Rap aus Brasilien: Back to the Roots

Ein brasilianischer Freund, dem ich von den Irrungen und Wirrungen der Prostitutionsdebatte in Deutschland erzählte, schickte mir kurzerhand ein Video des brasilianischen Rappers Emicida zu. Die Bilder des Videos sprechen Bände, aber für die Fans künstlerischer Codes unter uns hat er es ins Englische übersetzt, siehe unten.

Wo sind sie nur, die Künstler in diesen Breiten, wo sind sie, die Rapper, die endlich aufhören, sich als Zuhälter zu präsentieren und sich an die Wurzeln des Rap erinnern? Doch seht selbst, hier der Link zum Video.

Übersetzung:

Rua Augusta (1) – Emicida

Thick make-up hiding the bruises on her soul
Smoking calmly, she observes the car lights that come and go
This feeling of living in vain
Those who come and don’t own her
Sometimes are good men, sometimes runaways
Who couldn’t stand being alone
The same money that buys the sex kills the love
Brings happiness and invites rancour
The late night is her witness
Finger nails painted in blood-red
She has no name, but many nicknames
Inside her handbag
A poster girl in the cold city walking her way
One million of human beings, and all of them alone
She dreams as if she wasn’t alive
And lives asking herself “Why can’t I die?”
Tears and sweat mix in her struggle
Counts the money on the back seat of a car
It will turn into milk for the kids or 15g of cocaine
Fuck it if it’s wrong, who did right was Jesus
And how did you thank him? Nailing him on a cross

(Chorus)
Counting the time in mink
Painted eyes, painted lips
Attentive to the horns
She guides herself through the sound
Writing her story in neon

The ‘Motel’ (2) light blinks, sometimes it stops
Autodidact, she improves her style while working
And suddenly she cries in front of the mirror
Rolls one more joint, takes pull, disguising the red in her eyes
Goes back, and her new love is already leaving
He waits for the night to finish, She waits for her life to finish
Each cigarette carries away one year of suffering
She smokes the whole pack and is ready for the fight
Laughs with the transvestites in the dark, another pot back on the streets
Gets in the car remembering the friends who’ve already died
Sampa (3) – for those who come from abroad it’s wonderful
But the last thing people have here is certainty
Her father used to complain that while he was working she slept
The complains weren’t of big help, but as a redemption
She wanders in the night
Making some money while her son sleeps

Woman:
This life ain’t good for no one, do you know what I’m saying?
But it’s a way for us to make quick money in order to do something for our own future and for our children’s future, do you know what I’m saying?

With some luck, a passport to North America, “please”
Europe, “ahhhh, what a dream”
Killed by some scumbag, in a cheap motel
Agonizing on the bed, drama, statistics, fact
Some dirty junkie or some lawyer or a drunk or just a confused guy
A family father or a pastor who proved his faith
A gang or one single brute
A cold client, product without a heart
Marked body, branded like cattle
One more item for the collection of suffering
Princess of the dirty sewers
Virgin behind enemy lines and so much disgust
A sad hope
Feeding the dream of a pure childhood, looking into herself if it still exists

Woman:
There’s a lot of prejudice. But there are a lot of people who talk to us, give support and strength for us to keep going, you know? For us to not give up! To give us courage!

Notes

(1) This street is one of the most famous in São Paulo. In the past was a place full of “hookers place”, gay saunas, transvestites etc. Nowadays, all the hipsters of the city meet there, because the street is full of bars, night clubs, gay parties and so on. However, among this modern party generation, remains some houses where you find prostitutes, you can easily get drugs, see lots of transvestites walking on the street…

(2) Motels in Brazil are not like in US. In Brazil they usually are beside roads, but you pay a room for an hour, to have sex with someone. Although you find posh, fancy, chic motels, the rule is a cheap place that preserves anonymity. Therefore you find prostitutes, drugs, infantile prostitution, drunk truck drivers and so on.

(3) Short term for São Paulo City.

Translation and notes by Andrey Bernardes