD that we are close to finishing, that we are going to try to put on the market. So then, it is more a process of marketing. There will be more people buying our CD, familiar with our CD. For us to be able to work with music, we must set aside and invest income from our personal jobs. As musicians, right now, we earn nothing personally. We are working with the music constantly, doing interviews, creating projects, participating in reunions, debates… it’s rap meetings, rock shows, many things. But we have to have our personal work to maintain ourselves.

Living on a Gardener’s Salary

I am currently a gardener. I work by the day and charge R$50 for each day of work. So, there are parts of the year that I work all week, but also there are seasons that I work one day per week. Normally it is three days, up to four days. On average I earn around two wages. But this part of the year, which is the winter season, it’s one minimum wage. It’s a service that I like to do… between quotes, right? It doesn’t bring me the income that I want. We do this: we give up some little things at home to be able to maintain this obligation to the music. There’s no way to save money, no way at all.

Creating Music – The Lyrics

The first step is to write the lyrics, which is the most difficult of all. You get inspired and have an idea, take reference to a musician who you like, but start to write another work and be yourself. At the time of writing, you have to be you, if not you will copy from him, you will not be original and no one will respect you for that. So this is the most difficult part. You write your work, you and the group, if that’s the case. Each song has a theme. For example, there is a song called “Our Enemy is Another.” One member of the group writes one part of the song, passes it to me, let’s suppose, I write another part and someone else writes another part. Each one has authorship of each part of the music. But also there are songs that are solos. There are lyrics that I write that are just mine and I sing alone, or one of the other members writes alone and sings alone. We just give him some help, understand, just back up, we help in the middle of the song to compliment the lyrics, but the song is written by one vocalist only… it’s just him that sings, but on the refrain everybody tries to work together to create an effect. Like every author of his lyrics says, “A song is like a son or daughter, each one has it’s place; it’s not possible to say I like one more than another.” For us it’s a child, it’s something that comes from within. So there isn’t any way to say which one you like more, which you like less. But there are phases when you are working more with one, and phases when you are working more with another. So, you get attached more to one, and forget a little bit about the other, understand?

Creating Music – Instruments and Effects

We find a producer, a rap producer, which is the guy who works with the instruments, with all of the instruments and the electronics, using a computer, using Dee Jay pickups, using all of these technological resources. On top of this, we bring music, more or less what we want to use in the song. He gets the gist and we begin to work on top of this. After that process, when the music is ready, then comes the part of the instruments. We explain to him where they will enter, where they will exit on the lyrics of the song and the like, where a certain effect is needed. After that, the producer records everything just right in his head, manages to remember where the instruments enter and exit, which effects he will use, and after that we practice together. Then it is live performance. It is a very slow process.

The Trouble with Commercial Radio

You only reach your audience when your work is on the radio. While your work is not on the radio, you don’t reach the public. Now, the question of radio, it depends on which radio. Commercial radio stations don’t play work that denounces politicians, that denounces the police… The press also is not interested in this kind of criticism because they don’t profit from this; the media also does not publicize it. The system has a way of acting against us. Only community radio stations play this type of music. There are few community radio stations and they don’t have the potency that commercial radio stations have. Some community radio stations have closed their spaces: it is just them and those who please them. But also there are community radio stations that open their doors. Generally, community radio stations are open for music and any type of social or cultural action. Bureaucracy doesn’t exist, there aren’t complications. In our case, as professionals in our field, what are we going to try to do when we release our disc? Bring some of our material for them to raffle out to listeners. This is an important step for radio. We bring them a group portfolio, a history of the group, a release and if possible give them a way to please their listeners through our work.

Realistas, First CD

To avoid deception, we don’t have high expectations because music is kind of betraying. Not the music… let’s say the public, the market. So we don’t have high expectations. We believe a lot in our work and expect the next one to be even better. This path that we are taking now, we are coming to an end, we are believing but not dreaming. We have our feet on the ground. After this CD, our intention is to make another, better one.

