Djonga

About

Djonga, the Belo Horizonte rapper born Gustavo Pereira Marques, has built a reputation on some of the sharpest social commentary in Brazilian hip hop. His lyrics tackle racism, inequality and Black empowerment head on, and his longtime collaboration with producer Coyote Beatz gives his sound a consistent, driven backbone. He made a habit of dropping albums on exactly 13 March, releasing his debut Heresia in 2017, followed by O Menino que queria ser Deus in 2018 and Ladrão in 2019. Rolling Stone Brasil named Heresia the best album of its year, and the follow up landed at number six on their 2018 list. His reach goes well beyond studio records. He has featured alongside rappers like BK, Sant and Karol Conká, and helped build the Minas Gerais collective DV tribo with fellow artists FBC and Hot. He has also put his voice to political causes, joining protests in Belo Horizonte against racist violence and publicly backing Lula in the 2022 presidential race. The track "Hoje Não" from 2020 shows he keeps adding to a catalogue that gets more confident with every release.