Rap das Armas
Encyclopedia
"Rap das Armas" is a 1990s song originally written and performed by Brazil
ian duo Junior e Leonardo.
Cidinho & Doca (a Brazilian duo made up of MC Cidinho and MC Doca and known in Portuguese
as Cidinho e Doca), made it an international hit in 2008 and 2009. The duo are two prominent proibidão
rappers in Brazil, proibidão referring to songs which are prohibited airplay by order of the Brazilian courts due to alleged crime apology.
The song enjoyed a considerable amount of success in the mid-1990s. It resurfaced when it was used as the soundtrack
of a popular Brazilian film, The Elite Squad , but was withdrawn two weeks after release.
A remixed Dutch
version of the song became popular in European nightclubs and reached #1 in the Netherlands and Sweden
.
movement that started with the release of the album Funk Brasil in 1989 produced by DJ Marlboro
, a compilation
which is considered the milestone of the funk movement. The movement was solidified with a string of albums and songs including the first-ever version of "Rap das Armas" written by siblings MC Junior e Leonardo in 1992 and performed by them in 1994. The song started as a praise to Rio
's beauties, but eventually became a protest on urban violence. Although the text called for peace and was against violence, it was still prohibited for mentioning names of a great number of weapons including Intratec
(a semi-automatic pistol), .45 Colt
, FMK
, Uzi, 7.62 and 7.65 rifles, hand grenade
s, Magnum
, Beretta
, Madsen
(referred in the weapon as "android hunter") and automatic weapons. Leonardo said he picked the names of the weapons in his day job as a newsstand attendant. The refrain of the song was based on The Outfield
's "Your Love
," replacing the lyrics with the sound of a machine gun
, imitated by the rendition "pa ra pa pa..."
Since at the time, Cidinho e Doca, were a popular duo who had released the song "Rap da felicidade," Júnior e Leonardo asked that Cidinho e Doca join in the refrain of the song. Soon afterwards, Cidinho e Doca released their own version of the song without Júnior e Leonardo. Cidinho e Doca also changed the names of some of the firearms used, adding AR-15
, .12
, .28 pistols, Uru, Glock
, AK-47
, Winchester rifle
, M16
, .50 and .30 calibre weapons. MC Júnior and Leonardo criticized the new version, saying it went for the opposite message they were seeking, praising violence instead of criticizing it. Cidinho and Doca were not sued because that version "was not commercialized," due to its lack of recorded version and radio airplay.
The lyrics of the remixed version were modified in order to make it sound like a social protest, which was not the intention of the original 1990s version. The music was also inspired by kuduro
, informally known as "funk carioca of Angola
." The filmmakers still preferred using the version of Júnior e Leonardo.
The song vividly illustrates the daily invasion of favelas by the elite squad of the police in order to fight drug trafficking. Its lyrics reference the fireweapons popular among drug dealers and police officers.
Despite its popularity, "Rap das Armas" was never played on the Brazilian radio due to its controversial nature and it was abruptly removed from The Elite Squad soundtrack album two weeks after its release, because it allegedly praises drug consumption, and defends the drug dealers and criminal factions side in Rio de Janeiro
's war on crime.
The first well known remix was in Portugal
in 2008. Consequently it became a huge hit in Portugal. This version appeared in many European countries and became a big hit almost everywhere.
Dutch DJ Quintino made his own version that reached the number-one spot in the Dutch in February 2009, staying at the top of the chart for 2 weeks.
"Rap das Armas" was even a bigger hit in Sweden
where it stayed at the top of the Swedish
singles charts for a total of 4 weeks in the summer of 2009. The supporters of Stockholm football team Djurgårdens IF Fotboll like to sing the machine gun-like chorus during games.
In 2011 rapper Flo Rida
releases a music whith samples of this song the song whas produced by DJ Frank E
. Has not been confirmed if is song is a part of its new album Only One Rida (Part 2).
by various disc jockey
s throughout Europe. Well-known versions include a dance version known as Lucana Club Mix, a remix by Rockstarzz featuring Antoine Montana and DJ Bo, "Parapapa" by DJ Jan and a parody by DJ Maurice and Boldheadz (entitled "Parapapaprika")
South African artist Snotkop has used the chorus and the music in his song "Parapapa", though the lyrics in Afrikaans
have no connection whatsoever with the original.
Also, a Greek singer called Giorgos Tsalikis has a free version of the song with the lyrics rewritten in Greek.
"Rap das Armas" (Rap of Weapons) is a 1990s song originally written and performed by Brazil
ian duo Junior e Leonardo.
Cidinho & Doca (a Brazilian duo made up of MC Cidinho and MC Doca and known in Portuguese
as Cidinho e Doca), made it an international hit in 2008 and 2009. The duo are two prominent proibidão
rappers in Brazil, proibidão referring to songs which are prohibited airplay by order of the Brazilian courts due to alleged crime apology.