Favela Toma Conta

Favela Toma Conta, of the Project Favela Toma Conta in São Paulo, São Paulo, was one of the places that I most enjoyed performing because the public appreciates this style of music. There this style of music is really respected. Like, I won’t say creating your space is easy because it is very competitive, there are many bands. But you have a greater possibility of gaining some kind of recognition. So, I think that São Paulo was the best place that we have performed a show until this day. We were there two times at this project. I thought it was very satisfying to demonstrate the philosophy of rap here in Minas to São Paulo, for people to know a little of our routine. Rap nationally denounces, gives information, provides awareness and diversion. In São Paulo, a large number view Minas Gerais as the countryside. When we bring information there, they are able to discover that it’s not exactly like that here, that it is totally different than what they imagine it would be. They see Minas Gerais as the countryside and it’s not the country, Belo Horizonte is a large city.

On Stage

The best part is to be on stage, without a doubt. The responsibility is greater and you need greater concentration on stage. The responsibility is very large: you are sharing your ideas, your ideology, your point of view, understand? You need to involve the audience and make them like your work. So the best part I think is to be on stage, it is very pleasing.

Music as a Form of Protest

In the decades of the 60s, the 70s, musicians, a large number of them from the middle class, made music to fight for their rights, to protest against the military dictatorship. Time passed and they achieved some changes. I can say that it was through the music. The musicians of that time were Gilberto Gil, for example, Chico Buarque… So, the lyrics, if you pick up the songs of those times and pay attention to the lyrics they are always making claims, principally against the military dictatorship. Today what’s happened is the following: the military dictatorship came back, its face has changed; it is against the people of the lower class. Today we have rights to nothing. So rap music works on behalf of the poor, protesting and denouncing: against police, against politicians… So, the face of the military dictatorship changed. Today who suffers is the lower class, those of us who are poor and black.

Rap is discriminated against here in Brazil because it is viewed as aggressive and offensive, the music of delinquents, slum dwellers, of a people without class, without law, understand? Like the police, for example, they don’t like rap because it denounces their corruption. Governors don’t like rap because it denounces their corruption. Radio and TV presenters don’t like rap. Why? Because it denounces their TV programs, which provide incentive for prostitution (9). They want to win ratings, in real sleazy way, understand? Some drug traffickers don’t like rap because it denounces them. Understand? So, it is discriminated by various areas preventing it from growing. Rap is in the middle, where the people are, and around it is everything against it and the people.

All that is Real

The music that we make is the following: we are inspired by what happens in our country and in our daily routine, our day-to-day really. It’s all that is real: a financial difficulty, an emotional or personal difficulty, we expand on this. Because rap is all of this, it is people’s lives. It’s not just one theme, just talking about the streets, about the country, the region where we live. It’s everything. As far as what we are wearing nowadays, a dream we have, what we want to achieve, we put all of this in the music, but in a way that is real, without fantasy, without makeup.

Self Worth and Overcoming Discrimination

The idea of self-esteem that we try to pass on is that a person from the favela should value himself for real. Let me find a real clear example, here. For example, racial discrimination: a person discriminates against me because I am black. I know that this happens to many other Brazilian citizens from the lower class, slum dwellers. So, what I try to pass on to a person who suffers this first hand, is to overcome it, is to prove that who is of color has the same capacity and sometimes more capacity and more strength to be able to make it anywhere.

A person shouldn’t feel, “I am black, poor me.”

No, a person should say, “I am black and I am going to make it. I am going to prove to them and to whomever that I am going to make it. I am poor, I don’t have this and that, but I am going to succeed also.”

So a person values himself, loves himself, respects himself. Another form of self-esteem also is for a person not to sell himself. For example, whatever offer comes his way, a person sells himself because he thinks he doesn’t have sufficient value to be able to demand more than that… he contents himself with little. A person should not be content with little, he always should want his value to be recognized.

Just for Warriors

What theme do I like to expand on? I try to pass on a positive idea, more for youngsters, for the youth, because they are more confused, they have more options to do wrong things. So, I try to pass to them, like, the other side, the capacity that everybody has to make it without needing guns, without needing drugs, avoiding police, avoiding firearms, these things. So, the greatest worry that I have is with our youth; it is to pass my work to the youngsters of the favelas, for them to understand and try to follow the right path. It influences them without doubt. Any type of music has influence.

