The Hype BRASIL!

With the entire so called streetwear world's attention focused on Asia on some "Japan runs shit, Malaysia and Singapore are on the come up and China is about to take over," one particularly relevant nation seems to be continually overlooked. We're talking about Brasil. With 186 million people, it's the 5th most populous in the world. It's also the 5th biggest country on the globe in terms of land mass and the 4th biggest democracy for whatever that's worth.

Brasil is completely diverse, but not in the completely divided way shit is here. Blacks, asians, hispanics, and white people all get down and although its still mad gully in spots and they have one of the world's illest situations with regard to crooked cops, Brasil is inarguably one of the dopest places on earth.

And although Brasil is mad well known during World Cup years and for fly chicks and maybe a couple of skateboarders and Os Gemeos, as well as a shitload of good music, the country doesn't really have much of a direct link for conversation with the majority of the urban culture world. This is largely to blame on an English/Portuguese disconnect that keeps the information exchange moving slower than to other parts of the world where English is more well known. This is a tragedy since Brasilian people come from such a dichotomous madhouse of a country that they offer some of the most unique perspectives around. But the reason it exists is that Brasilians speak Portuguese proudly and honestly don't give a fuck about English. That and the fact that most people who speak English are too lazy to learn another language. But that just is what it is.

Enter Lucas Penido. Born in Belo Horizonte, Brasil's 3rd largest city, but raised predominantly in Queens and Manhattan, and currently bouncing between NYC, Florida, Sao Paulo, and Rio, Lucas is closing the gap between the streetwear, music and art worlds of Brasil and the rest of the globe. A year ago, Lucas began transmitting images and writeups on street culture products, people and happenings in Portuguese on something he named The Hype BR. Initially modeled after the English speaking world's well known hype blogs, Lucas immediately differentiated himself by reviewing products and penning editorials which assessed each subject from a particularly Brasilian point of view. This led quickly to the attention of Brasil's hype starved populace, who began devouring post after post. After only 12 months in existence The Hype BR is now seeing 6 figure unique visitors monthly and has become the most widely read blog of its kind in South America.

Although it was never the intent, Lucas is blowing up. He's been featured in Vogue Brasil, has an upcoming piece in the men's mag Trip and is quickly becoming the voice for Brasilian streetwear aficionados everywhere. No surprise then that The Cobra Snake caught him just recently at Sao Paulo Fashion Week. I caught up with Lucas at the Copacabana Grill in Astoria where we politiked over some Guarana amidst the din of the pay by weight buffet and a dining room full of Brasileiros. Here's a bit of what he had to say.

em ingles

em portugues