Funk carioca
Funk carioca, also known as baile funk, Brazilian funk, or simply funk, is a Brazilian hip hop-influenced music genre from Rio de Janeiro, taking influences from musical styles such as Miami bass and freestyle.
In Brazil, "baile funk" refers not to the music, but to the actual parties or discotheques in which the music is played. Although it originated in Rio, "funk carioca" has become increasingly popular among working classes in other parts of Brazil. In the whole country, funk carioca is most often simply known as "funk", although it is very musically different from the American genre of funk music. In fact, it still shows its urban Afrobeat influences.
Overview
Funk carioca was once a direct derivative of samba, Miami bass, Latin music, Caribbean music, traditional African religious music, candombe, hip-hop and freestyle music from the US. The reason why these genres, very localized in the US, became popular and influential in Rio de Janeiro is due to proximity. Miami was a popular plane stop for Rio DJs to buy the latest American records. Along with the Miami influence came the longtime influence of the slave trade in Colonial Brazil. Various African religions like vodun and candomble were brought with the enslaved Africans to the Americas. The same beat is found in Afro-religious music in the African diaspora and many black Brazilians identify as being part of this religion. This genre of music was mainly started by those in black communities in Brazil, therefore a boiling pot of influences to derive the hall-mark.Many similar types of music genres can be found in Caribbean island nations such as; Jamaica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Barbados, Haiti, Puerto Rico, among others. Bounce music, which originates from New Orleans, Louisiana, also has a similar beat. New Orleans, originally a French territory, was a hub for the Atlantic slave trade before it was sold to the United States. All of these areas with similar music genres retain the influence of American hip hop, African music, and Latin music.
During the 1970s, nightclubs in Rio de Janeiro played funk and soul music. One of the bands that was formed in this period was Soul Grand Prix.
In the 1980s, during the post-disco era, the audience began to split between two types of parties: baile charme and baile funk. Baile charme focused on new forms of contemporary R&B, often featuring ballads — hence the name "charme," meaning charm or smoothness. Baile funk, on the other hand, featured fast-paced dance music like Miami bass and freestyle, aimed at energetic dancing. This division marked an important shift in the music scene and in popular parties of the time.
Funk carioca was popularized in the 1980s in Rio de Janeiro's favelas, the city's predominantly Afro-Brazilian slums. From the mid-1990s onwards the genre progressively gained popularity,becoming a mainstream phenomenon in Brazil by the mid-2010s. Funk songs discuss topics as varied as poverty, human dignity, racial pride of black people, sex, violence, and social injustice. Social analysts believe that funk carioca is a genuine expression of the severe social issues that burden the poor and black people in Rio.
According to DJ Marlboro, the main influence for the emergence of funk carioca was the single "Planet Rock" by Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force, released in 1982.
Funk in its early days mostly consisted of loops of electronic drums from Miami bass or freestyle records and the 4–6 beat afrobeat tempo, while a few artists composed them with actual drum machines. The most common drum beat was a loop of DJ Battery Brain's "808 volt", commonly referred to as "Voltmix", though Hassan's "Pump Up the Party" is also notable. Nowadays, funk carioca rhythms are mostly based on tamborzão rhythms instead of the older drum machine loops.
Melodies are usually sampled. Older songs typically chopped up freestyle samples for the melody, or had none at all. Modern funk uses a set of samples from various sources, notably horn and accordion stabs, as well as the horn intro to the "Rocky" theme. Funk carioca has always used a small catalog of rhythms and samples that almost all songs take from. Funk carioca songs can either be instrumental or include rapping, singing, or something in between the two. Popularized by Brazilians and other Afro-Latino people, the saying "Bum-Cha-Cha, Bum Cha-Cha", "Bum-Cha-Cha, Cha Cha" or even "Boom-Pop-Pop, Pop, Pop" is a representation of the beat that comes along in most funk songs.