There are three vocalists in the group, not just one. Each member of the group, each vocalist writes, composes lyrics and the like… now, the question of which lyrics of the group that I think are important enough, that I believe are very appropriate to raise public awareness? The lyrics from a song called “Just for Warriors.” They aren’t my lyrics. It talks about the question of today’s musical styles. Songs these days are very polluted. They lack quality, but they have a market. Why do they have a market? Because television is on their side.

The songs have double meanings and pass on negative things, things that will harm citizens, understand? A teenage girl, a boy in the phase of puberty, already has sufficient malice to understand the music, the meaning of an explicit style of music like funk (10). I consider funk to be an endorsement of prostitution. The lyrics are very explicit, the choreography is very erotic, so the music influences a lot without a doubt. A girl who lacks diversion, hears and likes the music because of its dancing rhythm and the like. But funk has erotic choreography, the posture of the singer as well, always providing incentives for sex. So, who is this going to hurt? The girl from the lower class. Because the girl from the upper class has other things to fill her head at home, she has a good upbringing, she has good incentives, moral support from her parents, understand? Something that the girl from the lower class doesn’t always have; many times the father is a drunk, or many times the mother is as much as a prostitute herself due to the situation that life has brought. Today you see eleven year old girls pregnant, twelve year olds pregnant… twelve years old and sex is natural for them, understand? They already practice sex because they learned it from funk, television, the novellas (11). The television programs hurt who? They hurt young girls from the favelas. Why? A young girl from the favela doesn’t have good alimentation at home, she isn’t occupying her time with ballet class, she’s not always studying, so then she doesn’t have a better way to fill her head, understand? She doesn’t have a toy, a break. So, what is her distraction? Television, and television only teaches rubbish.

Our Enemy is Another

Another work that I feel is very interesting is called, “Our Enemy is Another.” We got participation from a group from São Paulo on these lyrics. They are not my authorship. “Our Enemy is Another” is a work of denouncement, informing who are the real enemies of the poor. Why? What happens? Young slum kids are killing themselves, adults are killing… but are always killing their own people. They are killing a brother like me, a guy who dresses like me. They take my life. A guy who passes the same difficult financial situation, who passes the same difficulties, takes the life of another, robs another who also is experiencing difficulties, understand? So, the title of this song already says it, “Our Enemy is Another.” Our enemy is not who lives with us. It is who doesn’t live with us and is bringing this to us, who is making us see each other as enemies.

Who is the enemy of the people from the lower class, slum dwellers, for example? They are the politicians. Why? Because they are making me, for example, see a guy just like me as my enemy. The government is my enemy because it is above me, it could be doing something to help me and my community, but it doesn’t. Understand? So it is my enemy. Those police officers who come and beat people from the lower class, people from the favela, invading shacks, firing and the like… they are the enemy. It’s not who suffers like you, it’s not who is at your side. So, these lyrics I believe are very interesting. The refrain says:

Let’s not kill one another,
think before shooting.
Our enemy is another,
it is who oppresses the people.

Proposition Against the System

One of my songs has the name “Proposition Against the System.” Today crack users and drug addicts are youngsters, the youth, who are the customers of dealers. The refrain is real clear:

Keep alive for the fight,
don’t melt your life away in a crack pipe.
Don’t accept misery, scraps, uncertainty,
like dogs that feed on what falls from the table.

So, it tells youngsters, “Keep firm because life is a fight.” Our position as poor people, we have to fight to achieve something, “Don’t melt your life away in a crack pipe.” It means, don’t consume crack, which is the drug that kills most and brings the most violence to Brazil. And, “Don’t accept scraps,” don’t be content with little, fight to acquire more and more every day, understand? So this is one of the songs that is really directed at the youngsters.