The song enjoyed a considerable amount of success in the mid-1990s. It resurfaced when it was used as the soundtrack
of a popular Brazilian film, The Elite Squad , but was withdrawn two weeks after release.
A remixed Dutch
version of the song became popular in European nightclubs and reached #1 in the Netherlands and Sweden
.
movement that started with the release of the album Funk Brasil in 1989 produced by DJ Marlboro
, a compilation
which is considered the milestone of the funk movement. The movement was solidified with a string of albums and songs including the first-ever version of "Rap das Armas" written by siblings MC Junior e Leonardo in 1992 and performed by them in 1994. The song started as a praise to Rio
's beauties, but eventually became a protest on urban violence. Although the text called for peace and was against violence, it was still prohibited for mentioning names of a great number of weapons including Intratec
(a semi-automatic pistol), .45 Colt
, FMK
, Uzi, 7.62 and 7.65 rifles, hand grenade
s, Magnum
, Beretta
, Madsen
(referred in the weapon as "android hunter") and automatic weapons. Leonardo said he picked the names of the weapons in his day job as a newsstand attendant. The refrain of the song was based on The Outfield
's "Your Love
," replacing the lyrics with the sound of a machine gun
, imitated by the rendition "pa ra pa pa..."
Since at the time, Cidinho e Doca, were a popular duo who had released the song "Rap da felicidade," Júnior e Leonardo asked that Cidinho e Doca join in the refrain of the song. Soon afterwards, Cidinho e Doca released their own version of the song without Júnior e Leonardo. Cidinho e Doca also changed the names of some of the firearms used, adding AR-15
, .12
, .28 pistols, Uru, Glock
, AK-47
, Winchester rifle
, M16
, .50 and .30 calibre weapons. MC Júnior and Leonardo criticized the new version, saying it went for the opposite message they were seeking, praising violence instead of criticizing it. Cidinho and Doca were not sued because that version "was not commercialized," due to its lack of recorded version and radio airplay.
The lyrics of the remixed version were modified in order to make it sound like a social protest, which was not the intention of the original 1990s version. The music was also inspired by kuduro
, informally known as "funk carioca of Angola
." The filmmakers still preferred using the version of Júnior e Leonardo.
The song vividly illustrates the daily invasion of favelas by the elite squad of the police in order to fight drug trafficking. Its lyrics reference the fireweapons popular among drug dealers and police officers.
Despite its popularity, "Rap das Armas" was never played on the Brazilian radio due to its controversial nature and it was abruptly removed from The Elite Squad soundtrack album two weeks after its release, because it allegedly praises drug consumption, and defends the drug dealers and criminal factions side in Rio de Janeiro
's war on crime.
The first well known remix was in Portugal
in 2008. Consequently it became a huge hit in Portugal. This version appeared in many European countries and became a big hit almost everywhere.
Dutch DJ Quintino made his own version that reached the number-one spot in the Dutch in February 2009, staying at the top of the chart for 2 weeks.
"Rap das Armas" was even a bigger hit in Sweden
where it stayed at the top of the Swedish
singles charts for a total of 4 weeks in the summer of 2009. The supporters of Stockholm football team Djurgårdens IF Fotboll like to sing the machine gun-like chorus during games.
In 2011 rapper Flo Rida
releases a music whith samples of this song the song whas produced by DJ Frank E
. Has not been confirmed if is song is a part of its new album Only One Rida (Part 2).
by various disc jockey
s throughout Europe. Well-known versions include a dance version known as Lucana Club Mix, a remix by Rockstarzz featuring Antoine Montana and DJ Bo, "Parapapa" by DJ Jan and a parody by DJ Maurice and Boldheadz (entitled "Parapapaprika")
South African artist Snotkop has used the chorus and the music in his song "Parapapa", though the lyrics in Afrikaans
have no connection whatsoever with the original.
Also, a Greek singer called Giorgos Tsalikis has a free version of the song with the lyrics rewritten in Greek.
"Rap das Armas" (Rap of Weapons) is a 1990s song originally written and performed by Brazil
ian duo Junior e Leonardo.
Cidinho & Doca (a Brazilian duo made up of MC Cidinho and MC Doca and known in Portuguese
as Cidinho e Doca), made it an international hit in 2008 and 2009. The duo are two prominent proibidão
rappers in Brazil, proibidão referring to songs which are prohibited airplay by order of the Brazilian courts due to alleged crime apology.
The song enjoyed a considerable amount of success in the mid-1990s. It resurfaced when it was used as the soundtrack
of a popular Brazilian film, The Elite Squad , but was withdrawn two weeks after release.
