“Porque o funk está preso na gaiola” (?): A criminalização do funk carioca nas páginas do Jornal do Brasil (1990-1999)

Abstract

In view of the persecution against the carioca funk music that was developed during the 1990s (and intensified in the 2000s), this dissertation has as its main objective to find explanations for the criminalization of the carioca funk movement. In terms of sources, songs released throughout this decade were used, also laws and draft laws that were specifically aimed at funk music and especially the contents presented in “Jornal do Brasil” during this same period, which had as main theme the carioca funk. The analysis of the selected sources allowed to conclude that the persecution carried out by the public power against the manifestations of the carioca funk (mainly the funk dances) were the result of the persecution against the adherents of the movement, that is, against the funk dancers (funkeiros); mostly black, young, poor and favela dwellers. In this sense, the occurrence of organized gang-sackings in October of 1992 marks the history of the funk movement, once the suburban funkeiros were pointed out as the main culprits of the pillages occurred in the beaches of the South Zone. From this blame, a stigmatized image had been built upon the funkeiros by the mainstream media that reduced them to potential violent, dangerous, and criminal subjects. This was evidenced in the fact that the absolute majority of the events about carioca funk music in “Jornal do Brasil” have presented the funk music and the funkeiros in a negative way.We therefore perceive that the criminalization of funk music in the 1990s was largely based on racism and social prejudices against black, poor, favela dwellers, which represented funk‟s greatest producing and consuming mass.