Planet Hemp

Rap and rock band formed in Rio de Janeiro in 1993, their lyrics go basically about marijuana and legalization. They started out touring the main southern capitals in the country and playing festivals. They began attracting attention because their shows always ended up in big fights and confusion. In 1994, the death of Skunk, who lined up the band with Marcelo D2, interrupted Planet Hemp’s career for a while. As vocalist B Negão joined the group, they signed up to Sony Music and put out the disc Usuário, in 1995. That album shed light over the band and produced a number of hits, like Mantenha o Respeito, Legalize Já, Fazendo a Cabeça and the polemic Porcos Fardados (or Pigs in Uniforms), criticizing police brutality. It went Gold. Planet Hemp has played along with big hip hop names, like Beastie Boys and Cypress Hill. The follow-up, Os Cães Ladram Mas a Caravana Não Pára, was made by the end of 1996 and went Platinum. Due to their engagement with legalization and their explicit lyrics, Planet Hemp has suffered a lot of legal distress. Seized albums, cancelled gigs and arrests are still part of the band’s routine. The album a Invasão do Sagaz Homem Fumaça was released on the second half of 2000.