Lenine specially enjoyed listening to rock all through his teens, until he discovered the album "Clube da Esquina", by Milton Nascimento, and saw Gilberto Gil performing. At the age of 18 he moved to Rio de Janeiro to compete in a music festival.
Lenine has composed for such Brazilian stars as Gilberto Gil, Daude and Sergio Mendes. In 2005 he was the top winner of Brazil's TIM Awards, sweeping the categories of Best CD, Best Male Vocalist, Best Male Vocalist (Popular Vote) and Best Song. He has also received two Latin Grammy Awards in 2005 for Best Brazilian Contemporary Pop Album and Best Brazilian Song.
In 1982, Lenine released his first LP, "Baque Solto", with partner Lula Queiroga. The second record, "Olho de Peixe", came out ten years later, though, this time with percussionist Marcos Suzano. The album ensured his importance among Brazilian musicians who promoted the genre in the 90's by merging it with pop music. Lenine's first solo record, "O Dia em que Faremos Contato", came out in 1997, featuring a pop structure for his mix of electronica, northeastern rhythms and samba. Two years later, he released "Na Pressão". In 2001, "Falange Canibal" was released and had a special guest, the American group Living Color with the music "O Homem dos Olhos de Raios-X". His album "In Cité" (2004), a reference to the preposition "in" plus the word "city" in French, was recorded at the auditorium of the "Cité de La Music" in Paris. Lenine's last album "Acústico MTV" had been released recently (2006) and brought special guests as Igor Cavalera (Sepultura, one of the most famous worldwide rock Brazilian band), Richard Bona (from Cameroun, Africa), Victor Astorga (Chile), Julieta Venegas (Mexican-Grammy-nomineed and special featuring in the "Amores Perros"' soundtrack). Also in 2006, Lenine released his U.S. debut disc "Lenine [Enhanced]".
Lenine's official MySpace is www.myspace.com/lenineacustico and his website is at www.lenine.com.br
Etnia Caduca
Lenine Lyrics
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Diante do arco-íris
Lambuzando de cores
Os olhos da multidão.
É como um caldeirão
Misturando ritos e raças,
É a missa da miscigenação.
Um mameluco maluco
Um mulato muito louco
Moreno com cafuzo
Sarará com caboclo
Um preto no branco
E um sorriso amarelo banguelo
Galego com crioulo
Nissei com pixaim
Curiboca com louro
Caburé com curumim
É o camaleão e as cores do arco-íris
Na maior muvuca,
Ô... etnia caduca!
In Lenine's song "Etnia Caduca", the lyrics describe a blending of rituals and races in a way that is symbolized by a chameleon in front of a rainbow. The metaphor of the chameleon represents the fluidity with which cultural and racial identities can mix and shift, as the chameleon changes its colors to blend in with its surroundings. The image of the rainbow represents the diversity of cultures and ethnicities that come together in this way, with each color symbolizing a different group.
The lyrics also mention a number of different mixed-race identities, such as "mameluco" (a mixture of indigenous and European ancestry), "mulato" (a mixture of European and African ancestry), and "cafuzo" (a mixture of African and indigenous ancestry). The song also mentions a number of different ethnic and racial groups, including "galego" (a term for people of Galician origin), "nissei" (a term for people of Japanese descent), and "curumim" (a term for indigenous children).
Overall, the song celebrates the diversity of cultures and races in Brazil, and the way that these groups have come together over time to create a unique and vibrant society. The chorus of the song, which repeats the phrase "Ô... etnia caduca!", can be translated as "oh... outdated ethnicity!", suggesting that the idea of fixed racial and ethnic identities is no longer relevant in contemporary Brazil.
Line by Line Meaning
É o camaleão
A person or culture that can adapt and change to fit in with their surroundings
Diante do arco-íris
In the presence of diversity and differences
Lambuzando de cores
Expressing oneself in a spectrum of colors and characteristics
Os olhos da multidão.
Capturing the attention and fascination of onlookers
É como um caldeirão
Merging and blending of various cultures and traditions
Misturando ritos e raças,
Combining rituals and races
É a missa da miscigenação.
Celebrating the diversity and mixture of cultures
Um mameluco maluco
A wild mixed-race person
Um mulato muito louco
A highly energized mixed-race person
Moreno com cafuzo
A blend of different shades of brown
Sarará com caboclo
A blending of African and indigenous Brazilian cultures
Um preto no branco
A balance between opposites
E um sorriso amarelo banguelo
A lighthearted, toothless grin
Galego com crioulo
A blend of Spanish and African cultures
Nissei com pixaim
A blending of Japanese and Afro-descendant cultures
Curiboca com louro
A fusion of Tupi and Portuguese cultures
Caburé com curumim
An indigenous mix of different tribes
É o camaleão e as cores do arco-íris
The ability to adapt to diversity, expressed in various colors and characteristics
Na maior muvuca,
In the midst of chaos and confusion
Ô... etnia caduca!
Oh... a decaying ethnicity
Contributed by Hudson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.