A remixed Dutch
version of the song became popular in European nightclubs and reached #1 in the Netherlands and Sweden
.
movement that started with the release of the album Funk Brasil in 1989 produced by DJ Marlboro
, a compilation
which is considered the milestone of the funk movement. The movement was solidified with a string of albums and songs including the first-ever version of "Rap das Armas" written by siblings MC Junior e Leonardo in 1992 and performed by them in 1994. The song started as a praise to Rio
's beauties, but eventually became a protest on urban violence. Although the text called for peace and was against violence, it was still prohibited for mentioning names of a great number of weapons including Intratec
(a semi-automatic pistol), .45 Colt
, FMK
, Uzi, 7.62 and 7.65 rifles, hand grenade
s, Magnum
, Beretta
, Madsen
(referred in the weapon as "android hunter") and automatic weapons. Leonardo said he picked the names of the weapons in his day job as a newsstand attendant. The refrain of the song was based on The Outfield
's "Your Love
," replacing the lyrics with the sound of a machine gun
, imitated by the rendition "pa ra pa pa..."
Since at the time, Cidinho e Doca, were a popular duo who had released the song "Rap da felicidade," Júnior e Leonardo asked that Cidinho e Doca join in the refrain of the song. Soon afterwards, Cidinho e Doca released their own version of the song without Júnior e Leonardo. Cidinho e Doca also changed the names of some of the firearms used, adding AR-15
, .12
, .28 pistols, Uru, Glock
, AK-47
, Winchester rifle
, M16
, .50 and .30 calibre weapons. MC Júnior and Leonardo criticized the new version, saying it went for the opposite message they were seeking, praising violence instead of criticizing it. Cidinho and Doca were not sued because that version "was not commercialized," due to its lack of recorded version and radio airplay.
The lyrics of the remixed version were modified in order to make it sound like a social protest, which was not the intention of the original 1990s version. The music was also inspired by kuduro
, informally known as "funk carioca of Angola
." The filmmakers still preferred using the version of Júnior e Leonardo.
The song vividly illustrates the daily invasion of favelas by the elite squad of the police in order to fight drug trafficking. Its lyrics reference the fireweapons popular among drug dealers and police officers.
Despite its popularity, "Rap das Armas" was never played on the Brazilian radio due to its controversial nature and it was abruptly removed from The Elite Squad soundtrack album two weeks after its release, because it allegedly praises drug consumption, and defends the drug dealers and criminal factions side in Rio de Janeiro
's war on crime.
The first well known remix was in Portugal
in 2008. Consequently it became a huge hit in Portugal. This version appeared in many European countries and became a big hit almost everywhere.
Dutch DJ Quintino made his own version that reached the number-one spot in the Dutch in February 2009, staying at the top of the chart for 2 weeks.
"Rap das Armas" was even a bigger hit in Sweden
where it stayed at the top of the Swedish
singles charts for a total of 4 weeks in the summer of 2009. The supporters of Stockholm football team Djurgårdens IF Fotboll like to sing the machine gun-like chorus during games.
In 2011 rapper Flo Rida
releases a music whith samples of this song the song whas produced by DJ Frank E
. Has not been confirmed if is song is a part of its new album Only One Rida (Part 2).
by various disc jockey
s throughout Europe. Well-known versions include a dance version known as Lucana Club Mix, a remix by Rockstarzz featuring Antoine Montana and DJ Bo, "Parapapa" by DJ Jan and a parody by DJ Maurice and Boldheadz (entitled "Parapapaprika")
South African artist Snotkop has used the chorus and the music in his song "Parapapa", though the lyrics in Afrikaans
have no connection whatsoever with the original.
Also, a Greek singer called Giorgos Tsalikis has a free version of the song with the lyrics rewritten in Greek.
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian duo Junior e Leonardo.
Cidinho & Doca (a Brazilian duo made up of MC Cidinho and MC Doca and known in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
as Cidinho e Doca), made it an international hit in 2008 and 2009. The duo are two prominent proibidão
Proibidão
Proibidão, which literally translates to "strongly prohibited," is a genre of Brazilian funk music originating from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro where it began in the early 1990s as a parallel phenomenon to the growth of drug gangs in the many slums of the city...
rappers in Brazil, proibidão referring to songs which are prohibited airplay by order of the Brazilian courts due to alleged crime apology.
The song enjoyed a considerable amount of success in the mid-1990s. It resurfaced when it was used as the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of a popular Brazilian film, The Elite Squad , but was withdrawn two weeks after release.
A remixed Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
version of the song became popular in European nightclubs and reached #1 in the Netherlands and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Early version
The song is considered as part of the funk cariocaFunk carioca
Funk carioca , favela funk and, elsewhere in the world, baile funk, is a type of dance music from Rio de Janeiro, derived from Miami bass....
movement that started with the release of the album Funk Brasil in 1989 produced by DJ Marlboro
DJ Marlboro
Fernando Luiz Mattos da Matta, better known as DJ Marlboro, is a Brazilian DJ.DJ Marlboro is one of the originators of the Funk Scene in Brazil. His LP Funk Brasil is seen as marking the birth of so-called Baile funk, which included rapping in Portuguese. DJ Marlboro is the host and producer of...
