RAPadura

RAPadura is a Brazilian poet, singer, rapper, music producer and activist who builds his work on a contemporary mix of rap and the tradition of the popular culture of the Northeast Region of Brazil. To reinforce the originality of Brazilian music has always been one of his most important motivations, therefore his origin plays a predominant role in his work. Born in the state of Ceará*, in the northeastern part of Brazil, on the Atlantic coast, RAPadura represents the interconnection of several artistic, social, cultural and political elements from the past and present-day Brazilian society. Unlike many rappers inspired by the North-American matrix of the Hip Hop genre, RAPadura's music, lyrics, performances and productions bring into play, as chief ingredients, the poetry, the mythology, the rhymes, the traditions, the rhythms, expressions and manifestations of the northeastern region. The Northeast Region is the most prosperous and substantial cultural region of Brazil. The Nordeste is constantly forming and shaping the Brazilian cultural footprint not only in Brazil, and this region influences how the world experiences Brazilian culture, from dance to music, from food to literature, in popular celebrations through musical movements, rhythms and religions. RAPadura is today one of the contemporary representants of this region, the result of people's resilience and resistance. RAPadura's lyrics are blunt and exude a poetic language without losing his identification with the people. They speak about the Nordeste, about the drought, the farmer, the lacemaker woman (the "rendeira"). The unquestionable narrative created in the lyrics talks about the consequences of colonization, capitalism, oppression, wealth inequality and their consequences to the people, also the urbanization processes and the migration into the peripheries of the metropoles, police violence, genocide, structural and social racism. His lyrics deal with present-day issues, fears, hopes, aspirations and feelings of a whole generation, people that are perhaps facing the deepest and profound crisis in the country's history. RAPadura believes that art is the only transformation tool for those who have never had anything, therefore an unequal society like the Brazilian will only change with access to culture. This record is a hug to the world and to all living beings. The mission was to be heard and to spread this narrative to the world, and the nomination to the 2020 Latin Grammy in the category of best album in Portuguese Language was a signal that we are in the right path, i.e., the word has listened to us. RAPadura has shared the stage with great artists such as Lenine, BaianaSystem, Paulo Diniz, Maria Rita, MV Bill, Gog, Racionais MC's among others, and has been spreading his ideas through music since his first album "Fita Embolada do Engenho - Rapadura na Boca do Povo", an original, innovative and refreshing work that has created a new genre in Brazilian music, only comparable to the Mangue Beat of Chico Science. At Tropical Diaspora® Records we saw the significance of RAPadura's work, so we felt compelled to be part of it. We know that his message needs to be shared, and we are pleased and happy to be part of this transformation. That's why this vinyl record came to be, and why we became part of the mission: the challenge to answer RAPadura Xique Chico's call to spread the culture of the Nordeste all over the world. *According to José de Alencar, Ceará means in Tupi Guaraní turquoise or green waters.