Fiona Bloom, Birthplace Magazine, Emicida - Emicida: Brazil's Artistic ‘MC Killer' letra (lyrics)

Fiona: I love the name Emicida
It has a magical feel to
It what does it mean?

Emicida: Emicida is a merger between
The words ‘MC’ and ‘homicide
’ something like a MC killer i’ve
Started in rap with freestyle battles
And this nickname comes from there in
The course of time I’ve
Created an acronym to the name that
Represents very well my purpose:
As long as my imagination composes
Insanities I own the art

Fiona: You started rhyming and
Realized you wanted to
Be a part of hip hop culture from
An early age what was it like growing
Up in Brazil as a young kid
Discovering your love for hip hop?

Emicida: I had my first contact with
Hip hop very young my
Parents used to have an involvement
In some street parties
Like the block parties you have there
In the US my father
Was a DJ and my mother used to help
With organizing there I had my first contact
With music in the end of the 1980s, I
Met rap music there, sung in Portuguese
Listening
To a Brazilian MC called Pepeu then I met US
Hip hop it was crazy because as I
First met Brazilian hip hop
I believed it was
A Brazilian genre later, studying about it
I discovered more about the
Culture and that it
Was born in Bronx hip hop, to me
Was always about freedom
The culture gave voice
For many people that didn’t have one
And this made us feel a special love for it

Fiona: Where did you get your
Inspiration from and who
Were some of your biggest
In fluences coming up?

Emicida: I was very influenced by a
Group which is the biggest in
Brazil and for us one of
The best in the world
Called Racionais MCs they’ve changed
Our lives and our perspective
About the street
Realities in Brazil they were equally or
More important than textbooks
My inspiration always
Came from samba, from rap later
But, I grew up listening to a lot of
Samba because my family had a strong bond
With samba associations from São
Paulo so rhythmically and
Poetically I’ve learned a lot from samba
Fiona: Who are you listening to now in
Brazil? Which local artists do you like

Emicida: I like some very
Creatives artists in special, like
Amiri, Raphao Alaafin, Tássia Reis
Russo Passapusso and Rael
Among other new names that have emerged
With a lot of creativity

Fiona: Is there a growing hip hop scene in
Brazil and any industry to support it?

Emicida: Brazilian hip hop has been growing
A lot year after year
As Brazil’s political and social context is
Very complex and the consequences of
Hip hop as an
Activity with a strong political
Position are numerous, for better or
Worse but unrelated to the entertainment
Industry in Brazil which seems
To be so slow for me lots of cultures
Are breaking barriers and
Consolidating themselves
Surviving and making art
Even though they don’t have
A great distribution
They get stronger over the years

Fiona: I know you have your own record
Company which is quite well known
Laboratorio Fantasma do you release your own
Music through your company too?

Emicida: Yes, all my albums were released
And managed by Laboratório Fantasma
Which manages
2 artists careers: Mine and Rael’s, a
Fascinating artist that mixes reggae
Samba and rap in a very
Particular and special way

Fiona: How many other artists and
Collaborations have you released
Through Laboratorio anyone that’s about
To blow up too?

Emicida: We’ve been collaborating with
Other artists we cheer
And support them the way we can
Because their victory is
Also ours if we talk specifically
About other artist on
Who we wager, I would say he is Rael
Because people always get amazed
With his big talent

Fiona: How do you describe your sound
Style and what are some of the
Subjects you talk about lyrically?

Emicida: I believe I’m a continuation of a
Poetic genre that exists in Brazil
From long time ago our poetry is
Rich due to human material that
We have here we had some of the
Best teachers: the samba composers in
A lyrical and rhythmic way they are
Close to insuperable brazil-Africa fusion
Generated wonderful things regarding to
That in Brazil so I find myself as a
Contemporary poet who speaks
About streets and my time i like São Paulo’s
Chaos it inspires poetry in an incredible
Way i don’t need to necessarily
Work with rap clichés i think Brazilian
Rap evolution will intensify increasingly
Because this approach is involuntary and
With no way back

Fiona: Do you write and produce your tracks
Too or work with different collaborators?

Emicida: I work with a lot
Of different partners i
Almost always renew things each
New project i like
To hear to new people’s songs i like to
Search for new music i produce some things
But, I dedicate my time most to studying than
To the execution of this kind of
Thing i prefer working with these guys I
Admire and do that very well

Fiona: What’s your highlight so far of
All the places you’re toured?
Emicida: I don’t use to work
With this logic of a
Highlight this is delicate rise and
Fall surrounds art day
After day and with no compassion
I prefer to be
Grateful for having performed in
Festivals like Coachella, SXSW
Among others around the
World and I keep myself humbly on
My way i like to
Travel the world doing my music
We’re going to Europe
Again this year we went to
US again and it was
Lovely for a young Brazilian with
An origin like mine
This is much more than I drew in my dreams

Fiona: I know you were just recently at
SXSW how was that experience? Was there
Anyone you met there or saw perform
Who you’ve always wanted to see?

Emicida: I’ve met a few artists
There’s a lot of things
Happening at the same time
At the SXSW festival
Lots of information it has interesting
Workshops and I went there
With this intent more than anything
Else i always do
This i’m interested in understanding the
21st century music market
The festival is a good
Place to exchange experiences

Fiona: On the collaboration side, you just
Recently worked with K-Salaam & Beatnick
Also Dead Prez… Anyone else
We should know about
Or who you’re going to be working with?

