Keidje Torres Lima is a

Portuguese language Portuguese ( or, in full, ) is a western Romance language of the Indo-European language family, originating in the Iberian Peninsula of Europe. It is an official language of Portugal, Brazil, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau ...

political hip hop Political hip hop is a subgenre of hip hop music that was developed in the 1980s as a way of turning hip hop into a call for political and/or social action and a form of social and/or political activism. Inspired by 1970s political artists su ...

artist, known professionally as Valete.Jornal de Notícias - Hip-Hop é nova música de intervenção em Portugal?
jn.sapo.pt, 25 April 2007. that has enjoyed critical success in his home country of

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, In recognized minority languages of Portugal: :* mwl, República Pertuesa is a country located on the Iberian Peninsula, in Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Macaronesian ...

Life & music career

Valete was born in Lisbon, where he was raised in the Benfica neighborhood. He traveled to Arroja, returned to Benfica, then moved to

Amadora Amadora () is a municipality and urbanized city in the northwest of the Lisbon metropolitan area and 10 km from central Lisbon. The population in 2011 was 175,136, in an area of 23.78 km² (9.2 sq mi). It is the most densely populated mu ...

and finally settled in Damaia. From a young age he developed strong politic opinions, influenced by his Philosophy teacher at school. During his youth he maintained relations with the JCP (

Portuguese Communist Youth The Portuguese Communist Youth ( pt, Juventude Comunista Portuguesa or ) is the youth organization of the Portuguese Communist Party, and was founded on 10 November 1979, after the unification of the Young Communist League and the Communist Studen ...

) and the PCP (

Portuguese Communist Party The Portuguese Communist Party ( pt, Partido Comunista Português, , PCP) is a communist, Marxist–Leninist political party in Portugal based upon democratic centralism. The party also considers itself patriotic and internationalist,Portug ...

). However, in the same interview he admitted that despite being a party in which he identifies himself ideologically, he has issues its structure and social agendas. Thus, he prefers to embrace the

Bloco de Esquerda The Left Bloc ( pt, Bloco de Esquerda, ; abbr. BE, colloquially shortened as O Bloco) is a left-wing populist, democratic socialist political party in Portugal founded in 1999. It is currently led by Catarina Martins. History Formation and ...

(Left Block), because it's closer to his political references. He began listening to

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

music in 1991, later encountering such artists like

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ...

, Krs-one and Racionais MC's.M@giC-HiPhOp: Biografia do MC "Valete"
hip-hop-inter.blogspot.com; accessed 31 July 2018. His career began in 1997 with

Adamastor Adamastor is a mythological character created by the Portuguese poet Luís de Camões in his epic poem ''Os Lusíadas'' (first printed in 1572), as a personification of the Cape of Good Hope, symbolizing the dangers of the sea and the formidable ...

, when they created a group called Canal 115, and later getting signed by Horizontal Records. During that same year, and only sixteen years old, he started recording mix-tapes launched by DJs like Bomberjack and Cruzfader. He continued with Canal 115 for 2 more years constantly performing in his country, but then decided to dedicate himself to his studies, getting a degree in

Economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analy ...

at the Lisbon School of Economics & Management (ISEG). In 2002 he returned with his

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Educação Visual ''Educação Visual'' is the first album of Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portug ...

, launched independently and rejecting collaborations. Valete, who before this album was known for being a

freestyle Freestyle may refer to: Brands * Reebok Freestyle, a women's athletic shoe * Ford Freestyle, an SUV automobile * Coca-Cola Freestyle, a vending machine * ICD Freestyle, a paintball marker * Abbott FreeStyle, a blood glucose monitor by Abbott La ...

or battle MC, clearly showed his lyrical talent with elaborate rhymes, taking on anti-

capitalist Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, pri ...

overtones. In the song "Anti-Herói", he defined himself as a "Trotskista belicista" (a bellicist Trotskist). His second album Serviço Público was named as one of the best Portuguese hip hop albums of 2006 by the critics. It was selected as the second best national album by the listeners of the Hip hop radio show ''Suburbano'' on

Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...

