As a child who grew up in a poor neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro when funk was gaining popularity, around the mid-'90s, it is impossible to talk about my impressions of the music without also thinking about the first time I felt and understood the power it has over people. At that time, Rio funk was slowly crystalizing itself as one of Brazil's most creative and significant cultural expressions, born out of a mixture of rap, soul, Miami bass and electro. The bass of funk, created from electronic drums such as the Roland TR-808 and R8, provided the foundation for songs that could be comical, romantic or, most of the time, visceral narratives of the violent reality experienced by low-income segments of the population. Going out to play, I would hear it emanating from houses and bars, and rocking cars as it rattled through their sound systems. But it would take a few more years for it to be respected by the mainstream and considered a popular, profitable genre. Rio funk affixed my own sense of rhythm, which still guides me today as a DJ and producer focused on low frequencies.

The history of funk in Brazil began in 1970, driven by the explosion of the Black Power movement in the United States and the arrival of imported soul records brought by collectors and Black music enthusiasts who traveled abroad—something still largely inaccessible at the time for most Brazilians. Promoted by radio announcer Big Boy and DJ Ademir Lemos, the Baile Blacks or Bailes da Pesada were parties that served as a symbol of musical and aesthetic resistance, connecting these imports with their eager new audience. Their resistance grew more explicitly political between 1964 and 1985, during Brazil's military dictatorship. The mostly Black audience drew the military's attention, who then classified the parties as subversive activity, making it almost impossible to hold these types of events. These Black balls were the forerunners to Rio funk in the next decade.

The genre is the loyal output of a country whose society has been composed by an intense historical process of cultural amalgamation from different parts of the world. Rio funk carries discrimination and struggle in its genome—a rhythm that came from the slums, from Black and marginalized bodies, and year after year, still surprises us with its inexhaustible capacity to be reinvented. It continues to converge with new trends and social issues in Brazil and beyond, attracting an increasingly larger and more diverse audience, and influencing artists like Madonna, Drake, Bjork, J Balvin, Diplo and M.I.A.

DJ Battery Brain - Volt Mix (1988)

With the arrival of sound system crew culture in the '80s, DJs introduced disco, pop and freestyle hits from abroad—especially Miami—to the public. Freestyle in particular resonated with the Brazilian people. Sung in English, the songs served as a base for lyrical improvisation from the crowd and became known as ''Melôs," recognizable by different Portuguese nicknames that referenced misheard parts of the lyrics.

"Volt Mix," a beat created by LA's DJ Battery Brain using 808 samples, became a trademark of Rio funk productions after the record was brought to Brazil by DJ and digger Nazz. Back in those days, there was no internet, so for a year, only one person in Brazil had this music and could play it at clubs. The beat became a feature of almost all the best-known songs from Rio funk's early days, including "Rap do Solitário" by MC Marcinho and "Tira a Camisa" by MC Tigrao. It earned the name Melô da Latinha (Little Can Melo) because the sound of its snare drums resembled the noise a can would make when hitting a surface.

MC Batata - Entre Nessa Onda (1989)

Until the end of the '80s, no Rio funk albums had been produced yet, but this was about to change. In 1989, one of the genre's pioneers, DJ Marlboro, was introduced to two instruments that would become characteristic to its sound—the Casio SK1 keyboard and Roland's TR-808 drum machine. With them, he recorded what's considered the genre's ground zero: an LP called Funk Brasil (Polydor, 1989). Sung in Portuguese, the album has comedic lyrics inspired by Melos and samples well-known songs like Run DMC's "You Talk Too Much" and Tag Team's "Whoomp! (There It Is)."

"Entre Nessa Onda," performed by MC Batata, a rising star in the '90s-era Rio funk landscape, stands out from the heavy sampling of his contemporaries with this track. It's an original composition featuring a catchy chorus that urges people to have a good time, and to get into the new wave of Rio funk that was just taking its first steps.

MC Júnior & MC Leonardo - Endereço dos Bailes (1995)

At the turn of the decade, funk gained a significant following but continued to be seen as a subculture in the eyes of the mainstream media compared to other popular genres like rock, pop, sertanejo (country music) or MPB (popular Brazilian music). This occurred in part due to negative perceptions of the primarily lower class audience, from those who believed the genre would always be associated with violence and drug trafficking.

The songs candidly talked about daily life in the slums, delivering harsh critiques of the state's neglect through lyrics about unemployment and lack of infrastructure in the favelas [precarious communities near or inside large cities].

Some, like MCs Júnior e Leonardo, talked about these adversities in a fun way, exalting the funkeiro's lifestyle. In their famous hit "Endereço dos Bailes," performed on Furacão 2000—a TV show created to present new funk talents—they characterize funkeiros as working hard to save money for excursions to the main favela parties in Rio, decked out in the latest designs, eager to dance and meet new people.

MC Marcinho - Garota Nota 100 (1998)

Towards the end of the '90s, funk melodies emerged with more melodic songs and romantic themes, bringing funk to new mainstream audiences. MC Marcinho's famous single "Garota Nota" showed the versatility of funk as the lyrics speak to the pain of longing and unrequited love.

Gaining traction at nightclubs in Rio's posher areas, the genre soon reached the mainstream, appearing in TV shows, soap operas and major motion pictures. MC Marcinho, Claudinho & Buchecha and Latino were all stars amid this new wave of interest.

