Brazil latin hip-hop 2010s ▶ 1.8M subscribers

Emicida

Emicida, born Leandro Roque de Oliveira, is a Brazilian rapper, singer and songwriter from São Paulo. He is regarded as one of the major revelations of Brazilian hip-hop of the 2000s and co-founded the label Laboratório Fantasma with his brother Evandro Fióti.

Origins

He built his name winning freestyle battles in São Paulo, which inspired his stage name, a blend of "MC" and "homicide". His 2008 single "Triunfo" broke through online, followed by self-released mixtapes sold hand to hand from 2009.

The sound

His music is rooted in rap but draws heavily on samba, MPB and Afro-Brazilian traditions, often with guest singers from outside hip-hop. His lyrics deal with race, poverty, family and hope.

Legacy

His album AmarElo won the 2020 Latin Grammy for Best Portuguese Language Rock or Alternative Album and became a Netflix documentary. In 2026 he was nominated for Best Portuguese Language Urban Album for Emicida Racional VL 2 - Mesmas Cores & Mesmos Valores.