, a compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
which is considered the milestone of the funk movement. The movement was solidified with a string of albums and songs including the first-ever version of "Rap das Armas" written by siblings MC Junior e Leonardo in 1992 and performed by them in 1994. The song started as a praise to Rio
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
's beauties, but eventually became a protest on urban violence. Although the text called for peace and was against violence, it was still prohibited for mentioning names of a great number of weapons including Intratec
Intratec
Intratec was a firearm company based in Miami, Florida. The company's most famous product was the TEC-9.- History :Intratec began as Interdynamic USA, an offshoot of Swedish firearms manufacturer Interdynamic AB. Due to the lack of firearm market in Sweden, Interdynamic AB set up a subsidiary in...
(a semi-automatic pistol), .45 Colt
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
, FMK
FMK-3 submachine gun
The FMK-3 is a selective fire, blowback operated submachine gun of Argentine origin and was designed by Fabricaciones Militares in 1974. Around 30,000 were produced for the Argentine military by 1991.-Overview:...
, Uzi, 7.62 and 7.65 rifles, hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
, Beretta
Beretta
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is an Italian firearms manufacturer. Their firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and military purposes. It is also known for manufacturing shooting clothes and accessories. Beretta is the oldest active firearms manufacturer in the...
, Madsen
Madsen machine gun
The Madsen was a light machine gun developed by Julius A. Rasmussen and Theodor Schoubue and proposed for adoption by Captain Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen, the Danish Minister of War and adopted by the Danish Army in 1902...
(referred in the weapon as "android hunter") and automatic weapons. Leonardo said he picked the names of the weapons in his day job as a newsstand attendant. The refrain of the song was based on The Outfield
The Outfield
The Outfield are an arena rock-influenced English pop rock/power pop power trio based in London, England. The Outfield are unusual for a British band in that they enjoyed commercial success in the U.S., but never reached the album or singles charts in their homeland...
's "Your Love
Your Love (The Outfield song)
"Your Love" is a song from The Outfield's debut album, Play Deep. It was written by John Frederick Spinks. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #7 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1986.-Covers:...
," replacing the lyrics with the sound of a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
, imitated by the rendition "pa ra pa pa..."
Since at the time, Cidinho e Doca, were a popular duo who had released the song "Rap da felicidade," Júnior e Leonardo asked that Cidinho e Doca join in the refrain of the song. Soon afterwards, Cidinho e Doca released their own version of the song without Júnior e Leonardo. Cidinho e Doca also changed the names of some of the firearms used, adding AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
, .12
Gauge (bore diameter)
The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the diameter of the barrel. Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm, and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound . Thus...
, .28 pistols, Uru, Glock
Glock
Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
, AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, Winchester rifle
Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
, M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
, .50 and .30 calibre weapons. MC Júnior and Leonardo criticized the new version, saying it went for the opposite message they were seeking, praising violence instead of criticizing it. Cidinho and Doca were not sued because that version "was not commercialized," due to its lack of recorded version and radio airplay.
2007: Soundtrack of The Elite Squad
The 1990s song was reused with amended lyrics as soundtrack of The Elite Squad, directed by José Padilha. The film soon became the highest-grossing film of 2007 in Brazil. The film version of the song as interpreted by Cidinho e Doca became very popular as a result.The lyrics of the remixed version were modified in order to make it sound like a social protest, which was not the intention of the original 1990s version. The music was also inspired by kuduro
Kuduro
Kuduro is a type of music and dance originally born in Angola in the 1980s. It is characterized as uptempo, energetic, and danceable. Kuduro, which translates as "hard ass", began in Luanda, Angola in the late 80s...
, informally known as "funk carioca of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
." The filmmakers still preferred using the version of Júnior e Leonardo.
The song vividly illustrates the daily invasion of favelas by the elite squad of the police in order to fight drug trafficking. Its lyrics reference the fireweapons popular among drug dealers and police officers.
Despite its popularity, "Rap das Armas" was never played on the Brazilian radio due to its controversial nature and it was abruptly removed from The Elite Squad soundtrack album two weeks after its release, because it allegedly praises drug consumption, and defends the drug dealers and criminal factions side in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
's war on crime.
2008-2011: Rap das Armas Remixes
European DJs made many remix versions of the song based on the Cidinho e Doca rendition rather than the original Junior e Leonardo.The first well known remix was in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 2008. Consequently it became a huge hit in Portugal. This version appeared in many European countries and became a big hit almost everywhere.
Dutch DJ Quintino made his own version that reached the number-one spot in the Dutch in February 2009, staying at the top of the chart for 2 weeks.