Bonde Do Tigrão - Vou Passar Cerol Na Mão (Martella Martellao) (2001)

At the turn of the millennium, funk established itself as a national phenomenon. Dancers like Os Hawaianos and Gaiola das Popozudas were joining MCs on stage, calling audience members up and dancing in erotic and eye-catching ways.

Funk artists began to attract some attention from major record labels, making productions that exuded creativity and could be heard everywhere from nightclubs to children's parties throughout Brazil. Created with a sample from "Headhunter" by the Belgian group Front 242—and produced by funk pioneer DJ Dennis—"Cerol no Mão" was a huge success in the early 2000s, receiving upwards of 20 plays a day on the radio. The track features a heavy electro funk influence, sensual lyrics and a catchy chorus, setting the tone for other funk productions that would follow in the decade.

Tati Quebra Barraco - Boladona (2004)

Male MCs took up most of the space throughout funk's history, but this began to change in the early '00s as female voices emerged from the favelas, penning lyrics about sex and empowerment. Deize Tigrona, Valesca Popozuda and Tati Quebra Barraco were all leading voices in this new wave.

A native of the Cidade de Deus slum in Rio's West Zone, Quebra Barraco became one of Brazil's most famous funk singers. In "Boladona," she talks about the life of a funkeira—going to dances and doing as she pleases without caring about the judgment of men.

Bill e Bolinho - Bufalo Bill (2008)

When "Bufalo Bill" was released, the political and economic scenario in Brazil was changing, and higher employment rates directly benefited low-income people.

One consequence of this period was increased access to computers and high-speed internet among marginalized portions of society. These tools greatly impacted how funk was produced and disseminated; now young enthusiasts had their own computers and could use DAWS to produce beats and record lyrics at home.

MCs Bolinho e Bill were just kids from the Manguinhos community when their track, which sampled the MSN Messenger ringtone, earned the praise of important names in the genre in Brazil such as funk master DJ Sanny Pitbull. Its success shows the genre's power to give a voice to young people who had a lot of talent and not many resources.

Songs were uploaded online as low-quality video clips, allowing independent artists to reach hundreds of thousands of listeners and take advantage of the genre's widening appeal. During this time, fans could enjoy funk songs that were comical and danceable or aimed at a general audience. They could also indulge in those known as ''Proibidão''—infamous tracks talking explicitly about violence, sex, hatred towards the police and the domination of the factions in the slums of Rio.

MC João - Baile de Favela (KondZilla) (2016)

In São Paulo, funk took on new directions with the creation of dedicated television channels and production companies, such as Kondzilla, which invested heavily in the genre. This resulted in videos that racked up millions of views and contributed to the birth of a new sub-genre, ostentatious funk.

New talents continued emerging from favelas, but if in the past they talked about the obstacles created by the lack of structure in low-income neighborhoods, these new songs focused on overcoming poverty, accruing wealth to help friends and family and enjoying life in luxury clubs or fluxos, as the bailes in São Paulo's favelas are called.

"Baile de Favela" by MC Joao was a milestone, not only for the number of views it racked up (around 235 million), but because it marked the arrival of clips with luxury cars and motorcycles, showing the artists flaunting everything they had always dreamed about owning. These videos were an attempt to show the millions of boys and girls from humble origins that it's possible to achieve a better life by making music.

MC Kevin o Chris - Tu Tá na Gaiola (2018)

Meanwhile, in Rio, funk's official home, variants of the genre saw producers speeding up the pitch from 130 BPM to 150 BPM. At faster tempos, it has a new identity, bringing strong elements of electronic music and a resumption of its African roots with intense, accelerated tribal percussion.

The bailes, or balls, also saw an increase in attendance that necessitated festival-like setups. "Tu Tá na Gaiola" by MC Kevin o Chris was one of the most played songs in 2018 and became an anthem of the famous Baile da Gaiola. Located in Rio's North Zone and created by DJ Rennan Da Penha, this open-air Baile took place every weekend and gathered more than 15,000 attendees per edition, becoming a mecca for all funkheads and the subject of many songs.

FBC & VHOOR ft. Mac Júlia - Se Tá Solteira (2021)

Nowadays, funk continues to influence pop culture, spurring on new genres like chill Baile, megatron, EDM, brega funk, funk rave and trap funk, among many others. It occupies more and more space in the media without needing anyone's approval as to whether it is culture or not, unlike in previous years, when these same outlets wrote about funk from an elitist, racist perspective. But this change in attitude didn't happen overnight.

If funk is being seen more positively by the mainstream now, it's because after more than three decades, Brazil is finally embracing the genre as its own original creation. It boasts great numbers on platforms like YouTube and Spotify, racking up millions of streams for artists like Anitta and MC Carol, who are spreading the culture and leading funk towards worldwide acclaim. On their album Baile, VHOOR and FBC, a producer and MC both from Minas Gerais, were inspired by the key genres that make up the construction of Rio funk, like Miami bass and electro. "Se Tá Solteira," one of the album's best and most bass heavy tracks, harkens back to old Miami hits from the '80s and '90s.

They're among a whole new generation of Brazilian producers such as Deekapz, LARINHX, JLZ, RHR, Badsista, Mu540 and DJ RaMeMes, to name a few, bringing the powerful aesthetics of Rio funk. Their hallmarks include creativity from the margins, powerful bass and aggressive rhythms. They are a testament to the incredible versatility of a genre that remains vital to Brazilian culture.