Album Review: Rappin' Hood - Em Sujeito Homem 2 (Trama)

Writer: John Armstrong

The overriding problem faced by non-Anglophone hip hop in the international marketplace is: what are these guys rappin' about? It really shouldn't matter if, like a musician, you listen to the human voice as just another instrument (i.e. if you want words, buy a book already, not a damn record...). But unfortunately, that's not the case in terms of sales. Brazilians speak Portuguese. Portuguese has a wonderful flow (the mot de magique if you're a hip hop fan), but that doesn't always do the trick. Rio, Sao Paulo, Salvador and many other Brazilian conurbations have rappers whose linguistic skill is at least the equivalent of Eminem, KRS-1 or Dr Dre. Problem is, they try to be too American. So why should the Anglo punter buy a Brazilian record that sounds just like an American rap record, with the added handicap of not understanding the lyric?

Answer: when it has the added flavour of Brazilianness. You don't need me to explain this neologism: pagode beats, berimbau, cuica, apito do samba - if they're there, the music takes on an added dimension. Such is the case with carioca Rappin' Hood's second album on Trama. From Segundo Ato, with its sample of Bahia's greatest songsmith Dorival Caymmi, through Rap Du Bom Parte II, where Caetano Veloso's MPB classic Odara gets the imaginative loop treatment, you know that this is no ordinary Brazilian rap disc. The live instrumentation embraces all of Rio's current fads, from nu-choro through pagode and pancadao (what the UK music press incorrectly calls 'baile funk') and into hints of the North East's myriad mysterious rhythms.

Although there are many other Brazilian rappers of extraordinary talent - Raciones MC, Gabriel O Pensador, Cambio Negro, O Rappa are just a few that come to mind - Rappin'Hood has managed to imbue his work with Brazilianness. If this is your first foray into Brazilian hip hop, you couldn't do much better than buy this disc.


COMPETITION!

We've five Rappin' Hood album samplers (containing four songs) to give away, thanks to the lovely people at Trama.

To win, just send us an email to givemehood@knowtheledge.net, making sure you let us know whether you would like to sign up to the Know The Ledge mailing list (we promise to only use your email to send you occasional updates - we won't share it with anyone else!).

If you win, we'll be back in touch to get your mailing details.

Closing date: Tuesday 23 August

RELATED LINKS:
Rappin' Hood - more on the Trama website



Buy Em Sujeito Homem 2 at Amazon UK (CD) / US (CD)




PUBLISHED: 26 July 2005

RELEASE DATE: 22 August 2005 19 April 2005(UK/US) .

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