Rael’s story blends in with hip hop’s and Brazilian rap culture. That’s because coming from Jardim Iporanga, São Paulo’s south side, the artist’s first contact with the culture was at Largo São Bento, the bedrock of the movement in Brazil. If breakdancing was what blossomed his passion for this art form, it was Racionais MC’s that turned his attention to the music. Their debut album, Raio X Brasil (1993), was the sole responsible to warn Israel Feliciano, only 11 years old at the time, of the racism that exists in our society, and to make him risk himself on some covers and rhymes. But since creating the collective Pentágono in 2000 – together with Apolo, Massao, Dodiman, Paulo Msário and DJ Kiko – was when his trajectory started becoming more solid. That’s when, in fact, one of his main artistic traits became more recognizable: a piece of music ruled by rap, with accompanying reggae nuances, pop melodies and nods to MPB. After 2 full lengths and an EP with the group, Rael started in a new creative process which permitted him to think of a first solo album: MP3 – Música Popular do Terceiro Mundo (2010). Pentágono ended as a group in 2012, making the singer-songwriter focus solely on his own career now.
Rael was already featuring in some of Emicida’s concerts when he was signed to the rapper's label, Laboratório Fantasma. Their work together gave new dimensions to his career. Produced by Beatnick & K-Salaam, which have worked with Mos Def and Lauryn Hill, the album Ainda Bem Que Eu Segui As Batidas Do Meu Coração (2012) helped the artist reach new heights. With the EP Diversoficando (2014), however, that Rael catapulted to a widespread national level. Part of the success comes from the single “Envolvidão”, with a music video summing over 90 milhões of views. It was clear with this single Rael’s talent creating songs that go beyond a niche, with a strong pop pulse. He performed in the biggest mainstream venues in the country, was featured in the most relevant festivals, played in the USA, Canada, Europe, and Oceania and shared the stage with renowned artists like Caetano Veloso, Elza Soares, Seu Jorge, and Jair Rodrigues.
Contemplated by Natura Musical’s funding, Rael released Coisas do Meu Imaginário in 2016. Produced by Daniel Ganjaman featuring Black Alien, Chico César, amongst others, the album gave Rael a nomination for Best Urban Music Album at the Latin Grammys, going head to head with other artists from Latin America. His other nomination at the Latin Grammys was with the song “A Chapa É Quente”, from the Língua Franca (2017) project, a partnership between Rael, Emicida and Portuguese rappers Capicua and Valete celebrating their common mother tongue. In 2017, Rael won the Prêmio da Música Brasileira (Brazilian Music Awards) in the “Best Pop/Rock/Reggae/Hip Hop/Funk Singer” category.
After releasing a live album and a full tour singing Vinicius de Moraes’ songs, while also making a YouTube show called “Rael Convida”, Rael is preparing to release, in the second semester of 2019, his third full-length album. Called Capim Cidreira, the album with more of a pop style to it amplifies once again his messages to the public and reassure how easy the artist flows between pop and rap. As proof of that, besides the tracklisting, the featuring artists include the good-vibes trio Melim and singer-songwriter Thiaguinho, among others yet to be announced. His partnership with Thiaguinho is not so recent, however. Thiaguinho started singing “Envolvidão” in his concerts and also invited Rael to sing the song “Miopia Ocular” with him.
