In a conservative time, during which Brazil has tried to introduce new laws to criminalize the favela’s biggest cultural export, Leo Justi and MC Tchelinho unite as Heavy Baile to launch a new project celebrating the sound of Funk Carioca.
Kicking off this project is a record that’s ready to set dancefloors on fire. C.E.O.N. is a crushing, primal piece of music that sets the tone for Heavy Baile’s musical mission perfectly. This record is not designed to be an easy ride. A reflection of raw, grimy favela parties and the life-is-cheap attitude of the slums against the juxtaposed empowerment and release that comes from losing yourself in music and dance, C.E.O.N. is as heavy as it gets.
Speaking about the record, Justi explains “The vocal line “Caralho, é o negão” is a rhyme MC Tchelinho would spit on my DJ sets. He has a different rhyme or verse for each of his friends, and this is the one he’d always spit for me. It’s so catchy I told him we had to make a record out of it! He came to the studio and freestyled the vocals and it just sounded so heavy. I feel like, for many people, this will be a great introduction to the sound of Heavy Baile.”
For those not in the know, Heavy Baile is the name of Leo Justi and MC Tchelinho’s new project, but it’s also the title of the genre which they’ve been pushing for several years. A bigger, more brutish cousin of Funk Carioca (otherwise known as Favela Funk or Baile Funk), the sound that’s enveloped Brazilian musical culture since the mid-1980s.
