The poetics of social contestation of slam and rap in contemporary Brazilian literature

Abstract

This article proposes reflections on the effects of hegemonic discourses in historiography and literary criticism that impact peripheral arts, relating their reception to literary and decolonial studies. What we observe is an overvaluation of classical and canonical arts, juxtaposed with an undervaluation of peripheral arts. Thus, the depreciation of arts such as slam and rap is associated with a prejudiced imaginary constructed socially and historically in the perception of poetry closed in on itself, without ethical connection to its production context. In this sense, the objective is to shed light on this cultural bias that permeates artistic conceptions, so that we consider rap and slam from a decolonial perspective. For this reason, we promote reflections based on the assertions of Abreu (2006), Candido (2006), Fish; Hoys-Andrade (2001), Lajolo (1993), Palermo (2018), and Shusterman (1998) and Zumthor (1997) according to whom the paths involved in the reception of artistic text will be exclusively expressive communication (and therefore art) if those who consume it also understand it. Therefore, the final purpose of this work is to provide enhanced contributions to the idea that both slam and rap are arts that can reach their audience regarding the fabulation process. To do this, the method through which we weave our reflections revisits some works belonging to the periphery, such as the slams compiled by Mel Duarte (2019), as well as the song "Capítulo 4, versículo 3" by the group Racionais Mc’s (2023), seeking to analyze them in light of the arguments put forth by the mentioned authors.