"Rap das Armas" was even a bigger hit in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
where it stayed at the top of the Swedish
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
singles charts for a total of 4 weeks in the summer of 2009. The supporters of Stockholm football team Djurgårdens IF Fotboll like to sing the machine gun-like chorus during games.
In 2011 rapper Flo Rida
Flo Rida
Tramar Dillard , better known by his stage name Flo Rida , is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a #1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from...
releases a music whith samples of this song the song whas produced by DJ Frank E
DJ Frank E
Justin Franks, also known as DJ Frank E, is an American DJ and record producer from Denver, Colorado. He began mixing records and later progressed to producing remixes in 2003....
. Has not been confirmed if is song is a part of its new album Only One Rida (Part 2).
Other versions
The song has been subject to many versions, remixes and even parodiesParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
by various disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s throughout Europe. Well-known versions include a dance version known as Lucana Club Mix, a remix by Rockstarzz featuring Antoine Montana and DJ Bo, "Parapapa" by DJ Jan and a parody by DJ Maurice and Boldheadz (entitled "Parapapaprika")
South African artist Snotkop has used the chorus and the music in his song "Parapapa", though the lyrics in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
have no connection whatsoever with the original.
Also, a Greek singer called Giorgos Tsalikis has a free version of the song with the lyrics rewritten in Greek.
Charts
| Chart (2008/2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart Mitä hittiä The Official Finnish Charts is a national record chart in Finland composed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.The singles chart was started in January 1991 as Radiomafian lista and was broadcast on the radio station Radiomafia of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE. This chart is based on a... |
12 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
25 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
30 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 79 |
"Rap das Armas" (Rap of Weapons) is a 1990s song originally written and performed by Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian duo Junior e Leonardo.
Cidinho & Doca (a Brazilian duo made up of MC Cidinho and MC Doca and known in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
as Cidinho e Doca), made it an international hit in 2008 and 2009. The duo are two prominent proibidão
Proibidão
Proibidão, which literally translates to "strongly prohibited," is a genre of Brazilian funk music originating from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro where it began in the early 1990s as a parallel phenomenon to the growth of drug gangs in the many slums of the city...
rappers in Brazil, proibidão referring to songs which are prohibited airplay by order of the Brazilian courts due to alleged crime apology.
The song enjoyed a considerable amount of success in the mid-1990s. It resurfaced when it was used as the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of a popular Brazilian film, The Elite Squad , but was withdrawn two weeks after release.
A remixed Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
version of the song became popular in European nightclubs and reached #1 in the Netherlands and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Early version
The song is considered as part of the funk cariocaFunk carioca
Funk carioca , favela funk and, elsewhere in the world, baile funk, is a type of dance music from Rio de Janeiro, derived from Miami bass....
movement that started with the release of the album Funk Brasil in 1989 produced by DJ Marlboro
DJ Marlboro
Fernando Luiz Mattos da Matta, better known as DJ Marlboro, is a Brazilian DJ.DJ Marlboro is one of the originators of the Funk Scene in Brazil. His LP Funk Brasil is seen as marking the birth of so-called Baile funk, which included rapping in Portuguese. DJ Marlboro is the host and producer of...
, a compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
which is considered the milestone of the funk movement. The movement was solidified with a string of albums and songs including the first-ever version of "Rap das Armas" written by siblings MC Junior e Leonardo in 1992 and performed by them in 1994. The song started as a praise to Rio
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
's beauties, but eventually became a protest on urban violence. Although the text called for peace and was against violence, it was still prohibited for mentioning names of a great number of weapons including Intratec
Intratec
Intratec was a firearm company based in Miami, Florida. The company's most famous product was the TEC-9.- History :Intratec began as Interdynamic USA, an offshoot of Swedish firearms manufacturer Interdynamic AB. Due to the lack of firearm market in Sweden, Interdynamic AB set up a subsidiary in...
(a semi-automatic pistol), .45 Colt
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
, FMK
FMK-3 submachine gun
The FMK-3 is a selective fire, blowback operated submachine gun of Argentine origin and was designed by Fabricaciones Militares in 1974. Around 30,000 were produced for the Argentine military by 1991.-Overview:...
, Uzi, 7.62 and 7.65 rifles, hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
, Beretta
Beretta
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is an Italian firearms manufacturer. Their firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and military purposes. It is also known for manufacturing shooting clothes and accessories. Beretta is the oldest active firearms manufacturer in the...
, Madsen
Madsen machine gun
The Madsen was a light machine gun developed by Julius A. Rasmussen and Theodor Schoubue and proposed for adoption by Captain Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen, the Danish Minister of War and adopted by the Danish Army in 1902...
