Elemento Suspeito

Elemento Suspeito was a rap group from São Paulo that formed in the mid-1990s. Their song 'Pelo Caminho do Crack' became a kind of street anthem, describing crack addiction and life in the favelas with a directness that wasn't common in Brazilian music at the time. They worked with a mix of hip-hop beats and funk carioca rhythms on their first album, 'Funk Rap Criação,' which came out in 1996.

The group's lyrics about poverty and police violence drew attention from authorities and listeners alike. Some people accused them of glorifying drug use, but their music seemed more interested in documenting what they saw around them. They followed up with albums like 'Não Pode Parar' in 1998 and 'Refém do Sistema' in 2000, keeping that same raw approach.

MC Xará dos Santos, one of the group's rappers, was murdered in 2005. The original lineup included DJ Lumumba on production along with MCs Cena and Feijão, with DJ Tameni joining later. 'Pelo Caminho do Crack' still gets played in certain circles, remembered for how plainly it talked about a crisis that was hitting São Paulo hard.