Flávio Renegado

Rap and hip-hop, funk, samba, reggae, and sometimes even Cuban music come together in the music of Flávio Renegado.  I hadn't heard of him prior to the announcement of the Brasil Summerfest lineup, but he is an amazing, multi-faceted musician and community organizer whose career is accelerating rapidly.  According to his press release, he got his start putting together a rap group that later morphed into a non-governmental organization (NGO) of which he is still director.  I hope someday to hear the whole story of this organization's evolution.  Meanwhile, Flávio is making an original blend of exotic, urban, soul-stirring music that defies categorization, and that New Yorkers will totally appreciate.  Sometimes it's rap, sometimes soul or funk, sometimes there are hints of samba or even choro, but his style is always unmistakably his own.  He raps a lot and uses funky beats, but his music is not to be confused with carioca funk.  Production values are high, he sings as much as he raps, and anyway he's from Belo Horizonte.  It's OK if you don't understand the rapping in Portuguese -- think of his voice as another instrument, stirring your feelings just like a trumpet or a clarinet.

His Facebook page has links to news, free downloads, and SoundCloud files, but doesn't come up in a cold search -- visit it here or via his main site.  You can also stream his new album, "My Tribe is the World" on the main site.

Flávio Renegado will be coming to Central Park on July 21.  Here he is peforming the title track from "Do Oiapoque a Nova York" (from Oiapoque to New York).  This was his first album released under the name "Renegado".