Straight outta Rio’s Manguinhos – Ladies Gang sing of everyday favela life and call attention to a feminine sound that renovates bass music

Note from BW of Brazil: Back in January and August of last year, BW of Brazil introduced you to a hot new Hip Hop trio out of the Vidigal slum of Rio de Janeiro, Pearls Negras. That group managed to attract the attention of international producers and labels who believed the trio had international appeal. This would lead to the group embarking upon an international tour that would take them to Europe, a far cry from their favela environment. A real break for a trio of black girls that would have most likely be passed over by their own country’s music industry due to the color of their skin! Today, we present to you a pair of articles about another energetic group of black girls from Rio (this time five) who also hope to be able gain their own following with their original style of feminine Hip Hop! (See more photos of the group and here their hit “Ladies” here)

Ladies Gang – “Ladies”

Courtesy of Revista Afro

Ladies Gang group is a group of female underground rap, formed by five young women of Rio de Janeiro. The girls … oops … Ladies joined the Street Dance Crew called “Empare Rose” and had more than seven members – including Bandity (Patrícia Nogueira), Dona Lanor (Ana Paula Lanor), Kim Glimberg (Cássia Dos Anjos) and Slain (Brenda Rúbia) – all specializing in some dance category such as Break Dance, Ragga, Krump and Hip Hop. Tétiz (Stephanie Gonçalves) who is a Classical Dancer and joined the crew later.

When “Empare Rose” ended, the works of dance didn’t come to an end and continued in other projects in other artistic and cultural aspects, including rap. This drew attention of professionals in Rio’s underground rap scene, which encouraged the girls to develop their talents, and start the current Ladies Gang.

The girls’ intention is to be much more than a rap group, but a movement, which already has social and cultural work in the Manguinhos community in Rio de Janeiro. The “Ladies” have been influencing and motivating young people of their communities, that starts in their way of dressing to their posture and also behavior. In addition to the aforementioned project, they are organizing the Roda Cultural de Manguinhos, founders of the Cultural Collective “Mangueataque” and “Pronto” project. Today you know “Ladies”, the debut sound of Ladies Gang, a group that you could know better through social networks Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Soundcloud. Be aware that these girls promise to make a lot of noise in the next year. Virescit Vulnere Virtus!!!

Ladies Gang sing of everyday favela life and call attention to a feminine sound that renovates bass music

By Fabiano Moreira of Transcultura

After the success of the trio Pearls Negras, from Rio’s Vidigal community, it was the turn of five girls from the North Zone, from the Manguinhos region, to draw attention, on the web, with a female rap renovated by the increasingly dominant bass music. The Ladies Gang group released this week, their first single, “Ladies”, which already has nearly 3,000 plays on Soundcloud, with production by Felipe Benoliel, Bluntzilla, Apavoramento. The track is also the first release of the Apavoro Brutal label, resulting from of the union of two strong teams Rio’s rap scene, the Brutal Crew, that ten years ago promoted the Batalha do Real (Real Battle) in the Arcos da Lapa, and released big names of the sector and the Apavoramento Sound System, a collective known for making links with Rio’s periphery.

Besides Ladies Gang, the new label is also taking care of the next disc of rapper Marcão Baixada, who has been the subject of Trans here and that is one of Rio’s most promising acts in the hip-hop scene. The album will be called Geração 90. Another release will be the disc by Aori, of the Batalha do Real, Anaga, which comes to the public on January 15.

“Just as Ladies Gang has this relationship with Manguinhos, Marcão brings the Baixada Fluminense (region) in the name, has this genetic load to represent the place where he comes from, while at the same time, global and universal,” says Aori – This is important at a time when rap is going through an identity crisis, with parties like Nigga High as Shit and the Hey Nngga, from the South Zone, who appropriates the cultural aesthetic movement, but doesn’t put black MCs and DJs in the lineup. Releasing artists like Ladies Gang is showing of protest rap, without prejudice, which is not only party and hype, but something true. Female rap is very strong today, with names like Flora Mattos, Karol Conka and Negra Lou, who are on the front lines of  Brazilian rap.

The girls, who met in the region, promote, every Monday, the Roda Cultural de Manguinhos  (Manguinhos Cultural Wheel), with freestyle rap, besides Pronto, Falei, an event that brings together graffiti workshops, black braids, MCs and DJs, with free entrance, and has the next edition scheduled for January 10 at the Manguinhos Park Library. At first, they acted only as a hip-hop dance group, but were encouraged to sing by DJs like Bluntzilla, and debuted on the stage, opening the show for a De La Soul concert at Circo Voador in July.

“Our lyrics deal from the everyday of whoever lives in slums, our escapes, what it is to be a lady, social inequality and prejudice against women in rap. It’s still very complicated to rap as a woman. Many believe that because we are beautiful, we hit the stage just to show our asses, but don’t stop to hear what we have to say,” explains rapper Patrícia Nogueira, known as Bandity.

In times of music releases on the web, the girls still intend to release more singles before thinking of a disc. Most disclosures happen, really, in a Whatsapp group, only for girls interested in Hip-Hop.

“Sometimes it’s hard to dance music when you face so many social problems, but we managed,” defends Ana Paula Lanor, aka Dona, another member of the Ladies Gang, which is still made up of Kim Glimberg (Cassia Dos Anjos) Slain (Brenda Rubia) and Tetiz (Stephanie Goncalves), all girls who act as community leaders in Manguinhos.

Source: Revista Afro, MC Lapa