Sonic narratives from Cohab Feitoria: the case of rap by the Mesclã groupConsidering urban peripheries vivid and complex subjects, I articulate a key concept - sonic narratives - that may provide relevant insights into the dynamics of peripheral life. I attempt to present the sonic dimension at the research locus, Cohab Feitoria, a neighborhood in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil, often characterized as working-class; it is based on the sonic dimension of the neighborhood that I explore the musical narrative of a rap crew, Mesclã. As I aim to demonstrate, Mesclã’s performances emerge as sonic narratives from Cohab, with the group facing challenges and responding through socio-musical strategies shaped by their condition as a crew from southern Brazil. Sonic narratives from Cohab dynamize life in the urban periphery, creating meaning where there are “shots from here and there,” both literally and symbolically; sounds from “here and there” also become sonic entities that reverberate the very existence of cohabeiros and the sense of belonging immersed in a sonic ethos.
Keywords:
Sonic Narratives; Raps; Musical Performances; COHAB; Urban Peripheries