(referred in the weapon as "android hunter") and automatic weapons. Leonardo said he picked the names of the weapons in his day job as a newsstand attendant. The refrain of the song was based on The Outfield
The Outfield
The Outfield are an arena rock-influenced English pop rock/power pop power trio based in London, England. The Outfield are unusual for a British band in that they enjoyed commercial success in the U.S., but never reached the album or singles charts in their homeland...
's "Your Love
Your Love (The Outfield song)
"Your Love" is a song from The Outfield's debut album, Play Deep. It was written by John Frederick Spinks. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #7 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1986.-Covers:...
," replacing the lyrics with the sound of a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
, imitated by the rendition "pa ra pa pa..."
Since at the time, Cidinho e Doca, were a popular duo who had released the song "Rap da felicidade," Júnior e Leonardo asked that Cidinho e Doca join in the refrain of the song. Soon afterwards, Cidinho e Doca released their own version of the song without Júnior e Leonardo. Cidinho e Doca also changed the names of some of the firearms used, adding AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
, .12
Gauge (bore diameter)
The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the diameter of the barrel. Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm, and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound . Thus...
, .28 pistols, Uru, Glock
Glock
Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
, AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, Winchester rifle
Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
, M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
, .50 and .30 calibre weapons. MC Júnior and Leonardo criticized the new version, saying it went for the opposite message they were seeking, praising violence instead of criticizing it. Cidinho and Doca were not sued because that version "was not commercialized," due to its lack of recorded version and radio airplay.
2007: Soundtrack of The Elite Squad
The 1990s song was reused with amended lyrics as soundtrack of The Elite Squad, directed by José Padilha. The film soon became the highest-grossing film of 2007 in Brazil. The film version of the song as interpreted by Cidinho e Doca became very popular as a result.The lyrics of the remixed version were modified in order to make it sound like a social protest, which was not the intention of the original 1990s version. The music was also inspired by kuduro
Kuduro
Kuduro is a type of music and dance originally born in Angola in the 1980s. It is characterized as uptempo, energetic, and danceable. Kuduro, which translates as "hard ass", began in Luanda, Angola in the late 80s...
, informally known as "funk carioca of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
." The filmmakers still preferred using the version of Júnior e Leonardo.
The song vividly illustrates the daily invasion of favelas by the elite squad of the police in order to fight drug trafficking. Its lyrics reference the fireweapons popular among drug dealers and police officers.
Despite its popularity, "Rap das Armas" was never played on the Brazilian radio due to its controversial nature and it was abruptly removed from The Elite Squad soundtrack album two weeks after its release, because it allegedly praises drug consumption, and defends the drug dealers and criminal factions side in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
's war on crime.
2008-2011: Rap das Armas Remixes
European DJs made many remix versions of the song based on the Cidinho e Doca rendition rather than the original Junior e Leonardo.The first well known remix was in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 2008. Consequently it became a huge hit in Portugal. This version appeared in many European countries and became a big hit almost everywhere.
Dutch DJ Quintino made his own version that reached the number-one spot in the Dutch in February 2009, staying at the top of the chart for 2 weeks.
"Rap das Armas" was even a bigger hit in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
where it stayed at the top of the Swedish
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
singles charts for a total of 4 weeks in the summer of 2009. The supporters of Stockholm football team Djurgårdens IF Fotboll like to sing the machine gun-like chorus during games.
In 2011 rapper Flo Rida
Flo Rida
Tramar Dillard , better known by his stage name Flo Rida , is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a #1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from...
releases a music whith samples of this song the song whas produced by DJ Frank E
DJ Frank E
Justin Franks, also known as DJ Frank E, is an American DJ and record producer from Denver, Colorado. He began mixing records and later progressed to producing remixes in 2003....
. Has not been confirmed if is song is a part of its new album Only One Rida (Part 2).
Other versions
The song has been subject to many versions, remixes and even parodiesParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
by various disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s throughout Europe. Well-known versions include a dance version known as Lucana Club Mix, a remix by Rockstarzz featuring Antoine Montana and DJ Bo, "Parapapa" by DJ Jan and a parody by DJ Maurice and Boldheadz (entitled "Parapapaprika")
South African artist Snotkop has used the chorus and the music in his song "Parapapa", though the lyrics in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
have no connection whatsoever with the original.
Also, a Greek singer called Giorgos Tsalikis has a free version of the song with the lyrics rewritten in Greek.
Charts
| Chart (2008/2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart Mitä hittiä The Official Finnish Charts is a national record chart in Finland composed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.The singles chart was started in January 1991 as Radiomafian lista and was broadcast on the radio station Radiomafia of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE. This chart is based on a... |
12 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
25 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
30 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 79 |
"Rap das Armas" (Rap of Weapons) is a 1990s song originally written and performed by Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian duo Junior e Leonardo.
