Estilo Hip Hop chronicles the lives of Eli Efi, Guerrillero Okulto, and Magia; three hip hop activists from Brazil, Chile, and Cuba who firmly believe that hip hop can change the world. As we delve into their lives, we learn of three inspirational leaders responsible for mobilizing young people to become politically active. However, the personal issues affecting the three protagonists prove to be as overwhelming as the challenges posed by their political work. As the stakes assume a greater risk, Eli Efi, Guerrillero, and Magia make life-altering decisions that ultimately impact the course of their lives and that of the hip hop movement.
Eli Efi is a hip hop artist born and raised in São Paulo, Brasil. In 1988, he founded the politically charged rap group DMN and went on to record five albums receiving praise from the hip hop community and music industry alike. DMN was nominated for best video and best rap group at the MTV Brasil Video Music Awards, best rap song of the year at the Hutus Hip Hop Awards Festival, and won best music video at the São Paulo Shorts Film Festival. In 2003, he left DMN and in 2004, he moved to the United States where he is currently working on his first solo album.
Guerrillero Okulto is a hip hop recording artist from Chile, and presently one of the most respected and effective youth organizers in that nation’s capital. Over the past two years he’s led a citywide collective known as RH2A [Network of Hip Hop Activists] whose primary focus is to conduct alternative political education workshops throughout marginal neighborhoods in Santiago. In 2006 RH2A and its affiliates organized the “Social Action Tour”, a nationwide tour featuring workshops on the media, education reform, and hip hop activism. In 2005 Guerrillero released his critically acclaimed debut album Versos en resistencia [Verses of Resistance] on Alerce Records, home to the legendary Chilean folk singer Victor Jara. Prior to his career as a recording artist Guerrillero co-founded Hiphoplogia, the first-ever national grassroots organization to fuse social justice advocacy and hip hop. The Chilean hip hop press has called him “the most relevant” artist in the country.
Magia is one half of the Cuban hip hop group known as Obsesión. Their well defined sound has caught the attention of many across the world, allowing Obsesión the privilege of performing in the UK, France, Venezuela, Canada and the US. In 2003, they embarked on a month-long tour of the United States, culminating in a historical performance at the infamous Apollo theatre in New-York City, in collaboration with The Roots. Magia is also one of the founding members of La Fabrika which is a collective of artists dedicated to using hip hop to create change on an individual and community level.
