SoundCloud Next Wave: Ever-Evolving Funk in Rio & São Paulo

SoundCloud heads to South America in its fourth SoundCloud Next Wave episode, spotlighting the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, Brazil.

“Visão,” follows the rising stars of the funk music genre, MC Bin Laden, DJ Yuri Martins, MC 2K, MC WM, DJ Polyvox and Kondzilla, as they take the funk scene beyond just a music style and toward a larger movement poised for the international stage. Check out the episode below.

Gaining popularity in the 1980’s, Brazil’s funk music genre, also known as baile funk, funk carioca or favela funk, is ever-evolving and rising, even as it’s faced prejudices by the local government because of its origin.

While lyrically the genre has stayed close to its Brazilian roots reflecting life in favelas, the genre’s sound has evolved and matured to include a rich variety of pockets, sounds and styles, influenced by everything from Miami-bass to trap and rap.

This evolution is in part because of the rise of streaming services like SoundCloud, which offers accessibility to the largest and most diverse library of audio content, and a connected community of creators, listeners and curators. In fact, since 2015, we’ve seen a 52% increase in the number of uploaded tracks tied the Brazilian funk genre on the SoundCloud platform.

The title of the episode, which in English means ‘vision’ and links to the local Portuguese slang phrase ‘passa a visão,’ meaning ‘to share ideas,’ makes a nod to the connections and sharing capabilities streaming offers creators.

SoundCloud Next Wave seeks to highlights the exciting local creator communities propelled by the people-powered platform. Previously highlighted cities in the series include New York City with “Extended Mix,” Toronto with “Northern Stars” and Los Angeles with “Degenerate Generation.”

Stay tuned to the blog for upcoming episodes rounding out the series, set in London and Berlin.