Mc Maxx

Mc Maxx came out of Rio de Janeiro's Complexo da Maré favela in the early 2000s, a group of friends who named themselves after street slang for 'maximum.' Their breakout track was 'Fama, Poder, Dinheiro e Mulher,' which caught on with its straightforward celebration of those four things over a funk beat.

That song became an anthem, and the band kept putting out albums like 'O Mundo É Nosso' in 2006 and 'Na Batida do Coração' in 2008. Their lyrics about favela life drew some criticism, but they stuck to describing the world they knew. Other tracks like 'Isso pra mim é um esculacho' and 'Troféu de Homem' followed a similar pattern, direct, rhythmic, and unapologetic.

They were part of that wave of Brazilian funk acts that spoke plainly about street realities, without much polish or pretense. The music held a certain raw energy that connected, even when the subject matter made some listeners uncomfortable.