Valete

Valete, stage name of Keidje Torres Lima, is a Portuguese rapper, of Santomean origin. He began to actively participate in the hip-hop movement in Portugal in 1997. He is known for his anti-capitalist, left-wing agendas that portray social issues in contemporary society.

The son of São Toméans, he first lived in Benfica, then moved to Odivelas, then returned to Benfica, after which he moved to Amora and finally settled in Damaia.

During his youth, he maintained relations with the JCP (Portuguese Communist Youth) and the PCP (Portuguese Communist Party). However, in the same interview he admitted that despite being a party to which he ideologically identifies, he has problems with its structure and social guidelines. Thus, he prefers to support the Bloco de Esquerda, as it is very close to his political references.

In 1997, he started his musical activity and with Adamastor and Bónus he formed Canal 115 and later the publishing company Horizontal Records. That same year, and at the age of 16, he began to be invited to mixtapes released by DJs such as Bomberjack and Cruzfader. He performed with Canal 115 for 2 years in various concerts across the country, until he took a break to dedicate himself more to his studies, having later graduated in Communication Sciences from ISCSP.

In 2002, he returned with the album Educação Visual, released independently. Valete, who before this album was better known as a freestyler and battle mc, was able to show in Visual Education a line of rap of a social nature that many did not recognize him. In the song “Anti-Herói”, from his next album, he would define himself as a “warrior Trotskyist”.

In 2006, the album Público is released.

In 2009, the rapper says he will release a new album, Homo Libero, which would succeed the Public Service album. However, the release of this album was always postponed by the rapper.

In 2017, Valete joins the project “Língua Franca” with Emicida, Rael and Capicua. Valete participates in 3 of the 10 songs that are part of the album. In June Valete releases 2 singles: “Poder” and “Rap Consciente”.

In 2019, the rapper announces that his third album will be titled “Em Movimento”, and not 360 Graus, nor Homo Líber, as I have been announcing over the last eleven years. Valete intends, with this new album, to enter into a more suitable record for today, so he announced that the tracks from the album will be released separately, originating, in the end, a compilation that will be released in physical format.

On the release of the 2nd track of the album “Em Movimento”, called BFF. Valete was the target of extensive criticism from the “bourgeois feminist” community and from some Portuguese celebrities, namely actresses. Following these events, Valete released a video, where he explains his theme and what he represents, also leaving strong criticisms of the women who accused him. Several celebrities came forward to defend Valete and his latest song.

Two weeks away from celebrating 20 years of Career at the Coliseums, Valete, one of the most renowned national rappers ever, releases today the new EP “Aperitivo”.

Sixteen years after Valete’s last album, the EP “Aperitivo” is the “culmination of a long preparation as a rapper, lyricist and musician”, he says. The rapper now feels more prepared to write and produce “very competent” songs and makes use of various stylistic resources in the discipline of rap.

A militant rapper and storyteller, Valete is one of the great contributors to the spread of the Lusophone music repertoire. It’s already 20 years of a career filled with successes, irreverences and audacity. He now returns to the big stages accompanied by a new project that encompasses new Rap influences in a transcendence of the artist’s new musicality.