Emicida: I made a collaboration
With Blitz Tha Ambassador
An artist that I’m a big fan i’ve made
Max Payne 3 video game soundtrack and
One of the songs, called "9 Circles
" had a good remix
By Freddie Gibbs and Styles P
I’ve got other things ongoing
But, I prefer to wait the
Confirmations to say the names

Fiona: Who’s your dream
Collaboration? Who would
You love to work with?

Emicida: I’m a big fan of Jay
Z it’s not a business thing, i’m a
Real fan lyrically speaking
He is amazing i’m
A big admirer of his poetry, but there are
Other great artists from the US that I listen
To and would love to meet and
Maybe collab with kendrick
Lamar, Frank Ocean, dj
Premier, Evidence, Kanye West, Mos Def
Talib Kweli among others… It’s a big list

Fiona: I know you’re a video game fanatic
What was it like when Rockstar Games
Approached you to do the soundtrack for Max
Payne 3? A dream come true
I’m sure how was it to work with
Them and what did you learn
Or discover? Will we see you on
Any other videogames in the future?

Emicida: Rockstar company was working on
A game acclimated in
São Paulo that’s why they were looking for
An artist that could describe
The city and they
Found me we were in the US at that time
So everything happened so fast
It was one more
Dream realized i love to be in
Soundtracks the possibility of creating
For a different context
Out of the usual, it’s lovely theater
Cinema and other kinds of
Entertainment are things
That I love to be in

Fiona: And… what’s your fave video
Game now and why

Emicida: GTA because I love GTA!

Fiona: Brazil is calling you the best MC
I’m sure you’d like to take that
Title around the world – is there any
Region or country you’d love to
Tour and are you ready to be received
Around the world? Are you hungry
And ambitious for the globe to hear
About you and see you perform?

Emicida: I’ve been travelling to lots of
Places in the world i really
Wanna perform in Africa i think
It will be a great
Experience i have this ambition to expand
My career to another countries
That’s what we have been building
This is the goal, isn’t it?
Fiona: You rhyme in Portuguese are
There any other languages
You would think about doing a song in?

Emicida: Yes
But, I need to learn better to be able to
Sing and compose like I do in Portuguese

Fiona: There’s quite a few
Portuguese speaking countries
I’m actually off to Cape Verde
One of them Have you performed in
All these places and how
Do the audiences receive you and
How are they different

Emicida: There are a few
Countries, like Portugal, Angola, moçambique
And Cape Verde i don’t recognize others now
But, I know there are
Obviously more Portuguese speaking
Countries i always receive lots of emails
And messages from those countries
I believe when we get there will be great!

Fiona: What’s one thing you LOVE about Brazil
That you can’t find anywhere else?

Emicida: It’s a cliche
But samba and feijoada there’s no
Music or food like here

Fiona: Outside of hip hop, what do you enjoy?

Emicida: I’m a big fan of comics
Folklore, history, vinyl, fashion
Design, illustration
BMX my dream when I was a young boy
Was to be designer and work
At Marvel Comics i love
X-Men, but I’m a mix of
Lots of different references
Things that I admire and some way
I put in my rhymes

Fiona: When it comes to social platforms
Is there a favorite one you like
To communicate to your fans with?

Emicida: I like Instagram facebook and
Twitter are also interesting sometimes

Fiona: Do you have a favorite
Hang out in São Paulo?

Emicida: There’s a place called Samba da
Vela and another one called Cooperifa, both
In South Zone of São Paulo if
Someday you come to São Paulo
Be sure to go to these places!

Fiona: And when you want to
Escape? Where do you go?

Emicida: I can’t escape it’s my
Dream, but if could
I would go to some quiet place brazil
Has a lot of wonderful places northeast is a
Region that enchants me
For gastronomy, scenario
Music… And the people are very interesting!

Fiona: Are you into any
Extreme sports besides BMX?

Emicida: BMX is cool i love it
But, I stopped practicing because I had a
Knee problem due some street fights
When I was teen i like to skateboard
But it’s hard
To have time to do, so in the end
The most risky thing I’ve been doing is rap

Fiona: How often to you write new songs
And what’s your creative process like?

Emicida: My music is a trip i try to
Bring sensory experiences in
It, different trips
Different places this happens due
To rhythm and the poem, but I work hours
Days and sometimes months on a verse I
Think It has to be done after
This I search for a producer to
Compose with me over an instrumental

Fiona: Are you into films
Movies and what’s the latest one you’ve seen

Emicida: The latest I saw was Marighella
A história de um revolucionário Brasileiro

Fiona: There is a documentary on your life
The Rise of Emicida how did
That come to fruition
And how long did it take to make?

Emicida: It’s very cool shows a
Little about a phase
Of my life and my first US tour
The EP with K-Salaam & beatnick recording
Shows a lot of the process i participated of
A project called Creators Project, from
Intel and Vice Magazine
And through this partnership I
Was able to establish
A more direct communication with the US

Fiona: What’s next for you? Do you
Have anything new coming out?

Emicida: We’ve been studying the possibility
Of recording a DVD
And a documentary about the
History of our label
Laboratório Fantasma i’ve been traveling with
My newest album tour and
Soon will be spreading new
Music around the world

Fiona: When you come back to the US
And could pick one stage to ROCK
Where would it be?

Emicida: There are so many places
I don’t know exactly if
We talk about places I would like to go, i
Went to California once and would
Like to go back
There the concerts were cool i like New York
It reminds me São Paulo in a certain way

Fiona: And lastly
Any words of wisdom you can
Share for artists who are
Starting out and want to be in your shoes?

Emicida: Don’t give up fuck the problems
Be greater than them we are the streets