Valete Essentials

Valete's Portuguese flows hit hard enough to bruise, and that impact is accentuated by the cool, crisp instrumentals that back him up. "Nossos Tempos", from 2003, deploys a boom bap beat that recalls the sound of '90s New York, and the former communist does it justice by delivering hard bars criticising Portuguese police and the treatment of African immigrants who land in the E.U. This combination of politics and storytelling is Valete's signature. Likewise, on "Roleta Russa", an ominously understated beat becomes the vehicle for a five-character narrative encouraging the use of prophylactics.