Racionais MC's

Zona Sul and Zona Norte

Racionais MC’s formed in São Paulo in 1988: Mano Brown and Ice Blue from Capão Redondo in the south zone, Edi Rock and DJ KL Jay from the north zone. Their first tracks appeared on the 1988 compilation Consciência Black, and their debut Holocausto Urbano followed in 1990.

Sobrevivendo no Inferno

After Raio X do Brasil (1993), they released Sobrevivendo no Inferno (1997) on their own Cosa Nostra label. With almost no radio or TV support it sold well over a million copies, and “Diário de um Detento,” written with a former Carandiru prisoner, became the story of the 1992 massacre in the group’s words. The University of Campinas later made the album required reading for its entrance exam.

Later

Nada Como um Dia Após o Outro Dia (2002), with “Negro Drama” and “Vida Loka,” and Cores & Valores (2014) kept them at the center of the scene. They are the reference point for everyone who came after, including Criolo and Emicida.