Funk carioca is different from the funk that originated in the US. Starting in 1970, styles like bailes da pesada, ''black soul, shaft, band funk started to emerge in Rio de Janeiro. As time went on, DJs started to look for other rhythms of black music, but the original name did not remain. Funk carioca first emerged and is played throughout the state of Rio de Janeiro, but not only in the city of Rio, as Rio natives like to believe. Funk carioca is mostly appealing to the youth. In the decade of the 1980s, anthropologist Herman Vianna was the first social scientist to take funk as an object to study in his master's thesis, which gave origin to the book O Mundo Funk carioca, which translates to The Carioca Funk World. During that decade, funk dances lost a bit of popularity due to the emergence of disco music, a pop version of soul and funk, especially after the release of the film Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta and with its soundtrack of the band Bee Gees. At the time, the then-teenager Fernando Luís Mattos da Matta was interested in the discotheque when listening to the program Cidade Disco Club'' on Radio City of Rio de Janeiro. Years later, Fernando would adopt the nickname of DJ Marlboro and the radio would be known as the Rio "rock radio".
Subgenres
There are several subgenres derived from funk carioca.Brega funk
Brega funk is a subgenre of Funk Carioca that originated in Recife, influenced by brega and arrocha in the early 2010s in the northeast region of Brazil. Unlike classic funk carioca, brega funk has a polished sound that features syncopated and shimmering MIDI pianos, synthesizers, often filtered guitars and the distinct pitched metallic snare drums called caixas, vocal chops are a common companion to the wobbly kick rhythm and up-down bass inherited from brega and, although the genre commonly ranges from 160 to 180 BPM, the half-time tempo makes it seem slower than other funk subgenres. An example of the Brega funk genre is the song "Parabéns" by Pabllo Vittar.Funk melody
Funk melody is based on electro rhythms but with a romantic lyrical approach. It has been noted for being powered by female artists. Among the popular funk melody singers are Anitta, Perlla, Babi, and Copacabana Beat.Funk ostentação
Funk ostentação is a sub-genre of Rio de Janeiro funk created in São Paulo in 2008. The lyrical and thematic content of songs in this style focuses mainly on conspicuous consumption, as well as a focus on materialistic activities, glorification of the style of urban life, and ambitions to leave the favela. Since then, funk ostentação has been strongly associated with the emerging nova classe média in Brazil.Proibidão
Proibidão is a derivative of funk carioca related to prohibited practices. The content of the genre involves the sale of illegal drugs and the war against police agencies, as well as the glorification and praise of the drug cartels, similar to gangsta rap.Rasteirinha
Rasteirinha or Raggafunk is a slower style of Rio de Janeiro funk that rests around 96 BPM and uses atabaques, tambourines and beatboxing. It also incorporates influences from reggaeton and axé. "Fuleragem" by MC WM is the best-known song of the Rasteirinha genre.Funk de BH
Funk de BH, or simply Funk BH, refers to the Funk scene from Minas Gerais, more specifically the city of Belo Horizonte. It has more conscious lyrics, although it may also have traditional Funk lyrics.Funk consciente
This is a style of Funk Carioca that talks about the problems of the city, patriotism, and inspiring young people to follow their dreams and achieve their goals.Rave funk
Rave funk is a mix of funk carioca and electronic music, created in 2016 by DJ GBR. Among rave funk's most popular songs is "É Rave Que Fala Né" by Kevinho. Another notable example is "São Paulo", a 2024 collaboration between Brazilian singer Anitta and Canadian artist The Weeknd.Funk 150 BPM
In 2018, the Funk carioca of 150 beats per minute or 150 BPM was created by DJs Polyvox and Rennan da Penha. In 2019, the funk carioca 150 BPM was adopted by carnival blocks. "Ela É Do Tipo", by Kevin O Chris, is one of the most popular songs of the genre.Funk mandelão
Funk mandelão, also known as Ritmo dos Fluxos, is a subgenre that emerged in São Paulo in the late 2010s, inspired by the Baile do Mandela, a popular party in Praia Grande. The term "mandelão" comes from "Mandela", a reference to the South African leader Nelson Mandela. Mandelão is characterized by having simple and repetitive lyrics. The musical production is minimalist and raw, with heavy beats and blown basses, which create a catchy and danceable rhythm. Some of the instruments used in mandelão are the piano, synthesizer, sampler and the computer. Funk mandelão is also marked by having its own choreography, which consists of fast and synchronized movements of the arms and legs.An example of the success of Mandelão was the song "Automotivo Bibi Fogosa", sung by the Brazilian artist Bibi Babydoll, which reached the top of Spotify music charts in Ukraine in 2023 and reached #3 on both Belarus and Kazakhstan. It spread throughout the rest of Europe, mainly in former Soviet Union states.