O orgulho periférico em “Fórmula mágica da paz” do Racionais MC’s: uma análise semiótica

One of the pioneer rap groups in Brazil, Racionais MC's has been, since the 1990s, among the main people responsible for creating a new way for the slum-dwellers to see themselves facing the world. Their songs of protest and denunciation critically consider the reality of young people from the slums and encourage a position no longer shaped by depreciation, but rather by pride in being slum-dwellers, according to Tiarajú Pablo D'Andrea (2013). The aim of this article is therefore to understand how the group's lyrics help to promote this transformation in social thinking. Using the theoretical-methodological proposal of Semiotics of Discourse, we will try to describe the linguistic conditions that make it possible to produce this effect of slum pride that the sociologist talks about. Our proposal is to explore the different levels of discourse construction in one of the emblematic lyrics from the album Sobrevivendo no inferno (1997), “Fórmula mágica da paz” [Magic Formula for Peace]. Taking a close look at this song, we will try to observe the enunciative strategies employed and the persuasive resources that stand out the most. We believe that this investigation may point to a standard discursive form, which can also be recognized in the other tracks on the same album and might be responsible for the recurring incitement to the feeling of slum-dweller pride.