It is possible that baile funk star MC Bin Laden’s artistic moniker did not work in his favor last summer, when he tried and failed to get a visa for his debut U.S. performances in New York. However, the 23-year-old São Paulo vocalist is an endearingly sweet entertainer who doubles as a transgressive outlaw in his music. On “É Grau Olha pra Traz e da Tchau,” a track taken from the artist’s upcoming True Panther debut É Grau, he revels in the bliss of disregarding the speed limit in a massive pack of “over 40” motorcycles.
Along with its gleefully carefree ethos, the track highlights what’s become so thrilling about baile funk in recent years: the way artists are playing with negative musical space in order to enhance overall impact. Producer Mano DJ plays with its collaged instrumental, which is comprised of pitch-shifted beatboxing samples, revving motorcycles, cavernous percussion, and skittering horns. Mano strategically organizes these sounds around moments of silence, and MC Bin Laden navigates this sonic terrain like a pro, enunciating his lines—and signature ad-libs, like “bololo”—with irresistible charm. He’s set to play his rescheduled U.S. debut this weekend—and hopefully it goes off without a hitch.
