Back in April 2025, Beatport officially made Brazilian Funk its own standalone genre – a long-overdue move that finally put one of Brazil’s most explosive cultural forces front and center. Brazilian Funk has been shaking the world for decades, born in the favelas of Rio and shaped by Miami bass, Afro-Brazilian resistance, DIY innovation, and massive sound systems. With ONErpm Brazil backing the effort, the launch gave Funk its own charts, playlists, and a proper home on the platform – not tucked away as a sub-category, but celebrated for the global powerhouse it already is.

Now, Beatport and ONErpm are taking it even deeper with a brand-new documentary series hosted by one of Brazil’s most globally beloved and recognized dance music superstars, Mochakk – an artist who’s as Funk-rooted as they come. The series drops into Rio, São Paulo, and Belo Horizonte to link up with Dennis DJ, Mu540, Mac Júlia, VHOOR, and the communities pushing Funk forward right now. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be rolling out each episode below – raw stories, local legends, behind-the-scenes culture, and everything that makes Funk one of the most exciting movements in global dance music.

Episode 1: This Is Funk

Episode 1 sets the scene with Mochakk breaking down the real roots of Brazilian Funk, tracing it back to the ’70s, when DJs in Rio’s favelas were flipping U.S. soul records, then pulling in hip-hop and Miami bass to create something unmistakably Brazilian. He clears up a huge misconception early: a lot of people call it Baile Funk, but that’s actually the name of the party, not the sound itself. 

Mochakk digs into Funk’s rebellious DNA, built by Black Rio and Afro-Brazilian artists who carved out space, culture, and identity through sheer creative force. From Tamborzão to Proibidão, from São Paulo’s high-gloss Ostentação era to the socially heavy Funk Consciente movement, Funk has always been mutating, growing, and refusing to sit still. Episode 1 ends with Mochakk hitting the road from Rio to São Paulo to Belo Horizonte, meeting the innovators, crews, and scenes keeping this massive movement alive every single day.

Episode 2: Rio de Janeiro

Episode 2 drops Mochakk into Rio de Janeiro, the birthplace of Brazilian Funk, to connect with the people who lived its evolution firsthand – DJ Ramon Sucesso, MC Marsha, MC Duzinho, and Dennis DJ. They hit old Baile spots, dig through memories of the early days, and trace how the sound morphed from backyard parties to a national force. One of the episode’s highlights is Mochakk jumping on the decks with Dennis DJ, who pulls out classics and walks us through Funk’s rise – from the 808 punch of Afrika Bambaataa’s “Planet Rock,” Brazil's first-ever Funk records, Fabinho Neurosampler’s wild early-sampling era, and the discovery of VOLT MIX – the 1988 track by LA producer DJ Battery Brain that quickly became Brazil's very own Amen Break and the backbone of the Funk rhythm.

The episode also dives into Rio’s MC culture with Duzinho, touching on the sounds connecting factor but how there came moments when the scene shifted as gang associations and police pressure fractured the Bailes and gave birth to Proibidão, before Putaria brought things back to pure dance-floor energy. MC Marsha breaks down how she went from dancer to MC in the Twitter era, and how women in Funk started reclaiming space in a scene – shouting out MC Jehny, MC Rose, MC Nick, and MC Beatriz. Things wrap with DJ Ramon Sucesso talking about the Trap wave in Funk, the grind to make it, and how the sound is finally catching fire worldwide.

Episode 3: Belo Horizonte

Episode 3 takes Mochakk to Belo Horizonte, landing in La da Favelinha to tap into a completely different side of Brazilian Funk. He links up with Mac Júlia, VHOOR, and Gordão do PC to unpack what makes BH Funk its own world – darker, choppier, more experimental, and shaped by the neighborhoods that birthed it.

At Xeque Mate Estúdios, VHOOR and Mac Júlia walk through the sound’s evolution, shouting out key names like Rodrigo do CN, whose hits helped push Minas Gerais Funk into international charts. They talk about how BH artists found much-welcomed support from the tech house and techno circuits, opening space to bring their hybrid electronic–funk identity to a wider scene.

BH Funk culture runs deep in this episode – the Oakley sunglasses, Mizunos, brands like Lost and MCD – all feeding into the city’s gritty, stylish Funk persona. Mac Júlia speaks on the empowerment of women in BH Funk, embracing real-life storytelling without being boxed into sexualized expectations.

Then Gordão do PC jumps in, breaking down his path and the roots of Mandelao (MTG) – from medleys built off MC vocals pulled from YouTube to remixes flipping sertanejo and pagode into full-blown funk weapons. He closes with a simple mission: get BH Funk heard in the U.S. and Europe, and open doors for the next wave.

Episode 4: São Paulo

For the final episode of Funk Do Brasil, Mochakk heads to São Paulo – the city that helped push Brazilian Funk into its most expansive, future-facing form. Linking up with Mu540, MC GW, and Bonekinha Iraquiana, the episode explores how São Paulo’s scale, neighborhoods, and constant movement turned Funk into a sound that never stops evolving. 

At the ONErpm studio, Mochakk sits with Mu540 – a true leader in the scene and Beatport’s Artist of the Month this past August – to trace Funk’s roots from Baixada Santista, the birthplace of Funk Consciente. Mu540 breaks down how early patterns (padrões) shaped the sound, drawing wild but spot-on parallels between the legendary Volt Mix and tracks like Black Eyed Peas’ “Boom Boom Pow,” while shouting out key voices like MC Careca, MC Barriga, Renatinho, Alemão, and the unmistakable stamp of Mr. Catra.

The episode dives into Mandelao, split-zone sounds across São Paulo’s East and North Zones, and the shifting timbres of beatbox-driven Funk before introducing the “queen of the underworld,” Bonekinha Iraquiana. She breaks down São Paulo’s unmatched range of Funk crews and subgenres – from Bruxaria and Automotivo to Probidao, Melody, and Rave – each tied to regional identity, tempo, and culture, with São Paulo’s 130 BPM pulse standing apart from Rio’s faster 150 BPM rhythms.

The episode closes with MC GW, one of the most-streamed artists on the planet, reflecting on how Funk’s constant reinvention – shaped by Baile culture and global rap flows – is exactly why the sound keeps pushing forward, never backwards.

Listen to the 'Funk do Brasil: Mochakk Chart' below or check it out on Beatport.