Favela Chic: Diplo, Funk Carioca, and the Ethics and Aesthetics of the Global Remix

Abstract

Using the work of the US DJ and producer Diplo as a case study, this article examines the development, internationalization, and sensationalization of Brazilian funk carioca. It argues that this trend has contributed to glamorized global perceptions of impoverished Latin American communities and perpetuated a troublesome history of Western producers using source material from the Other for novelty and financial gain. It concludes with a discussion of the emerging ideals and aesthetics of the “global remix,” as well as an examination of contemporary attitudes towards hybridity, authenticity, and ownership in the global popular music sphere.