Bezerra da Silva: música, malandragem, cotidiano e resistência (morros e subúrbios cariocas - 1980-1990)

Abstract

This paper focuses on the trajectory and work of artist Bezerra da Silva. From these, it seeks to discuss the daily life of the Carioca and Baixada Fluminense hills in the 1980s and 1990s. Bezerra migrated from Brazilian Northeast (Recife) in order to try his luck in the Cidade Maravilhosa, where he lived in the Cantagalo Hill for more than twenty years, establishing bonds with the residents. In Rio de Janeiro he faced an arduous work, performing different activities (building assistant, painter...). With persistence, he crossed obstacles to improve his musical gift, until realizing the dream of becoming a musician, acting in orchestras and gathering contacts that made possible the development of his career as a singer and composer. Very creative, he began his career interpreting cocos to later succeed with samba, representing the so-called samba malandro or partido-alto. The specificity of his work is that it has a collective character, the songs that he interpreted or were his own (few in partnership with other composers) or they incorporated the participation of composers (254) who approached the daily themes of the hills, favelas and suburbs. As embodiment of the persona of "ambassador of the hills and favelas," Bezerra made a commitment to be a chronicler of the experiences of the residents of these areas, addressing topics such as violence, police torture, legal inequalities, drugs, crimes and criminals. These issues generated criticism and controversy, and his work was characterized as "sambandido", from which he came to be seen as a defender of bandits and even drug users, a title that he vehemently refuted throughout his career. Bezerra was misunderstood in his originality, in the central motto of expressing and exposing the experiences of these communities, from which themes emerged marked by indignation, criticisms of the needs, violence and inequalities faced by these residents, as well as by the resistance actions emerging in these territories