Criolo

Criolo, whose real name is Kleber Cavalcante Gomes, is a Brazilian rapper and MPB singer from São Paulo, active since the late 1980s. He emerged from São Paulo's hip-hop scene but grew into one of Brazilian music's most genre-crossing artists, blending rap with samba, soul, and MPB songwriting.

His debut album, Ainda Há Tempo, arrived years before his real breakthrough, which came with Nó na Orelha (2011), a critically acclaimed record whose song «Não Existe Amor em SP» became a national hit and made Criolo a household name beyond the rap underground. He followed it with Convoque Seu Buda (2014), further cementing his reputation for socially conscious, poetic lyricism.

In 2017 Criolo released Espiral de Ilusão, an album dedicated entirely to samba, showing the deep roots that genre already had in his earlier work. He also revisited and reworked his debut in 2016 with new beats and updated lyrics. Known for addressing race, poverty, and life in São Paulo's periphery, Criolo is regarded as one of Brazil's most important and versatile contemporary artists.