From chaos to success: the behind-the-scenes of the DVD '1000 Trutas, 1000 Tretas', by Racionais MC's, which is 20 years old

20 years ago, on October 7, 2006, the Racionais MC's released their first DVD, "1000 Trutas, 1000 Tretas". Born as a historical moment of Brazilian rap, the project had more than four years of gestation and was built on some of the group's main pillars: collective construction among them, little media attention, and a faithful portrait of their time. G1 spoke with part of the team that made the DVD, who almost did not leave the realm of ideas because of a major technical problem. '1000 Trutas, 1000 Tretas', by Racionais MC's, completes 20 years — Photo: Reproduction and Bob Wolfenson/Disclosure Unplanned chaos In early 2002, the Racionais MC's released "Nada Como um Dia após o Outro Dia," a double album that followed the acclaimed "Sobrevivendo no Inferno" (1997), which became a mandatory book in entrance exams in today's days. To crown the moment, Mano Brown, Ice Blue, Edi Rock, and KL Jay decided to record a DVD. At the turn of the century, live show recordings were in high demand, but this type of production was unprecedented in Brazilian rap. The recording took place at the Casaluce warehouse in Brás, central São Paulo region. The space, which could accommodate about three thousand people, hosted 10 thousand, according to a report by "Folha de S.Paulo". "The lack of hits and the concern with the DVD script did not help the show take off. This, combined with the fatigue from accumulating hours where people were standing, was reflected in the lukewarm reception of the audience in part of the show — contrary to what was hinted at in the opening, when the audience received the group with screams and punches in the air. The peak moments occurred with 'Negro Drama' and, mainly, 'Vida Loka 1'", said the critic at the time. However, the overcrowding generated a technical problem that made the DVD production unfeasible. "With the overcrowding, some cables ended up being stepped on and damaged, compromising the capture, and that material could not become the DVD. We could have stopped there, but we decided to do it again," says Mano Brown, in a statement about the 20 years of the DVD. The new recording The sequence was born, at first, with the Racionais "embracing" the team that made the first recording, starting with director Roberto T. Oliveira, owner of Sindicato Paralelo Filmes, responsible for the DVD production. Roberto, who had already worked with Chorão and produced other musical projects, was invited by Ice Blue to direct the launch of the group he was a fan of. After the confusion of the first attempt, he began to accompany the quartet in shows across Brazil. "This helped create a connection with the whole group. For years, I was there on stage, backstage, recording an incredible archive. We built a friendship and I also came to understand each one better. Obviously, when recording, this closeness helps the final result," he explains to G1. Mano Brown and KL Jay during the Racionais MC's tour in Japan — Photo: Reproduction/YouTube According to the group, between 2002 and 2006, they performed about 400 shows, including a tour in Japan, the USA, and Europe. In their performances in Brazil, two rules were sacred: cheap tickets (at most R$ 20, prices of the time) and no police providing security on stage. Giving up on large fees and even TV channel proposals to produce the DVD, the Racionais decided to record their second session in April 2004, during a show at Sesc Itaquera, Northeast Zone of São Paulo. In total, the production of "1000 Trutas, 1000 Tretas" cost the group R$ 400 thousand at the time (about R$ 1.5 million in corrected values), with a technical team full of important names who had some kind of connection with hip-hop culture. "I didn't even get a fee for the DVD. I knew it wasn't an easy project and they always paid me faithfully. We did it out of love, that's why it came out. The Racionais are loyal, they choose who works with them by themselves. I am happy to have been part of not only this project but also of contributing to the culture and maintaining a friendship with the group, especially with Mano Brown," comments Roberto. The setting of the first recording was imitated in the second and was under the responsibility of Flávio Sadella. To G1, he said that the art direction would be guided by the single that was the "main" of the Racionais at the time: "Vida Loka Pt. 2". Set design used in the DVD '1000 Trutas, 1000 Tretas', by the Racionais MC's — Photo: Personal Archive/Flávio Sadalla "I participated in the conception for the first show. We had some meetings at my house and decided on this representation of the favela, with some specific characteristics, thinking about the freedom they also wanted to improvise at the time," he explains, who currently works with the high-end market in his own studio, Stdio Sadella. "What delights me most is knowing that we did visionary work. At that time, there was no LED, the technology was different. You see the Favela Stage, from Rock in Rio, for example, and there is a clear inspiration in what this DVD was." Iconic moments Jorge Ben Jor during the recording of the DVD '1000 Trutas, 1000 Tretas', by the Racionais MC's — Photo: Reproduction/YouTube Jorge Ben Jor sings the first song of "1000 Trutas, 1000 Tretas". But the idea arose almost at the last minute. This is because the great mentor of the DVD was Mano Brown, who kept certain ideas only in his head. One of these "ideas" was which song the guest would sing. The decision came while Jorge Ben was cutting his hair in the dressing room. Very grateful for the invitation, the icon of Brazilian music was still in doubt about what he would present on stage. When questioning Brown, who honored the singer in the name of his two sons (Kaire Jorge and Domênica), about what his performance would be like, he received the recommendation to play a song that was somewhat B-side of his work: "Abenção Mamãe, Abenção Papai," from the album "Sonsual" (1984). And so it was decided. "Vida Loka Pt. 2" is the song that closes the DVD. Sung by Mano Brown, in the DVD it gains the spotlight of Ice Blue. In the middle of the song, he throws himself into the audience, who grabs him and retaliates with slaps and greetings. This moment was recorded by videographer Rodney Suguita, who, in the middle of the confusion, ended up with the camera broken. "I was the only 'free' videographer, so I took the camera to the dressing room and, during the show, I stayed in the audience, rolling. When Blue went to the audience, he started slapping everything and ended up hitting the lens and the viewfinder, which broke. I recorded the rest without a return of image," he explains to G1. "I was very tired, it was a long day. In the end, I stood for 15 hours to get a take of 30, 40 seconds. But it was worth it because it entered history." Camera used by Rodney in the recording of the Racionais MC's DVD — Photo: Personal Archive Success thermometer With the first session in 2002, the second in 2004, and the release in 2006, "1000 Trutas, 1000 Tretas" records the group's deep connection with the peripheries of São Paulo (and Brazil) over almost a decade. The interval of more than two years between the show at Sesc Itaquera and the arrival of the DVD had a practical reason: the project was not thought of as a simple stage recording, but as a hybrid of the tour show and documentary, weaving together the catharsis of the performances with the intimacy of the travels, dressing room conversations, and political reflections. Today, the live recording amounts to more than 136 million views on Spotify, while the official channel on YouTube exceeds 2.9 billion views. In mid-2006, having an audiovisual recording "bombing" in Brazil was synonymous with absolute success – even without a sales metric. "Calcinha Preta Vol. 2", "Ivete Sangalo at Maracanã", "Acústico MTV: Zeca Pagodinho," and even the film "Tropa de Elite" are examples of this phenomenon. "There is no greater proof of success than this," Roberto summarizes.