Raiz Nativa

Raiz Nativa came out of Rio de Janeiro with a sound that helped define what people call funk carioca. Their track "Limpa Banco" became one of those songs you'd hear everywhere at parties and street festivals, a straightforward dance track that caught on. They put out their first album in 2001, just called "Raiz Nativa," and followed it with records like "A Lei do Funk" and "Funk no Baile."

Some of their lyrics and performances drew criticism from more conservative corners, enough that they faced some pushback and censorship at times. But they kept going, with songs like "Igualdade Para Nós" and "Ilusão" in their set. The group was built around a few main voices and writers: Cleber Alves Pereira, Robson Lima Cavalcante, Valdemir de Sousa Júnior, Fábio Pereira da Silva, and Wanderson Ribeiro de Oliveira.

Their music ended up speaking to a lot of people who felt left out, giving some shape to the sounds coming from the neighborhoods. It wasn't really about being pioneers in a grand sense, more that they made the kind of funk that stuck around.