Gabriel o Pensador

After a while of trying to catch on with the rap made in São Paulo by peripheric bands, the well-born Gabriel Contino had a break in November, 1992, with one of his compositions, “Tô Feliz (Matei o Presidente),” which was included in the playlist of RPC radio, but soon was vetoed by censorship. Signed by Sony, he released his first album in 1994, Gabriel o Pensador, which had “Lôraburra,” which was responsible for his gold record after its release in Portugal. The second CD came in June, 1995, Ainda É Só O Começo. “Estudo Errado” and “FDP Ao Cubo” generated their share of controversy, but the album wasn’t as successful as the first one. In mid-1997, Gabriel o Pensador released his third CD, Quebra-Cabeça, with the pop tune “2345meia78,” which was already a national hit in the radio waves. With the producer Memê’s dance touch, always commercially successful, “Cachimbo Da Paz” and “Festa da música” became hits later, with the Cd selling over a million copies. In 1998, U2 chose o Pensador for the opening of the shows of the Brazilian tour. In 1999, Gabriel o Pensador released Nádegas a Declarar, with the title track wrote and sung in partnership with Fernanda Abreu. ~ Alvaro Neder