La Prensa - "Reprinting Nica"

Through this chorus, this is the call of an unprecedented movement between KondZilla and MainStreet Records, involving music and video clip, to shed light on the urgent, serious, and routine issue experienced by 18 million* of favelas residents in Brazil. Every day innocent people, mostly black, are cowardly and mistakenly killed during police operations. #salveafavela project (#savethefavela), conceived by BETC HAVAS, originated the music video produced by Santeria production company, bringing real stories of young people and workers who are confused for criminals carrying firearms when, in fact, they are carrying harmless objects such as umbrellas, tools, cell phones, and books, among others.

By exposing the reality, result of the debate on racial profiling, the objective of the first partnership between the biggest rap and trap labels in the country - and competitors in this market - is to show unity facing a cause that is apparently far from a solution. And, more than that, to call on society to hear the communities’ cry for help in favor of black and peripheral bodies that are killed daily, leaving traces of pain and fear.

To give voice and face to this call, from the union of these two giants of the phonographic industry, came the invitation for four of the most iconic names of the genres today: MCs Poze do Rodo, Bielzin, and Borges, exclusive artists of MainStreet, in addition to Cabelinho, who is currently in the cast of a soap opera at Globo’s television network. Born and raised in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, experiencing this reality up close, they were all responsible for composing and interpreting the music.

“For us, ‘Save the Favela’ is hugely relevant, and it represented a great challenge. Unfortunately, we're talking about an everyday topic, and doing it through Rap would make us fall into a cliche by itself. Therefore, we sought a new way to present the theme and indeed touch the audience. This project is different because, in addition to being a call for attention to real cases, it leads us to knowledge, passing through the revolt and flowing into a call to justice with a practical attitude, demanding from the Federal Supreme Court a change in the law that excludes illegality. Something needs to be done and nobody is looking at it”, exalts Lucas Lang, partner, and founder of MainStreet Records.

The film

Produced by Santeria, the seven-minute music video resembles a short film, and it shows scenes based on the real stories of the victims living in peripheral communities in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Minas Gerais. In the cast, the highlight is the special appearance of the actor Andre Ramiro who, after 16 years, agreed to play the role of a policeman again and wear a uniform. Ramiro played in the cinemas the emblematic police officer Andre Matias in the films Elite Squad 1 and 2, gaining prominence with the character of exemplary professional conduct and 'anti-system.’ In this context, in 'Salve the Favela’ the actor, who is also a rapper, made a point of scripting his lines to help reinforce the humanized side.

“I felt honored to participate in Salve the Favela. The music video is a denunciation in the form of a musical short film. It addresses how these crimes remain unpunished and affects, for the most part, poor and black people, making the residents of the favelas in Brazil victims. Unfortunately, it is very current and extremely necessary that we do something urgently with society so that we actually have peace and justice equally for each and every citizen, regardless of social class or ethnicity. May this music video be another tool in the fight against prejudice and violence”, says actor Andre Ramiro.

Alongside Andre Ramiro, residents, and amateur artists from theater schools in the communities, representing 60% of the film's casting, staged their own realities, contributing even more to the final result. Directed by Rafa Damy, in partnership with Gabriel Zerra, responsible for more than a thousand KondZilla clips, and Gabriel Pinheiro, both born and raised in the slums, the film had the 'co-direction' of several residents of Complexo do Alemao’s favela, who closely followed all the scenes - bringing an even more empathetic and consistent look, indeed, with the suffering experienced by countless families every day. With cinematographic and visceral language, the production’s objective is to show life as it is for a significant portion of the Brazilian population.

Click here to watch the video clip Save the Favela. 

The music is also available on major digital platforms such as
Spotify, Deezer e Apple Music, among others.

Help to save the favela and contribute to echoing this help’s request. Access www.salveafavela.com.br, see the real stories of some of the victims, and learn about ADI 5032. It is a Direct Action of Unconstitutionality, filed by the Attorney General's Office of the Republic to the STF (Federal Supreme Court) in 2013 and under process until today, asking for crimes committed by agents of the Armed Forces during the exercise of their activities, in operations to guarantee law and order (GLO) and to fight against the crime, to be judged by the Common Justice and not by the Military Justice.

The #salveafavela movement was launched so that the population can monitor and demand, with the aim of turning real cases, such as the ones in the music video, into increasingly fewer common crimes.