Friends from the Neighborhood, Lack of Options

In the neighborhood where I live, my friends, we grew up very united, the gang. But with the passing of time, we became adults and deviated. Some already had a tendency to do wrong things, really, steal and so forth. So we were deviating, some followed the road of family—I was one of those who took up a family—and others remained alone, just working, acquiring things. Some acquired through crime. So, there were various who got involved with crime and they died. I can sum at least some twelve colleagues of mine who were murdered. I saw all of this.

Considered real friends of mine were these four now, it happened in the span of four to five days. Two fathers of families, including one who was working–he was a taxi driver. He died at night when he was working. The passenger entered, went with him to a deserted place… killed him. Beat him to death. The other happened on the weekend; he was on his day off at home and was murdered for something small, a minimum value, five reis. The other two friends were criminals, robbers, they messed with a lot of money… one was 17 the other was 22. And these two went together… they were partners. They also died by beating.

A solution seems out of our reach because this comes from infancy. Violence in Brazil today is the following: it’s not caused just by hunger; it’s also due to a lack of options. Youngsters grow up like this: without incentive, passing financial hardships as well, without recreation. So, all of this generates violence, and youngsters grow up with incentives to take criminal paths. Today, for example, for a citizen to be a street sweeper, those who pick up trash in the streets, he has to have a high school degree. It is a profession that, in my point of view, has nothing to do with schooling. A person runs the entire day throwing garbage in a truck. So then it is just bureaucracy. So it is this that makes each day difficult.

A Thirteen Year Old with Five Homicides

You can say that today a safe place doesn’t exist, so you have to have the right behavior. We call it procedure. You have to have a good procedure. You have to know how to converse with any person, from a young kid to a bandit who has many murders. Why? Because the youth of today, the Brazilian youth, they kill early, twelve, thirteen year olds already have homicides, they have already killed. So, in this regard, young kids, eight or nine year olds, you have to respect them a lot and in some way get their respect because in a little bit they will be twelve year olds. If they take the wrong path and if they see you as an enemy, you are threatened. Your life is threatened.

Like my kids, I always screen their companions. Everywhere you have to have this procedure, know how to treat each person differently, but always respecting everyone. The youngsters grow up very quickly. So much so that close to where I live there is a thirteen year old who has five homicides. Thirteen years old. One of my friends who died was assassinated by a sixteen year old in the region. So, today the kids are eleven, twelve years old with the heads of nineteen, twenty year olds. Some kids today have this cruelty. In Brazil, minors at most go to FEBEM, later they are back in the street (12). So, Brazil is the following: a youngster commits this type of crime, is detained, but many times doesn’t even end up at FEBEM. He returns to the street. If he goes to FEBEM, he stays for a short period. There isn’t a rigid detention system for minors in Brazil.

Serving the Upper Class

I am going to talk about the Brazilian police from my point of view. The Brazilian police work for the upper class. It is as if the rich put uniforms on citizens, pay them every month from their pockets to work for them. So, the Brazilian police are the following: they stop black citizens, poorly dressed in poor neighborhoods. You don’t see body checks by the police in middle class, upper class neighborhoods, of playboys, for example (13). The guys who have straight hair, blue eyes, well dressed, for example, you don’t see body checks. When the police stop you, not always do they simply approach you to give you a look to see if you are armed, if you have your documents (14). Many times it is with aggression, with offensive words. When they go into favelas, they don’t respect children, old ladies, they don’t respect fathers of families, good citizens.

So, resuming: the Brazilian police exist to suppress the poor and serve the upper class, the playboys. Like me, for example, if I arrive to get some help at a delegacy, they treat me one way. Now, if a guy arrives in dress clothes, an imported car, for example, the treatment is different. So then the police is not to protect the Brazilian citizen, the good citizen, but the citizen of the upper class, who has money. It is prejudice, social and racial prejudice. The police, when they approach citizens of black color with simple clothes, they always approach with a weapon under their cuff. An approach—if it happens—of a playboy or something like this, simply is a search to see if he is armed and if he has his documents.

