The artist is at the forefront of Rap in Portugal, a true symbol of the musical genre as a lyrical art: Slow J in his own words.
The artist is at the forefront of Rap in Portugal, a true symbol of the musical genre as a lyrical art: Slow J in his own words.

Fotografia de Filipe Feio
Fotografia de Filipe Feio
“Eles diziam o que eu devia ou não devia ser Que eu nasci pecador e pequenez vou terEu desconfio de homens que interpretam Obras, e acreditam entender de alguma forma Como pensa Deus”Silêncio
It was through these words that I was introduced to Slow J, completely shattering my truly ignorant preconceived notions of Portuguese Rap. It wasn’t a deliberate discovery, a friend of mine wouldn´t stop talking about his music, and I, helpless toward her insistence, let her play it for me. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made, and I thank her for her patience with my stubbornness every time I hear the song. João Batista Coelho, commonly known as Slow J, represents a creative approach that is refreshing in the national landscape. His songs, throughout his four albums, are like poetic confessions made to the sound of melodic beats. The artist is a symbol of rap as a lyrical art, a depth the musical genre has, but that is often neglected. Even though he studied sound engineering, it's through his writing that the Portuguese-Angolan artist stands out. His lyrics attain a rare feat, simultaneously intimate and comprehensive, delicate and impactful. Rap is, in its essence, an art form that is as musical as it is verbal, with the absence of song in the voice strings, the words are the ones charged with the main role. The rapper assumes this responsibility with open arms, sharing his talent, as well as his life journey, in a transparent manner. This aptitude is not surprising to anyone that knows Slow J’s body of work, the rapper is, above all, a prodigious storyteller.
What was your vision of Rap when you were younger and how/when did you start getting interested in it as an artistic expression?I started listening to hip hop pretty young, along with R&B, punk, and metal. I’ve never made a clear distinction between music genres because, deep down, as a listener what I was looking for was to feel something and, because the majority of the music that moved me was from rappers, I listened to those more. When it comes to writing rap, that came later, but I loved writing since I was a kid, but it was closer to stories or poems.
Rap is becoming more and more mainstream, but it’s still considered by many as a musical genre that lacks an artistic component. Why do you think that is the case?(laughter) It’s a matter that heavily depends on opinion, but I actually have a theory on it: in different moments throughout history the musical genre that is the most successful is the one that is the most accessible, the easiest one to make so to say. For example, the insane popularity of acoustic guitars, an instrument that was easy to play at home, during a time when “real” music was only played by orchestras. But very few people knew how to actually compose for that medium or even integrate it in any way, because of that a lot of people started composing and playing guitar until we got to a point where it's rare to listen to a song that doesn’t have a guitar in it. The same logic can be applied to punk and metal which were considered just noise by so many people until they dominate the global charts. I see rap as a natural successor to this movement. And I guess something will come after this. At the same time, I don´t really like to categorize artists in “musical genres”: either it makes me feel something or it doesn’t.
How has this conception of rap as something that lacks legitimacy affected you throughout your career?I’ve never felt affected by it, there were great artists before me that left it pretty clear how legitimate the musical genre was, as much nationally as internationally. I walk the path they laid out for me, and I hope to leave some intersections and roundabouts for who comes next.
As a verbal art, rap is very similar to poetry. Do you consider yourself a poet?In a way, but to me there’s a clear difference between what is written to be sung and what is written to be said or read. This is to say that if I wanted to write poetry, taking the music out of the background, I would have to write it in a different way.
Have you ever thought about writing poetry to be read?At this moment of my life I can’t picture it, but, in the future, who knows…
How is your writing process?I don’t have a process per se, I just try to write, I fight the urge to be a perfectionist in order to let the initial idea flourish, and then rewrite what I don’t like in the end.
Rap enacts a sort of symbiosis between the lyrics and the rhythm. When you’re making a song, what comes first: the words or the beat?I usually write with some sort of idea of the melody, but I regularly end up scraping the instrumental after recording my part and composing it from scratch.
There’s this notion of your public persona as an obsessive artist. Do you consider yourself particularly attentive to your artistic process?It’s what I like to do, and it’s what’s going to stay behind once I’m gone. I try to give it love. And I try to have good intentions in mind while I’m making my music. I don’t do it just to do it, to just pay the bills.
Do you feel responsible for the words you use, or for the way these can influence your audience? I feel that responsibility in the same way my words can affect my brother or cousin in private.
What would like your legacy to be?I would like the people that I crossed paths with, or that have listened to my songs, to feel like I have added something positive to their lives. I think that’s what we all want deep down. And I would like people to look at me and think: “If he was able to follow through with his dreams, so can I”, that the idea of me is inspiring to others, right now that’s what I want.
The theme of this issue of Vogue Portugal is Quotes. What is the quote that is most important to you, or that you use as a rule for your life?It’s hard to just choose one, but as soon as I read the question a poem from Coach Carter (2015) came to mind, that is also one of my favorite movies: “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us”
Originally translated from Vogue Portugal's The Quote Issue, published April 2022.For full credits and stories, check the print version.
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