Marcelo D2

Marcelo D2 was born in the 5th November 1967, north of Rio Janeiro. Really natural from Rio de Janeiro, from the hot neighborhoods in the city's valleys that don't appear in the post cards and are far away from the rich sidewalks near the sea.
Working and making it on his own since he was 13 years of age, Marcelo D2 was born like a shooting star full of talent and wit. He was a doorman, a peddler, a courier, an office boy, he delivered newspapers and sold furniture. He lived where he could, how he could and he managed to survive. We can say all of these bad experiences turned into double success.
Leaving his parents place early, kept him moving. His childhood friends that stood in the same neighborhood, end up being consumed by traffic and drugs. Day by day he lost great friends in armed confrontations. He served the army and right after he went living with his girlfriend, then with 19 years of age.
The different and diverse people he knew along his adolescence and youth life, gave him an ample influence of rhythms and musical styles, that later became evident in his music.
Planet Hemp was born in the streets of Catete, in a casual meeting between D2 and Skunk, in the early 90's. D2 was using a Dead Kennedys' t-shirt that was responsible for the beginning of the colloquy between the two. Skate, punk rock, underground, marijuana and attitude, a lot of attitude. The name of the band was taken of the American magazine High Times, specialized in "cannabiculture". Later Rafael (guitar), Formigao (bass) and Bacalhau (battery) joined Skunk and D2. With Skunk's death, D2 didn't want to finish the band and asked his Carioca's nights and shows friends to divide the vocal and that was when Black Alien and B Negao entered the band. The official start of the band was in 1994. And in 1995 they released their first album "Usuario", that alone sold more than an half million copies. The following albums "Os Caees ladram mas a Caravana naeo Para" (1997), "A invasaeo do Sagaz Homem Fumaca" (2000) and "MTV Ao Vivo Planer Hemp" (2001) received the platinum record and together they sold almost two million copies.
Planet Hemp had a solid and bombastic career as they presented themselves in all auditoriums of Brazil and also in Europe, Japan and United States. As one of the leaders and founders of the band, D2 inaugurated an weighed and rich rock in influences in Brazil, that finished the "calm" rock of the 80's and brought up to date the country in the international scene.
With the end of the band, D2 felt that it was time to search his way to his own sound. He already had given his first step towards that with the release of his first solo album "Eu Tiro E Onda" (1998). In this album he used lyrics that essentially talk about his experience of life on the Hip Hop scene, but always with a mix of samba and a "bad boy" attitude. The album's immediate success made sales exceed 150 thousand copies.
In the following album "A Procura da Batida Perfeita" (2003), D2 established himself definitively as the one artist that renovates Brazilian music. He gained all kind of prizes of those he was nominee, like the best 2004 Lyric Writer from the Brazilian Academy of Lyrics. The album was released in Europe, United States and Asia and because of it D2 made five tours around Europe, presenting himself in the biggest festivals, as the Womex, Montreaux, Roskilde and Reading, and also in traditional show places like Cite de La Musique (Paris). It was also recorded a DVD with all of his clips and a documentary about his research when he was making it. It was a Gold DVD, a Gold Album and undisputed success.
In 2004 he used his own music, he re-built beat and "batucada" and placed 23 musicians' band in stage. He used also an orchestra to "de-plug" Hip Hop, that by being born "plugged" in pickups and samples, was re-invented with D2 new ideas. Then he released Acoustic MTV Marcelo D2, with all of his previous albums successes in acoustics versions.
Live with a lot of percussion and a sharpened band, D2 gave an even more spectacular sonority to his music. The band went on a tour and in this movement around the world, D2 collected the material for his latest releasing.
His third solo album was called "My Samba e Assim". In it, D2 shows 15 new tracks with his own style. For months, D2 received an enormous amount of different DJs bases, that transformed his album into an elaborated record, with a characteristic mixture of samba and Hip Hop, the elegance and the wit of the "bad boy". In this album participated great guests of both worlds where he transits like Zeca Pagodinho, Alcione e Arlindo Cruz do Samba and Charli Tuna and Marechal do Rap. The album was released in May 2006 and since its end in January, the critics and fans expectations were already very high. In June the album was also released in Portugal and during European Summer in the other European countries.
Right after releasing the album, D2 went on a tour for two months in Europe, at the same time that the World Cup was happening. That tour is the biggest ever done until today by a Brazilian artist in Europe and United States. D2 presented himself in the most famous festivals like Montreux in Switzerland, Roskilde in the Denmark, Womex in England and also presented himself to 15 thousand people in Los Angeles, in the traditional Hollywood Bowl. StrikeconcerT was responsible for bringing D2 to Portugal. In 2006 he performed in Rock in Rio Lisbon, Special MTV Portugal for Casa da Musica and Sudoeste Festival.
Outside Brazil the search for his discs is huge and even more in vinyl. D2 became a reference for international DJs as he became the expressive name in Brazilian music vanguard. His cultural anthropophagy of the mount and asphalt philosophies and his contagious music rhythms and lyrics, has conquered all kind of audiences where ever he goes.

Line up

Links

WOMEX

Legal

Follow Us

Newsletter