DA GUEDES was formed in 1993 on Guedes da Luz St. – Partenon in Porto Alegre (south of Brazil) and struggled for recognition just like any other brazillian hip-hop crew on arise.
In 1997 they released their first album “A Casa Não Caiâ€. The public acceptance was such that in 1998 they were acclaimed as the best hip-hop crew from south of Brazil wich lead them to sign a record deal under Trama imprint and eventually releasing their sophomore effort “Cinco Elementos†in 1999 - produced by nationally known DJ Hum.
During the next years they’d made a significant number of appearances next to names such as Planet Hemp, Bezerra da Silva, Marcelo D2, Racionais Mc's, ThaÃde & Dj Hum, Das EFX, just to name few.
The initial group formation at the time consisted of Baze, Nitro Di and Negro X as MCs and DJ Deeley on the turntables. In 2002 they left Trama and short time after released their 3rd album “Morro Seco, mas não me Entrego†under Orbeat Music imprint. Shortly after Nitro Di left the band and was replaced by Gibbs.
The title of their 3rd release “Morro Seco, Mas Não Me Entrego†(I’ll Die Dry But I Wont Surrender) pays homage to the people who helped to build Rio Grande Do Sul (southern region of Brazil): Blacks, Germans, Italians, Portuguese and it was the motto of the local hero - the Commander Guedes Da Luz of the Farrapos (a folk from Rio Grande) in the civil war that raged through the country between 1835 and 1845. It also happens to be the name of the street they lived back then.
The album featured local hip-hop artists and sampled material from Julie London, Enio Morricone, Sebastian Bach, Curtis Mayfield and Gaúcho da Fronteira, among others, proving their good taste for music.
In 2004 they release "DG vs. A Luz Falsa Que Hipnotiza O Bobo" (DG versus The Fake Light That Hipnotizes The Fool). Wich is their most personal album to date as they talk more about themselves, the place they come from and things they like to do. It also has a "lighter" vibe to it as they drop the political subject matter on some tracks, instead, they talk about positive things and about having a good time.
In 2006 they tour Germany for a set of appearances, this time with a full-fledged band for live instrumentation. The new idea lead into the makings of Da Guedes Live cd/dvd and simultaneously working on a new album (that would be the 6th of their careers), and it has collaboration from african producer Riztocrat (of SevenLox).
The new works aims to showcase and reflect their musical and lyrical growth after 12 years on the road and are scheduled for 2007.
DG is here and we wont stop!!
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Best Rap Group - TVE (1998) ;
- Hip-Hop Record Of The Year - Azorian Music Prize (1999) ;
- Nominee Best New Group - HUTUZ Hip-Hop Prize (Rio) (2000) ;
- Performing alongside Das EFX - Trucks Store Event (Sao Paulo) (2000) ;
- Performing at World Social Forum - Porto Alegre (RS) (2001/2002) ;
- Nominee Best Song "Dr. Destino" - HUTUZ Hip-Hop Prize (Rio) (2002) ;
- Group Of The Year / Best Album / Best Composer - Azorian Music Prize (2004) ;
- Performing at Sanary Music Festival - Sanary (France) (2004) ;
- Performing at Planeta Atlântida - Atlântida/Rio Grande do Sul (2004) - broadcasted over 38 countries) ;
- Group Of The Year - HUTUZ Hip-Hip Prize (Rio) (2004) ;
- Nominee Best Rap Video "Jornada" – VMB 2005 (2005) ;
- Copa da Cultura European Tour - Stüttgart/Mainz (Germany) (2006).