Dealema is a long-running Portuguese hip-hop group based in Porto.[1] Along with Mind Da Gap, they are one of the oldest hip-hop bands in Portugal and had major influence over the genre's development across the country.[1][2][3] Their early influences included Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang Clan, and Nas.[4] Dealema has been performing with the same lineup of Mundo, DJ Guze, Fuse, Expeão, and Maze since forming in 1996.[5]
Dealema | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Porto Vila Nova de Gaia |
| Genres | Hip-hop |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Norte Sul, Banzé, Optimus Discos |
| Members | Maze Fuse Mundo Segundo Expeão DJ Guze |
| Website | www |
History
Dealema was formed in 1996, the result of a merger between Factor X and Fullashit.[6][2][5] They self-published their first album, O Expresso do Submundo, in 1996 and reissued the cassette in 2018.[3][7] Their self-titled album was produced by Norte Sul and released in 2003.[7] V Império (Banzé, 2008)[3][8] is considered the album that solidified Porto as the capital of the country's hip-hop scene.[citation needed] In 2010, they were on-boarded to Optimus Discos by Antena 3 presenter Henrique Amaro, who was the artistic director of the label's project focusing on Portuguese talent.[9] Their EP Arte de Vivier was released in 2010, followed by A Grande Tribulação in 2011.[9] Their sixth album, Alvorada da Alma (2013) featured 12 guest musicians including Ace from Mind Da Gap ("Bom Dia"), Emicida ("Comportamentos bizarros"), Nach, and Angolan rapper Kid MC ("Plara É A Alma").[10][11][12][13][3][9][14]
In 2015, the band started filming for what was initially going to be a documentary but later morphed into a multi-episode documentary series.[15] It was directed by Rui Miguel Abreu and released onto YouTube.[16] In 2017, the band shared that they were primarily focusing on their solo work but that "[t]hese breaks are nothing new."[15] They appeared in the docuseries Implementation of Rapública in 2019; in series 2, episode 5 of the A Arte Elétrica in Portugal in 2020; and No Ar in 2021.[17][18][19]