Valete Explained

Valete
Background:solo_singer
Origin:Benfica, Lisbon, Portugal
Genre:Hip hop
Occupation:Rapper
Years Active:1997-Present
Associated Acts:Sam the Kid, DJ Bomberjack, DJ Cruzfader, Canal 115, MC Vargas, Adamastor, Bonus
Website:MySpace Page

Keidje Torres Lima is a Portuguese language political hip hop artist, known professionally as Valete.[1] that has enjoyed critical success in his home country of Portugal.

Life & music career

Valete was born in Lisbon to São Toméan parents, where he was raised in the Benfica neighborhood. He traveled to Arroja, returned to Benfica, then moved to Amadora and finally settled in Damaia. From a young age he developed strong politic opinions, influenced by his Philosophy teacher at school. During his youth he maintained relations with the JCP (Portuguese Communist Youth) and the PCP (Portuguese Communist Party). However, in the same interview he admitted that despite being a party in which he identifies himself ideologically, he has issues its structure and social agendas. Thus, he prefers to embrace the Bloco de Esquerda (Left Block), because it's closer to his political references.[2] He began listening to rap music in 1991, later encountering such artists like Nas, Krs-one and Racionais MC's.[3]

His career began in 1997 with Adamastor, when they created a group called Canal 115, and later getting signed by Horizontal Records. During that same year, and only sixteen years old, he started recording mix-tapes launched by DJs like Bomberjack and Cruzfader. He continued with Canal 115 for 2 more years constantly performing in his country, but then decided to dedicate himself to his studies, getting a degree in Economics at the Lisbon School of Economics & Management (ISEG).

In 2002 he returned with his album Educação Visual, launched independently and rejecting collaborations. Valete, who before this album was known for being a freestyle or battle MC, clearly showed his lyrical talent with elaborate rhymes, taking on anti-capitalist overtones.[3] In the song "Anti-Herói", he defined himself as a "Trotskista belicista" (a bellicist Trotskist).

His second album Serviço Público was named as one of the best Portuguese hip hop albums of 2006 by the critics.[4] It was selected as the second best national album by the listeners of the Hip hop radio show Suburbano on Coimbra's university radio, RUC.[5]

A prominent hip hop critic, Rui Miguel Abreu, has called him the only political rapper in Portugal.[6]

Discography

Albums

Collaborations

Mixtapes

External links

Notes and References

  1. https://jn.sapo.pt/2007/04/25/primeiro_plano/hiphop_e_nova_musica_intervencao_por.html Jornal de Notícias - Hip-Hop é nova música de intervenção em Portugal?
  2. Web site: Valete . November 25, 2008 . ruadebaixo.com . Emanuel . Amorim . 2023-03-28.
  3. http://hip-hop-inter.blogspot.com/2006/07/biografia-do-mc-valete.html M@giC-HiPhOp: Biografia do MC "Valete"
  4. Nuno Príncipe, http://cotonete.clix.pt/ouvir/entrevistas/body.aspx?id=1459&type=4 "Considerado pela crítica como um dos melhores discos nacionais de Hip Hop de 2006" ("Considered by the critics as one of the best national records of Hip Hop from 2006"), cotonete.clix.pt, 7 February 2007; accessed 23 June 2007.
  5. http://www.ruc.pt/noticia.php?id=2858
  6. Cláudia Luís, "Hip-Hop é nova música de intervenção em Portugal?", Jornal de Notícias ("E rapper político em Portugal só há um - o Valete" -- "And there's only one political rapper in Portugal - Valete"), jn.sapo.pt; accessed 23 June 2007.