Sacred Rhymes:

The Biblical Imaginary of Brazilian Rap

Abstract

From the most distant and marginalized streets to the National Congress, Bible verses are read and chanted with the aim of establishing power, transformation, and enchantment. This article proposes to reflect on the history of the Bible's reception, as well as some practices, meanings, and uses of this text, especially in peripheral communities. To do so, it is necessary to identify the forms and presences of the Bible in various contexts in order to understand how it enters the world of peripheral culture, becoming a living and open source through which individuals express themselves and create means to survive and imagine life. We begin by understanding the Bible as literature, allowing us to discuss its reception within Brazilian culture. Finally, we analyze how the Bible is articulated in the imaginary of Brazilian rap through the works of the group Racionais MC’s and rapper Bk’, examining songs, images, and performances. In this context, the Bible is displaced from its traditional uses and meanings to be (re)written and (re)imagined, generating new images, meanings, and sounds. The article seeks to highlight a still underexplored topic—rap/hip-hop—in the field of religious studies in Brazil, while also contributing to hip-hop studies by emphasizing the importance of religion in understanding this Afro-diasporic cultural phenomenon.