Your Guide to Brazilian Phonk Music

Meet the up-and-coming genre that is drivingly vibrant, syncopated, heavy, and full of sampled chops. 

Have you ever seen a low-fidelity video of street cars racing, accompanied by distorted, funky music? Then you know a bit about phonk. Drift Funk was made popular in the 2010’s, and continues to grow today. Now, we’re seeing a different subgenre of phonk on the horizon: Brazilian Phonk. 

But how new is it really? 

Brazilian Pink has actually been one of the most listened-to genres on Soundcloud since 2014. 

Defining Brazilian Phonk 

“I think this is a structural problem,” Ludmilla says. “When I first started I was wronged several times. As funk artists, we’re in the hands of people and quite often we don’t know anything about business. Funk artists come from harsh backgrounds, sometimes they can’t go to school, they don’t have parents they can rely on, they start at a young age, it’s tough, and that’s why a lot of people can’t go further in their careers. I was robbed, but I bounced back and made a career for myself.” -Ludmilla (Rollling Stones)

Brazilian Phonk is a type of aggressive/heavy music that has elements of both American Phonk and Brazilian Funk (think: hip-hop-and-trap meeting a fiery, syncopated percussion-heavy electro sound).

Brazilian Phonk used to be a niche genre, but lately, we’ve been watching it climb up drastically in popularity. This unique type of music combines timeless world music elements, old-school rap and hip-hop, and new production flavors into an amalgamation of fresh and vibing sounds. 

In this guide, we’ll look at how this type of music came to be, what it sounds like, and name-drop some significant Brazilian Phonk producers. We’ll even touch on how you can get started making your own Brazilian Phonk tracks, and give you some tips and tricks along the way.

Brazilian Phonk: A Brief History & Elements of Sound

The seed of Phonk first started out in the Southern USA in the 1990s; Phonk was originally inspired by rap from Houston and Memphis. 

Phonk is usually referred to as being a sub-genre of hip-hop. The word Phonk wasn’t made popular until 20 years after the invention of Memphis rap when an artist called SpaceGhostPurrp officially coined the term. In an interview by The Okayplayer, he stated that Phonk is simply “slang for funk”. Some say that SpaceGhostPurrp invented the genre, but others argue that he was just the first one to name it. 

It’s a bit blurry regarding exactly when Memphis rap became phonk, but it’s likely closer to 2010 than to 1990. Brazilian Funk, on the other hand, first came about in favelas (working-class neighborhoods) in the 1980’s.

Let’s look into each type a bit more deeply so we can better understand this fusion genre.

Phonk Music: Dark, Abrasive and Southern 

Phonk music often feels atmospheric and takes chops from old 90’s Memphis beats and vocals. It feels rough around the edges and sometimes is described as abrasive.  Roland 808 drum machines (especially the cowbell) are often used in phonk. But this genre also peppers a bit of jazz into the mix, giving it a chilled-out feel.

One of Phonk’s defining elements is its ‘screwed’ production technique-distorted and slowed down. Or as some would say- Syrupy (Uppbeat.io).

One group that heavily influenced Phonk is the 80’s horror-hip-hoppers Three 6 Mafia.  And “Bringing the Phonk” by SpaceGhostPurrp is an example of the evolution of the sound (2013).

Fun Fact: Playlister Ryan Celsius made Doja Cat’s favorite playlist, which is comprised of Phonk tunes.

Brazilian Funk: Dancey, Driving, Lyrically Relevant

This genre is just known as ‘Funk’ or Baile Funk in Brazil. Brazilian Funk is a dance-type music also influenced hip-hop. It originally stemmed from Rio De Janeiro’s favelas (RateYourMusic) and was extremely popular among the younger generation when it first came out in the 80s.. 

So despite its name, Brazilian funk doesn’t have much in common with Western Funk at all. 

Brazilian Funk takes from Miami Bass, Afrobeats, and Gangsta Rap. Some of the tracks are instrumental, while others have rapping or vocals. The lyrics, if present, often tackle societal issues, but it can also be joyous and sensual.

The beats frequently used in Brazilian Funk- called tamborzão- use hand drums and Afro-Brazilian rhythms. You’ll hear these syncopations carry over into the fused Brazilian Phonk. These driving tracks tend to be pretty short in length.

Famous Brazilian Phonk Producers and Artists

“I see that it’s something less and less marginalized, I see people outside Brazil embracing funk, enjoying our music” -Ludmilla (Rolling Stone Magazine) 

VanMilli is a recording artist, producer, and songwriter who makes Brazilian Phonk. He has found much success on Youtube.

MC Binn (Jefferson Cristian dos Santos de Lima) is a Brazilian singer-songwriter and is one of the most well-known hip-hop/funk ostentação/Brazilian phonk artists around. Both VanMilli and MC Binn are two of the heavy-hitters in the genre. 

In this artice I’ve mentioned singer/songwriter Ludmilla several times. She has been making music since she was 16, and is a multi-genre artist. She primarily sings Brazilian funk and pop, but has had a significant influence on Brazilian phonk. As ‘Ludmilla’ type beat keep popping up in playlist, her influence on this fusion genre grows.

