Mauro Mateus dos Santos (April 3, 1973 – January 24, 2003), better known by his stage name Sabotage, was a Brazilian rapper and songwriter from São Paulo.

Early life

He grew up selling drugs in

Brooklin Novo Brooklin Novo (Portuguese for ''"New Brooklyn"'') is a neighborhood in São Paulo, Brazil. It is delimited by Bandeirantes Avenue, Marginal Pinheiros, and Santo Amaro Avenue in the Itaim Bibi District of the city. It is bordered by the neighb ...

, a neighborhood in

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...

’s South Zone. He gained fame in 2001 after the release of his first and only album titled ''Rap é Compromisso''. He performed on other artists' recordings, such as

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...

's '' Revolusongs'' EP, a cover of

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

's ''"

Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos" is a song on the American hip hop group Public Enemy's 1988 album, ''It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back''. It was released as a single in 1989. The song tells the story of a conscientious objector who ...

"'', which was released in 2002. That same year, he appeared as himself in the Brazilian film ''The Trespasser'' ('' O Invasor'') and contributed to its soundtrack. This was followed soon after by an acting role as Fuinha in the movie '' Carandiru''. His influence as a musician was crucial for the growth of hip-hop in Brazil, meaning that his vision and style were unique and inspiring for many rappers. His lyrics were full of words of wisdom of a man who experienced a hard early life in the favelas of Brazil. In 2016, his posthumous album, ''Sabotage,'' was released.

Death

In 2003, Sabotage died after being shot four times in the head and chest. No arrest was made, and, despite the nature of the attack, no connection was established between his drug-peddling and his violent death.

Remembrance

Zazen, the production company of José Padilha, director of "Tropa de Elite", will shoot a movie on the life of rapper. Budgeted at R$9 (US$2.2) million, the feature film is scheduled for release in 2020, the year marking the seventeenth anniversary of the singer's death.

Discography

* ''

Rap É Compromisso! ''Rap é Compromisso'' is the first and only studio album by Brazilian rapper Sabotage, released in 2001. Tracks #"Introdução" - (2:30) #"Rap é Compromisso!" (com Negra Li) - (4:23) #"Um Bom Lugar" (com Black Alien) - (5:05) #"No Brooklin" (c ...

'' (2001) * ''Uma Luz Que Nunca Irá se Apagar'' (2002) * ''Rap é o Hino que Me Mantém Vivo'' (2008) * ''Sabotage'' (2016)

References

External links