National Geographic Music (National Geographic)

Here's an infectious, bubbling rap samba that is a huge hit in Brazil. Rappin Hood may look bad, but he started out as a choirboy in São Paulo, where he was also influenced by candomblé, the African religion of Brazil. Accompanying him and lending authority to this jaunty venture is Leci Brandão a great sambista in her own right. As she says; "Rap is the new rhythm in Samba, and Rappin Hood is the new sambista." The song, 'Sou Negrao' is a playful paean to the black contribution to the music of Brazil and the world. It's a veritable lexicon of the greats of Brazilian music, like Paulinho da Viola, Jorge Ben, Pixinguinha - the list is quite lengthy! But he also pays tribute to Martin Luther King, Bob Marley and James Brown - like he says: It's a black thing. But somehow, both the video and vibe are so cheerful and inclusive that anyone watching it can feel as black as they want!

— CalabashMusic.com