's university radio, RUC. A prominent hip hop critic, Rui Miguel Abreu, has called him the only political rapper in Portugal.Cláudia Luís
"Hip-Hop é nova música de intervenção em Portugal?"
''

Jornal de Notícias ''Jornal de Notícias (JN)'' (; meaning ''News Journal'' in English) is a Portuguese daily national newspaper, one of the oldest in Portugal. History and profile ''JN'' was founded in Porto and was first published on 21 June 1888. It was one o ...

'' ("E rapper político em Portugal só há um - o Valete" -- "And there's only one political rapper in Portugal - Valete"), jn.sapo.pt; accessed 23 June 2007.

Discography

Albums

2002 - 5,000 copies sold in Portugal * Serviço Público 2006 - 5,000 copies sold in Portugal

Collaborations

Canal 115 Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface fl ...

project (''Valete'', Adamastor and Bónus) *

Sam the Kid Samuel Martins Torres Santiago Mira (born 17 July 1979), better known by his stage name Sam the Kid (STK), is a Portuguese rapper and producer from Chelas, in the civil parish of Marvila, Lisbon. Early life Sam the Kid's music was primari ...

Pratica(mente) ''Pratica(mente)'' is a 2006 studio album by prominent Portuguese rapper and producer Sam the Kid. It is his first studio album, all of his previous works being recorded in his home. The album features many prominent Portuguese artists, such as ...

" *Compilation "Nação Hip Hop" - 10 Anos de rap em português" (May/2003) - song "Nossos Tempos" *Compilation "Primeiro Kombate" (June/2003) - song "À Noite" (with Bónus) *Compilation "Hip Hop Nation #1" (June/2003) - song "Ser Ou Não Ser" (with Bónus) *Compilation "Hip Hop Nation #11" (June/2004) - song "Fim da Ditadura" *Compilation "Poesia Urbana Vol.1" (July/2004) *Compilation "Nação Hip-Hop 2005" (January/2005) *Compilation "Hip Hop Nation #17" (February/2005) - collaborates in "Conexões" *CD "Pratica(mente)" (December/2006) of Sam The Kid - collaborates in "Presta Atenção" *Compilation "Adriano, Aqui e Agora - O Tributo" (October/2007) - song "Menina dos Olhos Tristes" *CD "Babalaze" (November/2007) of Azagaia - collaborates in song "Alternativos" *CD "Na Linda Da Frente" (May/2010) of GPRO - collaborates in song "Karaboss Remix & G.P.R.O" *CD "Diversidad" (Feb/2011) of Diversidad Experience

Mixtapes

*Mixtape "Reencontro do Vinil Vol. 1" (January/1998) of DJ Bomberjack - one song *Mixtape "Reencontro do Vinil Vol. 2" (1998) of DJ Bomberjack - three songs *Mixtape "Volta a Dar Cartas em 99" (1999) of DJ Bomberjack - collaborates in one song *Mixtape "Freestyle Connexion" (November/2002) of DJ Bomberjack & DJ Lusitano - song "Duplo Sentido" *Mixtape "Colisão Ibérica" em 00 de DJ Bomberjack - participa num tema *Mixtape "Lisboa-Porto Connection" (1999) de DJ Cruzfader *Mixtape "Tuga Mix" (1999) of DJ Cruzfader

References

External links

Valete
at

hi5 hi5 is an American social networking service based in San Francisco, California. It is owned by The Meet Group. Users can create a profile and provide personal information including interests, age, photos, and hometown. Users can also send ...

Valete discography (including mixtapes)
(Portuguese)

GangdoMoinho - HipHop Tuga
- Hip Hop Tuga e Crioulo, downloads, videoclips, albums, mixtaps, entrevistas, concertos, beefs/battles, novidades e desporto online (Sportv) {{DEFAULTSORT:Valete Year of birth missing (living people) Portuguese rappers Portuguese songwriters 21st-century Portuguese male singers Living people Portuguese people of Angolan descent Singers from Lisbon 20th-century Portuguese male singers