To the beat of the Amazon: Copa Paraense de Rimas reaches the grand final and marks a new chapter for rap in the North

Battle of Saint Blaise — Photo: Battle of Saint Blaise

The event's lineup features names that set the tone and soul of the scene: Bruna BG, a female force in Pará rap; Moraes MV, one of the founders of Batalha de São Brás, the birthplace of the project; DJ Black, guardian of the musicality of the battles; and special guest Big Bllakk, a rapper from Rio de Janeiro who brings the weight of Brazilian drill to a dialogue with the North.

From urban squares to riverbanks, the World Cup created a true cultural journey through the Amazon region of Pará, bringing together young people from different backgrounds under one banner: rhyme as a territory of belonging and transformation.

Created by Daniel ADR, a rapper and cultural producer raised in Batalha de São Brás, the project was born on the streets of Belém and today unfolds as a state initiative with a strong social and symbolic impact.

"Pará is far from the Southeast, but we create culture on equal terms. Our rap is inspired by rivers, forests, and favelas. It's a discourse about the environment, society, and survival," he says.

The World Cup was born as a direct response to an unequal national landscape, where the Rio-SP axis still commands most of the spotlight. But Pará's freestyle shows that art is also produced here with intensity, technique, and identity. "To hold a circuit of this magnitude in the North is an act of resistance. It's to show that we exist and have something to say," adds Daniel.

Amid the improvisational competitions, what echoes is a chorus of diverse voices, rich in accents, slang, and local urgency. Each selection—held in cities like Marabá, Castanhal, Parauapebas, Breves, and Santarém—revealed not only talent but also diverse ways of rapping in the Amazon, with styles that cross genres and demand attention.

Rapper Bruna BG, who is also a World Cup producer, highlights the project's educational and emotional function.

"More than a competition, it's a movement of listening and appreciation. The North has always rhymed, but it's almost never been heard. Making the Amazon invisible is silencing a Brazil that the center hasn't yet understood."

She also emphasizes the importance of female presence in battles. "When a woman rhymes, she paves the way for others. The microphone is a space for debate, but also for healing, denunciation, and the future."

For Big Bllakk, the evening's special guest, participating in the Paraense Rhyme Cup final is more than a trip—it's a gesture of connection. "It's looking into the eyes of those who make art without the spotlight and without excuses. I'm going with an open heart to exchange and let drill resonate in another territory," says the artist, who blends rap, MPB, and peripheral experiences in his compositions.

The World Cup will also be documented in a medium-length documentary, scheduled to premiere later this year, in dialogue with COP30, the UN climate conference taking place in 2025 in Belém. It uses rhyme as a tool for listening to the territory—a language that connects youth, the environment, and social denunciation in a single beat.

Grand Final of the Paraense Rimas Cup, Saturday, 23rd, starting at 7pm, at the Memorial dos Povos – Av. Gov. José Malcher, 257 – Nazaré. Free entry. More information on the @battledesaobras networks