Cidinho & Doca (a Brazilian duo made up of MC Cidinho and MC Doca and known in Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
as Cidinho e Doca), made it an international hit in 2008 and 2009. The duo are two prominent proibidão
Proibidão
Proibidão, which literally translates to "strongly prohibited," is a genre of Brazilian funk music originating from the favelas of Rio de Janeiro where it began in the early 1990s as a parallel phenomenon to the growth of drug gangs in the many slums of the city...
rappers in Brazil, proibidão referring to songs which are prohibited airplay by order of the Brazilian courts due to alleged crime apology.
The song enjoyed a considerable amount of success in the mid-1990s. It resurfaced when it was used as the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
of a popular Brazilian film, The Elite Squad , but was withdrawn two weeks after release.
A remixed Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
version of the song became popular in European nightclubs and reached #1 in the Netherlands and Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
.
Early version
The song is considered as part of the funk cariocaFunk carioca
Funk carioca , favela funk and, elsewhere in the world, baile funk, is a type of dance music from Rio de Janeiro, derived from Miami bass....
movement that started with the release of the album Funk Brasil in 1989 produced by DJ Marlboro
DJ Marlboro
Fernando Luiz Mattos da Matta, better known as DJ Marlboro, is a Brazilian DJ.DJ Marlboro is one of the originators of the Funk Scene in Brazil. His LP Funk Brasil is seen as marking the birth of so-called Baile funk, which included rapping in Portuguese. DJ Marlboro is the host and producer of...
, a compilation
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
which is considered the milestone of the funk movement. The movement was solidified with a string of albums and songs including the first-ever version of "Rap das Armas" written by siblings MC Junior e Leonardo in 1992 and performed by them in 1994. The song started as a praise to Rio
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
's beauties, but eventually became a protest on urban violence. Although the text called for peace and was against violence, it was still prohibited for mentioning names of a great number of weapons including Intratec
Intratec
Intratec was a firearm company based in Miami, Florida. The company's most famous product was the TEC-9.- History :Intratec began as Interdynamic USA, an offshoot of Swedish firearms manufacturer Interdynamic AB. Due to the lack of firearm market in Sweden, Interdynamic AB set up a subsidiary in...
(a semi-automatic pistol), .45 Colt
.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
, FMK
FMK-3 submachine gun
The FMK-3 is a selective fire, blowback operated submachine gun of Argentine origin and was designed by Fabricaciones Militares in 1974. Around 30,000 were produced for the Argentine military by 1991.-Overview:...
, Uzi, 7.62 and 7.65 rifles, hand grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
s, Magnum
.44 Magnum
The .44 Remington Magnum, or simply .44 Magnum, is a large-bore cartridge originally designed for revolvers. After introduction, it was quickly adopted for carbines and rifles...
, Beretta
Beretta
Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta is an Italian firearms manufacturer. Their firearms are used worldwide for a variety of civilian, law enforcement, and military purposes. It is also known for manufacturing shooting clothes and accessories. Beretta is the oldest active firearms manufacturer in the...
, Madsen
Madsen machine gun
The Madsen was a light machine gun developed by Julius A. Rasmussen and Theodor Schoubue and proposed for adoption by Captain Vilhelm Herman Oluf Madsen, the Danish Minister of War and adopted by the Danish Army in 1902...
(referred in the weapon as "android hunter") and automatic weapons. Leonardo said he picked the names of the weapons in his day job as a newsstand attendant. The refrain of the song was based on The Outfield
The Outfield
The Outfield are an arena rock-influenced English pop rock/power pop power trio based in London, England. The Outfield are unusual for a British band in that they enjoyed commercial success in the U.S., but never reached the album or singles charts in their homeland...
's "Your Love
Your Love (The Outfield song)
"Your Love" is a song from The Outfield's debut album, Play Deep. It was written by John Frederick Spinks. The song reached #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 & #7 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1986.-Covers:...
," replacing the lyrics with the sound of a machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
, imitated by the rendition "pa ra pa pa..."
Since at the time, Cidinho e Doca, were a popular duo who had released the song "Rap da felicidade," Júnior e Leonardo asked that Cidinho e Doca join in the refrain of the song. Soon afterwards, Cidinho e Doca released their own version of the song without Júnior e Leonardo. Cidinho e Doca also changed the names of some of the firearms used, adding AR-15
AR-15
The AR-15 is a lightweight, 5.56 mm, air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle, with a rotating-lock bolt, actuated by direct impingement gas operation. It is manufactured with the extensive use of aluminum alloys and synthetic materials....
, .12
Gauge (bore diameter)
The gauge of a firearm is a unit of measurement used to express the diameter of the barrel. Gauge is determined from the weight of a solid sphere of lead that will fit the bore of the firearm, and is expressed as the multiplicative inverse of the sphere's weight as a fraction of a pound . Thus...
, .28 pistols, Uru, Glock
Glock
Glock Ges.m.b.H. is a weapons manufacturer headquartered in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria, named after its founder, Gaston Glock...