Just yesterday I arrived at my friend’s house, but he wasn’t home. When I left his house, there was a police vehicle. There were many people in the street. As I was dressed this way and was alone on a corner, they stopped, ordered me to spread out, put my hands on my head, asked if I had already been imprisoned. I said, “Thank God, never.” They wanted to know if I had been imprisoned. Thank God I have never been attacked by police, still haven’t, but this type of silly discrimination always happens. If I had been wearing dress clothes and had light skin and straight hair, they would not have stopped me. So, like, it ends up in Brazil, for example, racial discrimination, prejudice in Brazil is disguised, it is not declared. They do the most to show that prejudice doesn’t exist, but it exists and they work on top of it. The death penalty exists in Brazil (15). But it exists only for the poor. Why? The poor die at the hands of the police. A rich man can do whatever, but he never dies at the hands of the police.

Brazil’s Future

The future of Brazil is shameful. Brazil is a country without laws. Where politicians have self interests, Brazil is a country without laws. Politicians steal millions from an entire nation and are not punished. A citizen who steals a package of rice from a supermarket typically spends three months, up to one year in prison. So then, it is the following: due to the fact that there isn’t punishment against the politicians, they are going to always do what they want in their own names, never in the name of the population, never in the name of the common citizen. If it depends on the governors, I don’t think it will ever get better.

Financial Objectives

A goal that I want to attain with my work? I am not very ambitious, no. What I want is to be able to maintain myself, in a real comfortable way, for example. To have a sufficient income to be able to pay for school for my children, to own a house and provide a house for my mother. God help that she is alive until then. So it’s a matter of being able to take care of my children and live my work with rap music. That’s all I want. It is not a question of having a mansion, a limo and various women, these things, no. So I work with rap not just for pleasure, but also to be able to grow enough to be able to offer something for my kids, without a doubt.

Family Base and Happiness

Family base makes a difference, yes, because when you have a personal problem, it is the greatest problem you have. The greatest problem that someone can have is a personal problem. If a person does not have a good relationship, for example, with a husband, wife, children, or with siblings and parents, he isn’t able to advance very much, doesn’t manage to go very far, understand? He isn’t able to liberate, give his best. So this, without doubt, is very important. I think that family is the base of everything: the family of a husband and wife, children; or a family of siblings and parents. Ah, my young kids thank God they are really tranquil. I am always around, rarely do they not see me. So they are super tranquil, maybe it’s because of this. I am always orientating, always teaching what they should or should not do. One thing that makes me very happy—I am not going say that it is the presence of my kids, no, because their presence is every day—so I am happy for real. But what makes me even happier is my work. It is to be on stage singing. I think that we manage to transmit this to the public. I think the audience is able to identify this also, I don’t know.

« end »

Click here to download or listen to Realistas NPN demo track

Click here to read New York Times article, “Brazilian Government Invests in Culture of Hip-Hop”

Please feel free to comment about N-Acor’s story.

Footnotes:
(1) People who come from, or live in, the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
(2) Roughly US$149 per month, or US$1,787 per year, based on exchange rates at the time.
(3) A basket of basic monthly supplies that the average lower-middle-class family needs to survive.
(4) N-Acor calls himself “super tranquil” financially, but his salary is merely US$3,575 per year as a gardener.
(5) Forro, or a forrozinho, is a Brazilian dance and music typical of the country’s northeastern states.
(6) Comando de Detentos translates to Inmate Command.
(7) Raciocínio Consciente translates to Conscious Reasoning.
(8) Negro Art Festival 2006, in Belo Horizonte.
(9) In reference to scantily clad women ubiquitous on prime-time Brazilian TV programs, for example.
(10) In reference to Brazilian carioca funk, a style of music with typically explicit lyrics; originated in Rio de Janeiro.
(11) Novellas are Brazilian prime time soap operas.
(12) FEBEM stands for “Fundaçao Estadual de Bem-Estar do Menor”, which means “State Foundation for Minor Well-Being.” These organizations have been set up state by state for rehabilitation of young offenders.
(13) Playboy is a slang term referring to a young, typically light skinned, male from the middle to upper class.
(14) “Documents” refers to the national identity cards that by law Brazilian citizens must carry with them at all times.
(15) N-ACOR is speaking metaphorically, the death penalty does not exist under Brazilian law.