Brazilian Phonk Beats: Examples

• “Brazilian Funk Fiesta”-VanMilli

• “Press Press”-Montagem

• Hoje-Ludmilla 

As you might notice, Ludmilla’s album is very different from SpaceGhostPurp’s tracks. And Montagem’s “Press Press” certainly goes harder than some of the more melody-driven phonk tunes. This is because Brazilian Phonk is a fairly broad term for a niche genre. Because there are so many elements and sampling opportunities, one Brazilian Phonk song might almost sound like it’s from a different genre. Some musicians lean heavier into the Memphis-type elements, while others make it more Baile Funk.

Some folks on music forums have started debating ‘how far’ we should take it in spelling out all these different subgenres of type of Phonk. There are subgenres of this subgenre, but we’re not here to split hairs!...I digress. 

Phonk is everywhere as long as you know where to look. It’s all over TikTok and sprinkled into workout playlists. Kanye West’s song “Paperwork” was even sampled from a Brazilian Phonk tune (Rolling Stones).

How to Make Brazilian Phonk

Listening Exercises (Don’t Jump the Gun!)

Before you get started making a track, make sure you have a good feel for what you’re aiming to create. Put on your headphones and sit with it, and get to know how Brazilian Phonk feels. Watch some other musician’s processes.

Here’s one example by Eternity Playa: https://www.tiktok.com/@eternityplaya/video/7228043376665300229 

 Then you’re ready for phase 2: laying down the basic bones.

Tips to Make Your Track

• First- Put in a TR-808-sounding cowbell 

• OR- use a trap-type beat and distort, distort, distort! 

• Don’t: be afraid to make it loud or a bit bombastic, especially in the percussion 

• Do: Syncopate the underlying rhythm and add multiple rhythm tracks

• Do: Keep it short in length

• Try: adding synths: dark ones, eerie ones

• Try: Sampling some vox from the 90’s

• …Or experiment with adding some jazz (for extra sonic flavor) 

Brazilian Phonk relies heavily on samples, so why not start with a nice chop? With this genre, feel free to chop something that’s Memphis rap or even world beats or vocals from Africa and Brazil. This is a really nice example of a vocal chop here taken from Pequenoto Diamante and turned into Brazilian Phonk: https://www.tiktok.com/@prod.layj/video/7269743363623111937 

Another way to make something phonk-ier is to add in a cowbell- that’s something you’ll hear on Tiktok’s Phonk a ton.

If you don’t have distortion, you probably don’t have phonk. Using a bare-bones beat and distorting it will likely get the creative juices flowing. From there, don’t be afraid to add drums on drums on drums and chilling synthesizers. 

Brazilian Phonk is meant to be big, bold, and loud! So if you’re planning on making this type of track, know that now is not the time to be sonically shy. Try out burning syncopated percussion paired with spooky low synthesizers to seal the deal.

To make it easier to get rolling on your project, try composing with these Memphis Phonk loops and samples.

One other easy way to start making a Phonk track is taking a rap vocal, distort it, and place it over a jazzy or funky beat. To make it more Brazilian feeling, do some research on Baile Funk and Afro-Brazilian rhythms. 

Chopped and Screwed

To get the quintessential dark sound, you’ll need to chop and screw your tune. Slow down the tempo, and add in imperfections: think record scratches, skips, and chops. DJ Screw first came up with this technique. Check it out in “My Mind Went Blank’.

Lyrics: Don’t Forget the Deeper Meaning

If you’re going to add lyrics to your tune, make them meaningful and tell a story. Common Brazilian Phonk topics include life on the streets or politics (Exploring the Electic Fusion). It’s almost always something that you could relate to your audience over.

Consider Collaboration

The culture of Brazilian Phonk is open-minded, and fluid. Sampling is welcome in many cases. As you’re making your song, think about asking to sample Phonk or Funk Carioca artists, or even request them to work with you on the track.

Workflow: Brazilian Phonk in Soundtrap

Our cloud-based DAW has loads of samples that you can use for this genre, even outside of the Memphis section. I like the Low Tama hand drum sample, phat brass, and trap loops that would be valuable for phonk production. For more of a flare, try adding the Corazon beat, or hand drums from the Focus section. There’s even a sample of two people singing in a favela!

You can also record your own vocals with effects like juicy distortion with a pro account.

As you work, you’ll see a window pop up suggesting other loops that will go with your track, which is quite intuitive and handy.

Drift Phonk: Another Popular Subgenre

The subgenre I mentioned earlier is known as Drift Phonk. This subgenre feels much more EDM-ish than regular Phonk. It was popularized on Tiktok. Some people also call it cowbell phonk- which is pretty self-explanatory. And while Drift Phonk does also have cowbell…it actually originated in Russia.

Addressing the Debate: Is Brazilian Phonk Even Real? 

If you frequent phonk music forums, you might have seen a post or two that look like this:

“Brazilian Phonk isn’t even real, it’s just the same as Brazilian Funk”.

If you haven’t noticed yet, Brazilian Phonk is certainly real: It’s  fusion that combines Afro-Brazilian Beat and hip-hop with sample-style phonk. If you hear funk without the samples or other elements, then it doesn’t count. Case closed!  Brazilian Phonk: Conclusion

In conclusion, Brazilian Phonk is slowly but surely making its way into the world of mainstream music. Get ahead of the curve, and start making Phonk today for free onSoundtrap.

Oh, and one last thing-Soundtrap will be releasing a Brazilian Phonk-inspired sound pack later this year, so stay tuned for more!

About the author

Aleah Fitzwater is a multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, music journalist, and blogger from Temperance, United States. Aleah holds a Pk-12 instrumental music education degree. Her main instruments are flute, piano, drums, bass, and guitar.