Marcelo D2

Marcelo D2 (born Marcelo Maldonado Gomes Peixoto, November 5, 1967, in Rio De Janeiro) is a Brazilian rapper . Very acclaimed by young people, he is known for his unique style of rapping, which blends in the traditional Brazilian samba.

Marcelo D2 started his carrer as the vocalist of the band Planet Hemp, and now follows a solo career since 1998, but claiming that "I haven't given in yet, only joined a foe I can't beat". His first solo release was Eu tiro é onda (a Carioca slang that means "I'm the best"), recorded in his own studio by David Corcos and mixed in New York and Los Angeles by Carlos Bass. This release was very well accepted by the public and the Hip-hop movement of São Paulo, for being innovative and making big names of the scene, such as Black Alien & Speed ,Zé Gonzalez, DJ Nuts and B.Negão, known in Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The hit wasn't bigger due to the fact of "not feeling comfortable away from his hometown"; he would soon become father of a boy, Lucas, bringing his career to a short pause.

Other hits were: O Império Contra-ataca (The Empire Strikes Back), A Maldição do Samba (The Curse of Samba), Qual é? (What's Up?), Loadeando (raw translation of "Loading"), and Mantenha o Respeito (Keep Respect). Most of these songs are about his childhood life.

Marcelo D2 also appeared as a guest performer on two tracks of Sergio Mendes's album [album]Timeless[/album], as well as producing songs for the OST of the film A Taça do Mundo é Nossa (The World Cup is Ours).

Trivia: "D2", among drug users in Brazil, means "to smoke marijuana".