1974

One of the greatest names in Brazilian rap, Gabriel o Pensador, that is, Gabriel the Thinker, has always been different from most of his peers due to being a white, middle-class kid. Since the beginning of his career, Gabriel distinguished himself for the social criticism in his lyrics. Son of journalist Belisa Ribeiro, Gabriel appeared in 1992 with the song "Tô feliz, matei o presidente". At that time he was still studying Journalism at the University in Rio de Janeiro. The main character in this song’s lyrics is the former President of Brazil, Fernando Collor de Mello, who had just been impeached and forced to resign - Gabriel’s mother, Belisa Ribeiro, was Collor’s press adviser. Hired by Sony on the flow of the success achieved with that song, Gabriel released his first album, named after himself, in 1993. His acid songs "Lôraburra" and "Retrato de um playboy" gained heavy rotation on radio stations all over the country. In 1995, Gabriel released the fierce album "Ainda é só o começo", which included polemic songs like "Estudo errado" and "FDP ao cubo", but it did not sell as much as the first album. Two years later, Gabriel made a very successful comeback on board of the irreverent pop rap "2345meia78", from his third album, "Quebra-cabeça". Later on, the songs "Cachimbo da paz" and "Festa da música" became big hits, and the CD sold more than 1 million copies. A huge success in Portugal, and chosen by the Irish band Tears for Fears to open their concerts in Brazil, Gabriel continued his work with the release of the album "Nádegas a declarar" by the end of 1999.