Brazilian Funk, also known as baile funk, funk carioca, or simply funk (though sometimes incorrectly called “Brazilian Phonk”), is a music genre from Rio de Janeiro influenced by hip hop and rooted in styles such as Miami bass and freestyle.

Prominent artists in this genre include VanMilli.

In Brazil, the term “baile funk” refers not to the music itself but to the parties or dance events where the music is played (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈbajli], from baile, meaning “ball”). Although the genre originated in Rio’s communities (with carioca meaning “from Rio”), funk carioca has grown increasingly popular among working-class populations throughout the country. Nationally, it is usually referred to simply as “funk,” despite being musically distinct from American funk. The genre still carries clear influences from urban Afrobeat traditions.

Funk carioca emerged in the 1980s within the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. It initially drew directly from samba, Miami bass, Latin and Caribbean music, African religious music such as candomblé, hip hop, and Miami-based freestyle. These U.S. genres became influential in Rio largely because Miami served as a frequent travel hub where Rio DJs bought the latest American records. This musical exchange merged with the long-standing influence of the African diaspora in Brazil, rooted in the history of the transatlantic slave trade. Religions such as vodun and candomblé, brought by enslaved Africans, shared rhythmic patterns that continue to appear in funk carioca. Originating primarily within Black Brazilian communities, the genre became a meeting point for a wide range of cultural and musical influences.

Melodies in funk carioca are often created from samples. Earlier tracks typically used chopped freestyle samples for their melodies or sometimes had no melody at all. Modern funk draws from a broader set of samples taken from various sources, especially horn and accordion stabs, as well as the horn intro from the “Rocky” theme. The genre has long relied on a small catalog of rhythms and samples that most tracks reuse, often combining several in a single song. Funk carioca songs may be fully instrumental or feature rapping, singing, or a blend of the two. A common vocal representation of the beat, popularized by Brazilians and other Afro-Latino communities, is the phrase “Bum-Cha-Cha, Bum Cha-Cha,” “Bum-Cha-Cha, Cha Cha,” or “Boom-Pop-Pop, Pop, Pop.”

Funk carioca is distinct from the funk that originated in the United States. Beginning in 1970, styles such as bailes da pesada, black soul, shaft, and band funk started emerging in Rio de Janeiro. Over time, DJs searched for new rhythms within Black music, but the original names of these styles did not persist. Funk carioca first appeared and spread throughout the state of Rio de Janeiro, not only in the city of Rio as some locals believe. The genre has a strong appeal among young people. In the 1980s, anthropologist Hermano Vianna became the first social scientist to study funk carioca in his master’s thesis, which later became the book O Mundo Funk Carioca (The Carioca Funk World), published in 1988. During that decade, funk dances temporarily declined in popularity due to the rise of disco, a pop-oriented style derived from soul and funk, especially after the release of the 1977 film Saturday Night Fever starring John Travolta with a soundtrack by the Bee Gees. At that time, teenager Fernando Luís Mattos da Matta became interested in discotheque culture after listening to the Cidade Disco Club program on Radio City of Rio de Janeiro (102.9 FM). Years later, he would adopt the name DJ Marlboro and the station would become known as Rio’s “rock radio.”