Earlier this year, we brought Brazilian rapper and Creator Emicida to Coachella where he made his US debut. We chatted with him about his Coachella experience here, and also caught him on video where he spat an exclusive freestyle rap.With two successful DIY EPs and one mixtape under his belt, he’s now fast at work finishing his first official album produced by K-Salaam & Beatnick, with support from The Studio—our new arts initiative supporting artists in the creation and dissemination of new work.Today Emicida released the first single “Viva” off of the album entitled Doozicabraba e a Revolução Silenciosa, which seems to communicate swing stylings in a way that the prolific Emicida has never explored before. The NY-based duo K-Salaam & Beatnick, relax the MC’s pace, except for the exciting chorus that features fellow Brazilian MC Rael da Rima. Even after the first listen, we can already imagine audiences singing along at the concerts. Here was what Emicida has to say about the experience:The Creators Project: How was the recording atmosphere with K-Salaam & Beatnick?
Emicida: Everything happened in a very spontaneous way. The guys are pretty confident with their music and their career, like me, so the studio time with them was always pleasurable. The language barrier was not what we imagined it would be, after all we were making music and the music is bigger than that. We talked for about 20 to 30 minutes about each track and then entered the [recording room] without much “blah blah blah.”What were the main differences you experienced working with their production?
Producing in a participatory way is always better—to be able to speak about every detail and build better results with what the music generates. It was something I needed to do to move forward in my career. We also layered on beats from other musicians participating in the project. Building the songs in this way gives a more homogeneous feel to the EP, what now seems to me to be a new interesting way to work.What changed in terms of your sound?
I think I’m becoming more musical, learning how to build my sentences and marry them with the best beats. The music of K-Salaam & Beatnick is great and I believe we can create something very beautiful in this merger!What new things did you see or learn?
We taught the guys to say “zica braba” [which means “very powerful” or “strong”]. I learned that going to the United States is cool, but if you can eat beans [everyday Brazilian fare] it’s even better… Man, I believe I came back with a different view on music, the market, culture, that mixed with mine will be very useful in the future.What was the inspiration for “Viva”?
The intention of making people feel good regardless of location or situation. Often happiness is within you and may depend on a matter of perspective. I love to make songs that make people feel good, that motivate [laughs]. One day I looked out the window at my mother’s house and I saw two boys bathing with a hose on the street. I thought, ‘Damn, we are kings and don’t even know…’ I started scratching the lyrics. It was supposed to be called “Melô dos Vileiros,” but the word “Viva” became very present during the recordings and I really consider it to be a very nice word, so it became the name.Listen for the chorus “Um viva pra nós,” which means “Hooray” below….On July 31, we will host Emicida’s album release party at Biennial Pavillion in São Paulo. Find out more details and RSVP here.
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Emicida: Everything happened in a very spontaneous way. The guys are pretty confident with their music and their career, like me, so the studio time with them was always pleasurable. The language barrier was not what we imagined it would be, after all we were making music and the music is bigger than that. We talked for about 20 to 30 minutes about each track and then entered the [recording room] without much “blah blah blah.”What were the main differences you experienced working with their production?
Producing in a participatory way is always better—to be able to speak about every detail and build better results with what the music generates. It was something I needed to do to move forward in my career. We also layered on beats from other musicians participating in the project. Building the songs in this way gives a more homogeneous feel to the EP, what now seems to me to be a new interesting way to work.
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I think I’m becoming more musical, learning how to build my sentences and marry them with the best beats. The music of K-Salaam & Beatnick is great and I believe we can create something very beautiful in this merger!What new things did you see or learn?
We taught the guys to say “zica braba” [which means “very powerful” or “strong”]. I learned that going to the United States is cool, but if you can eat beans [everyday Brazilian fare] it’s even better… Man, I believe I came back with a different view on music, the market, culture, that mixed with mine will be very useful in the future.What was the inspiration for “Viva”?
The intention of making people feel good regardless of location or situation. Often happiness is within you and may depend on a matter of perspective. I love to make songs that make people feel good, that motivate [laughs]. One day I looked out the window at my mother’s house and I saw two boys bathing with a hose on the street. I thought, ‘Damn, we are kings and don’t even know…’ I started scratching the lyrics. It was supposed to be called “Melô dos Vileiros,” but the word “Viva” became very present during the recordings and I really consider it to be a very nice word, so it became the name.Listen for the chorus “Um viva pra nós,” which means “Hooray” below….On July 31, we will host Emicida’s album release party at Biennial Pavillion in São Paulo. Find out more details and RSVP here.