brazilian rapper flávio renegado invokes the spirit of candomblé deities in photo essay + music video

For Flávio, his Blackness is central to his understanding of himself and of the world. He says, “I joined the black movement at school, at age 11, when I discovered a capoeira wheel from Angola. It fascinated me and made me understand that I was a citizen and a black man and lived in an extremely poor community, because my ancestors had gone there.” Flávio, who was born in the community of Alto Vera Cruz, in Belo Horizonte, where he develops social entrepreneurship also said, “To be born in a neighborhood without sanitation, without school, without health, this is racism. I’m not being treated as an equal. Not being able to use the address of the favela to look for a job, and having to lie, this is racism.” Race in Brazil is a salient topic, for which hip hop and photography are apt avenues for its discussion. Listen to “Black Star” and witness the breathtaking photographs of Flávio Renegado by Daryan Dornelles below.