, AK-47
AK-47
The AK-47 is a selective-fire, gas-operated 7.62×39mm assault rifle, first developed in the Soviet Union by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is officially known as Avtomat Kalashnikova . It is also known as a Kalashnikov, an "AK", or in Russian slang, Kalash.Design work on the AK-47 began in the last year...
, Winchester rifle
Winchester rifle
In common usage, Winchester rifle usually means any of the lever-action rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, though the company has also manufactured many rifles of other action types...
, M16
M16 rifle
The M16 is the United States military designation for the AR-15 rifle adapted for both semi-automatic and full-automatic fire. Colt purchased the rights to the AR-15 from ArmaLite, and currently uses that designation only for semi-automatic versions of the rifle. The M16 fires the 5.56×45mm NATO...
, .50 and .30 calibre weapons. MC Júnior and Leonardo criticized the new version, saying it went for the opposite message they were seeking, praising violence instead of criticizing it. Cidinho and Doca were not sued because that version "was not commercialized," due to its lack of recorded version and radio airplay.
2007: Soundtrack of The Elite Squad
The 1990s song was reused with amended lyrics as soundtrack of The Elite Squad, directed by José Padilha. The film soon became the highest-grossing film of 2007 in Brazil. The film version of the song as interpreted by Cidinho e Doca became very popular as a result.The lyrics of the remixed version were modified in order to make it sound like a social protest, which was not the intention of the original 1990s version. The music was also inspired by kuduro
Kuduro
Kuduro is a type of music and dance originally born in Angola in the 1980s. It is characterized as uptempo, energetic, and danceable. Kuduro, which translates as "hard ass", began in Luanda, Angola in the late 80s...
, informally known as "funk carioca of Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
." The filmmakers still preferred using the version of Júnior e Leonardo.
The song vividly illustrates the daily invasion of favelas by the elite squad of the police in order to fight drug trafficking. Its lyrics reference the fireweapons popular among drug dealers and police officers.
Despite its popularity, "Rap das Armas" was never played on the Brazilian radio due to its controversial nature and it was abruptly removed from The Elite Squad soundtrack album two weeks after its release, because it allegedly praises drug consumption, and defends the drug dealers and criminal factions side in Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
's war on crime.
2008-2011: Rap das Armas Remixes
European DJs made many remix versions of the song based on the Cidinho e Doca rendition rather than the original Junior e Leonardo.The first well known remix was in Portugal
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
in 2008. Consequently it became a huge hit in Portugal. This version appeared in many European countries and became a big hit almost everywhere.
Dutch DJ Quintino made his own version that reached the number-one spot in the Dutch in February 2009, staying at the top of the chart for 2 weeks.
"Rap das Armas" was even a bigger hit in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
where it stayed at the top of the Swedish
Sverigetopplistan
Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association ....
singles charts for a total of 4 weeks in the summer of 2009. The supporters of Stockholm football team Djurgårdens IF Fotboll like to sing the machine gun-like chorus during games.
In 2011 rapper Flo Rida
Flo Rida
Tramar Dillard , better known by his stage name Flo Rida , is an American rapper and singer-songwriter. He released his debut album, Mail on Sunday, in March 2008. His debut single "Low", featuring T-Pain, was a #1 hit for ten weeks in United States in early 2008. Two other singles resulted from...
releases a music whith samples of this song the song whas produced by DJ Frank E
DJ Frank E
Justin Franks, also known as DJ Frank E, is an American DJ and record producer from Denver, Colorado. He began mixing records and later progressed to producing remixes in 2003....
. Has not been confirmed if is song is a part of its new album Only One Rida (Part 2).
Other versions
The song has been subject to many versions, remixes and even parodiesParody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
by various disc jockey
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
s throughout Europe. Well-known versions include a dance version known as Lucana Club Mix, a remix by Rockstarzz featuring Antoine Montana and DJ Bo, "Parapapa" by DJ Jan and a parody by DJ Maurice and Boldheadz (entitled "Parapapaprika")
South African artist Snotkop has used the chorus and the music in his song "Parapapa", though the lyrics in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
have no connection whatsoever with the original.
Also, a Greek singer called Giorgos Tsalikis has a free version of the song with the lyrics rewritten in Greek.
Charts
| Chart (2008/2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Singles Chart Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
| Finnish Singles Chart Mitä hittiä The Official Finnish Charts is a national record chart in Finland composed by Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.The singles chart was started in January 1991 as Radiomafian lista and was broadcast on the radio station Radiomafia of the Finnish Broadcasting Company, YLE. This chart is based on a... |
12 |
| French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
25 |
| Belgian Singles Chart Ultratop 50 Ultratop 50 singles, often just Ultratop 50, is the weekly chart of fifty best-selling singles in Flanders, Belgium, and is produced and published by the Ultratop organization. The chart has existed since March 31, 1995... |
30 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 79 |