Save the Favela

Save the Favela: KondZilla and MainStreet release video clip for victims by mistake in police actions.

Created by BETC HAVAS, the project with MCs Poze do Rodo, Bielzin, Borges, and Cabelinho, comes from the union of the biggest rap and trap recording companies in Brazil to shed light on a reality that affects 18 million people in the country, calling for reflection on racial profiling.

Through this chorus, this is the call of an unprecedented movement between KondZilla and MainStreet Records, involving music and video clip, to shed light on the urgent, serious, and routine issue experienced by 18 million* of favelas residents in Brazil. Every day innocent people, mostly black, are cowardly and mistakenly killed during police operations. #salveafavela project (#savethefavela), conceived by BETC HAVAS, originated the music video produced by Santeria production company, bringing real stories of young people and workers who are confused for criminals carrying firearms when, in fact, they are carrying harmless objects such as umbrellas, tools, cell phones, and books, among others.

By exposing the reality, result of the debate on racial profiling, the objective of the first partnership between the biggest rap and trap labels in the country - and competitors in this market - is to show unity facing a cause that is apparently far from a solution. And, more than that, to call on society to hear the communities’ cry for help in favor of black and peripheral bodies that are killed daily, leaving traces of pain and fear.

To give voice and face to this call, from the union of these two giants of the phonographic industry, came the invitation for four of the most iconic names of the genres today: MCs Poze do Rodo, Bielzin, and Borges, exclusive artists of MainStreet, in addition to Cabelinho, who is currently in the cast of a soap opera at Globo’s television network. Born and raised in the favelas of Rio de Janeiro, experiencing this reality up close, they were all responsible for composing and interpreting the music.

“For us, ‘Save the Favela’ is hugely relevant, and it represented a great challenge. Unfortunately, we're talking about an everyday topic, and doing it through Rap would make us fall into a cliche by itself. Therefore, we sought a new way to present the theme and indeed touch the audience. This project is different because, in addition to being a call for attention to real cases, it leads us to knowledge, passing through the revolt and flowing into a call to justice with a practical attitude, demanding from the Federal Supreme Court a change in the law that excludes illegality. Something needs to be done and nobody is looking at it”, exalts Lucas Lang, partner, and founder of MainStreet Records.

Produced by Santeria, the seven-minute music video resembles a short film, and it shows scenes based on the real stories of the victims living in peripheral communities in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Minas Gerais. In the cast, the highlight is the special appearance of the actor Andre Ramiro who, after 16 years, agreed to play the role of a policeman again and wear a uniform. Ramiro played in the cinemas the emblematic police officer Andre Matias in the films Elite Squad 1 and 2, gaining prominence with the character of exemplary professional conduct and 'anti-system.’ In this context, in 'Salve the Favela’ the actor, who is also a rapper, made a point of scripting his lines to help reinforce the humanized side.