INVESTIGANDO QUESTÕES DE VIOLÊNCIA POLICIAL E AUSÊNCIA DO ESTADO NA LETRA DA MÚSICA HOMEM NA ESTRADA, DOS RACIONAIS MC’S

Abstract

The rap group Racionais MC's is known and respected for its musical performance of denouncing and defending the human rights of poor communities, composed mostly of black people. The objective of this research is to analyze the social problems mentioned in the lyrics of the song Homem na Estrada, investigating how the black man and the police are represented in the theme of police violence in poor communities, through the theoretical apparatus of the Systemic-Functional Linguistics and the Transitivity System of Halliday and Matthiessen (2004). The research revealed the mention of seven social problems grouped by us as: (i) detention of children at Febem; (ii) housing, water and sewage problems; (iii) IBGE's performance; (iv) IML's criminal examination; (v) school issues; (vi) police investigation and criminal justice and (vii) police violence. The transitivity analysis, in turn, revealed the prevalence of material processes indicative of physical aggression (e.g., kicking, spitting, killing, and invading) by the police officers in the role of Actor with the black man in the position of victim, i.e., Goal. It is hoped that the work can contribute to a better understanding of the representation and denunciation of social problems expressed in artistic manifestations.