How Brazil's most listened to MCs became businessmen and revolutionized funk

How funk artists became entrepreneurs and took control of their own careers “Pau Pra Toda Obra” and “Cuida do Pet”, two of the three most listened to songs on Spotify Brasil this week, reveal a new trend in the funk market: MCs are now their own entrepreneurs and have started to manage not only their own careers, but also those of their colleagues. 2nd place on Spotify's Top 50 and accumulating 10 million views on YouTube in one week, “Pau Pra Toda Obra” is performed by MC Jacaré, MC Ryan SP, MC IG and MC Lele JP. Outside the Rio-SP axis, Jacaré comes from Goiânia (GO) and is the owner of Croco Hits. MC Ryan SP is responsible for Bololô Records. And MC IG runs Gringos World Produtora, a company that manages his career and that of artists like Lele JP. “Cuida do Pet” features MCs Negão Original, Aaron Modesto, Willian, Iguinho CT, Du'l, with production by Oldilla and Alladin. The track occupies 3rd position on Spotify's Top 50. Negão Original is the owner of Rauls Produtora, which takes care of Iguinho CT's career. Willian and Alladin are managed by Cria Hit, DJ Loirin's company. Du’l and Aaron Modesto are from GLife Records, the office of funk artist MC GP. Oldilla has his own production company, Oldilla Records. "It's a new moment. Artists understood that, with knowledge of how the bureaucracy of the music industry works, it was possible to have a company. Is it work? Yes. A lot. But we make a living from it", explains DJ Loirin. The most listened to funk artists in Brazil are also entrepreneurs infographic/g1 This business model was created by MC Kevin (1998-2021) who, due to his death, was unable to fully implement it. Following in their friend's footsteps, these funk artists changed the game of genre, took control of their own careers and began to manage colleagues with the speech: “who better than us to understand what an artist needs?”. In practice, the speech still has some flaws, but the actions have already transformed the music market, which is among the most listened to in the country. MC IG, MC Lele JP, MC Ryan SP and MC Jacaré, authors of 'Pau Pra Toda Obra' Reproduction/YouTube How it was before Since it was established in São Paulo, the funk market has been managed by medium-sized companies, responsible for looking after careers, booking shows, etc. The first were Máximo and Nois Por Nois, who took care of the management of names like MC Guimê, Rodolfinho, Nego Blue and others who marked an era in the 2010s. Since the mid-2010s, GR6 began to dominate the market with the strategy of managing as many artists as possible and, thus, dominating the booking of concert halls specializing in funk in the state of São Paulo – and, consequently, in a large part of the country. This model worked and the company led by Rodrigo Oliveira became a career management reference in contrast to the big record labels. However, shortly before the pandemic, MCs like Pedrinho and Kevin, two of the main names in the producer's cast, began to allege the company's lack of transparency regarding transfers related to digital platforms. Kevin, then, was a pioneer in terminating GR6 and trying to manage 100% of his career. At the end of 2020, he created Revolution Records, an office that would take care of his musical releases and his concert schedule. Even after just a few months of existence, the production company's operation was quite tumultuous, with difficulty in closing contracts for presentations and musical releases with little publicity and strategy. In May 2021, the funk singer died in an accident in Rio de Janeiro. Seed planted MC Ryan SP and MC Kevin Reproduction/Instagram Despite the problems, Kevin's idea caught the attention of his colleagues, who saw it as an opportunity to take care of their own careers. However, until 2025, no funk player has achieved great success as a businessman and MC. Musicians and people working behind the scenes explained to g1 that GR6, the main producer in the segment, offered a quality structure, and there was no point in leaving the company until then. “GR6 offers a complete structure for the artist, who often only cares about singing, doesn't think about anything else -- contract, video production, show production”, explains MC IG. The first funk artist to think of something more and achieve a more solid result was MC Ryan SP, in October 2025, with “I Can Even Not Te Dar Flores”. Produced by Bololô Records, the song reached the top of the charts and transformed the market. The funk player became an example to be followed. What it's like now Bololô Records, owned by Ryan, and Gringos, owned by IG, are the biggest MC-led producers in São Paulo. They provide the structure for recording music videos, distributing the songs and staff for producing the shows. Artists who decide to sign contracts with producers run by other funk artists say that the big advantage is having a manager who knows their needs in detail and has gone through similar pains. Among the points raised as differences are: Small casting: producers focus on individualized work, with a maximum of a dozen artists; More diluted contracts: decade-long agreements with equal division become contracts with variable gains and greater control and knowledge over billing; More informality: even under contracts, artists are not bound by, for example, making songs with producers or MCs from other offices. "When I'm in a meeting, I feel like I'm heard differently. I know that my manager went through something I already went through, he feels the same thing as me. The advice is different", says MC Lele JP. Production companies run by MCs still face two obstacles. The first is in relation to the formal structure. The idea of ??informality sometimes comes up against the need for a basic bureaucracy to formulate contracts. "Sometimes, there are people who think it's just a matter of going into the studio and uploading the song on YouTube. But, of course, the problem appears later in the division of the money. You have to have everything under contract, you can't just rely on words", explains DJ Loirin, owner of Cria Hit. However, the main obstacle pointed out by artists/entrepreneurs is: building a good concert sales sector. With more than 15 years of experience, GR6 dominates this market reserve, managing to implement a model that guarantees its hegemony in the sector. However, with the change in the market, the office led by Rodrigo Oliveira made contracts with artists more flexible and began to close specific agreements with producers of MCs/entrepreneurs, only taking care of their schedules. This is the case of Lele JP: while all the artistic aspects, production and distribution of songs, recording of music videos, etc., are the responsibility of Gringos, the person who sells their shows is GR6. This major change in direction made the funk market gain even more reach, with more options for organized companies and a greater demand for professionalism from artists. Even after the revolution suggested by Kevin, many MCs still have difficulty understanding even what a phonogram is and how the division of their music's earnings works. As time goes by, these artists become a thing of the past and a new generation is emerging with more knowledge and an even greater desire for independence.