MC Cassiano

MC Cassiano was born Cassiano dos Santos Souza in 1962 and grew up in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. He started as a street performer, drawing from the samba and funk rhythms around him and the social commentary of artists like Chico Buarque.

In 1989, his duet with MC Gudan, 'Hoje Mais Uma Lili Cantou,' became a nationwide hit that helped define the early funk carioca sound. Other songs like 'Finalzinho de Tarde' and 'Antepassados' followed, often touching on life in marginalized communities.

His music sometimes addressed difficult subjects, which brought criticism from conservative quarters. In 1993 he was arrested on a cocaine possession charge, an episode that complicated his public image. He kept recording through the 1990s and 2000s, with his lyrics occasionally reflecting personal struggles before he publicly renounced drug use around 2005.