Cidade Negra

Bino’s parents, both musicians themselves, introduced him to services at a neighborhood church in the volatile Baixada Fluminense suburbs of Rio, where he struck up friendships with Lazão and Da Gama. The three formed Novo Tempo expressly to appear at a church festival. Bernardo’s arrival in 1983 prompted the ensemble to adopt the name Lumiar. Drawing on Bob Marley, Tim Maia, and the funk and soul sounds of the 1970s, the musicians unveiled that hybrid style for the first time in 1989 at Teatro Arcádia and throughout the Baixada. Shortly afterward they rechristened the band Cidade Negra to avoid confusion with another Lumiar act. A BBC documentary spotlighting Baixada culture and featuring the group secured them a contract with Sony Music. Their debut release, Lute Para Viver, arrived in 1991 and included the hit “Falar a Verdade” along with a guest appearance by Jimmy Cliff on “Mensagem.” The following year the quartet traveled to Montego Bay, Jamaica, for the Reggae Sunsplash Festival; upon returning they recorded the socially charged sophomore album Negro No Poder. Once the sessions ended, Bernardo departed to pursue a solo path as Ras Bernardo, and Toni Garrido stepped in as his replacement. Sobre Todas As Forças, issued in 1994 with Shabba Ranks as a featured guest, shifted toward a brighter pop orientation and achieved the group’s strongest sales to date, thanks in part to the romantic single “Onde Você Mora,” written by Marisa Monte and Nando Reis. The band’s fifth album also yielded a hit, “Sábado à Noite,” recorded with Lulu Santos.