Birth Date: 22 February 2004
Location: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Monument Type: historic/residence
Soffia Gomes da Rocha Gregório Corrêa, better known by her stage name MC Soffia, is a Brazilian-born rapper and musician who rose to fame as a young girl and rapper with extraordinary musical talent in the early 2010s. Born in 2004 in Sao Paolo Brazil, Soffia had early markers of being a musical child prodigy, with her parents and friends citing her early proficiency for rap and rhythm as something that distinguished her from her peers. Her mother, Kamilah Pimentel, was a radical Black and militant activist in Brazil, fighting for equality within the country every day—Soffia took note. The activist status of her mother influenced Soffia’s early childhood, leading her later to become passionate about social change and racial equality within South America, eventually translating into the music she produced.
At the age of six, Soffia attended a party hosted by DJ Vivian Marques, the founder of an organization aimed at promoting musical appreciation in underrepresented communities. Soffia cites this event as a critical moment of change in her life and one that inspired her to pursue a career in music. DJ Marques encouraged young girls to follow their dreams in the art and music industry, and that is exactly what Soffia intended to do. At the age of seven, her first performance was at the local Sao Paoli marathon, where she sang for crowds celebrating the anniversary of the city’s establishment. Despite her age, the performance went incredibly well, causing others to spread the word about the new up-and-coming Brazilian music star.
Following that show, her life began to quickly gain momentum. She gained a following, and fans, and was eventually contracted to perform at the 2016 opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Rio. This solidified MC Soffia’s identity as a major musical icon and gave her a platform that allowed her to rap about issues closely related to her upbringing and personal life. As she got older, the music she released became more tailored to activism and the Black experience in Brazil, promoting notions of Black empowerment and excellence. In 2017, she was cited as one of the 100 most influential women of the year by The New York Times, and she continues to produce music today.
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