Negra Li: “It’s liberating to break taboos” –

“Wow, isn’t the photo in a bikini just my turn?!”. It was like this, in a joking tone and full of self-confidence, that Black Li faced her first photo session for the Good shape. After a separation and the discovery of a new way of working, she is enjoying her body, her head in place and the emotional maturity she gained over time. “I want to talk more about myself, my revolts, insecurities, desires, how I feel with the empowerment I managed to find at 42 years old”, she says. In this exclusive interview, she shows who the woman behind the rapper is.

Negra Li: in charge of her history (Patty Lima/)

IN CONTROL OF YOUR LIFE

The year 2021 was intense for Negra Li – or Liliane de Carvalho, as few people know her. In May, she released Command, strong song that talks about legacy, ancestry and hope in building a triumphant future: “Pay attention / Now it’s your turn to listen to me / If you can’t bear to hear it, you can leave / This is Negra Li / The one in charge, supported by more than fifty thousand sisters / This is my fame, denies drama / Four decades are petals / Me made it bloom / My story, I wrote it myself / Glories, victories are yet to come / You will feel it”, she sings.

All the power in her voice and image are also accompanied by a lot of sensitivity, which today she does not avoid exposing. “Anxiety hits, I don’t sleep right before recording a clip. I intensify body care, I use cannabidiol to help with anxiety symptoms, I worry about taking all the precautions to not get sick, ”she says. Directed by João Monteiro, the clip also features his eldest daughter, Sofia: “I had to convince her to participate. I explained that she would represent the future for the girls, that she was my legacy.”

Negra Li: “I needed to find myself, understand myself, discover all my whys” (Patty Lima/)

REINFORCED FAMILY TIES

At the end of last year, Negra Li’s marriage to Junior Dread. Parents of 4-year-old Noah, they tried ways to find their relationship again, but chose to go their separate ways. “You can’t say it didn’t work. But when it’s not cool, it takes away our shine”, he says. The phase that followed the decision was a roller coaster of feelings – but one that brought great growth. “I wanted to explore the world. I needed to find myself, understand myself, discover all my whys.”

Within the family, the discoveries came along with all the changes imposed by the pandemic. From the emptiness of the house when the children are away to the dynamics of cooking or doing school homework together, every moment was fully experienced. “At the beginning of the quarantine, I had to cook every day, now I don’t want to cook anything. There is always something that we leave to be desired.” The intention is to fulfill the different roles without approaching burnout. “When I get real tired and I don’t want to do anything, I respect myself.”

BEING A MOTHER

Both Sofia and Noah are created with autonomy, but they cannot do everything. By her own decision, Sofia decided to cut out animal products from her diet, went to study vegan cuisine and gained her mother’s full support. When the desire was to explore social networks, Negra Li imposed restrictions. “She has a tiktoker streak, but when I saw some content that wasn’t appropriate for her age, I thought it wasn’t right. I monitor Instagram, everything,” she says. With the youngest, it was also necessary to test the best forms of communication. “It would be easier to say yes to everything, but the child feels like you don’t care. When I scold him, he understands that I care for him, he returns in a loving way. It can’t be 100% yay yay.”

Maturity: “I want to be well and feel comfortable showing what I want” (Patty Lima/)

BE WOMAN

On her social networks, Negra Li allowed herself to speak openly about sex in the project #SóUmaTacinha. “I speak without a script, which is what I want. My mother said ‘Liliane, but you even talk about oral sex’. I speak myself. People want to pretend they don’t do these things. I speak of information that would have helped me if I had known it earlier. Women have to know each other, it’s liberating to break taboos.”

She says that she already felt that her public was policing her posts, but today the demand is less intense. “I like taking pictures, showing my body. I’m also a model. I want to show the woman behind the rapper, let’s humanize that vision,” she says. “Because I came from rap, I still hear demands as if I were selling myself, people asking ‘Where’s the music?’. These internet things don’t bother me anymore. I want to look good and feel comfortable showing what I want.”

Negra Li: new album prepared after an immersion with the team (Patty Lima/)

CARE FOR THE BODY

Difficulty sleeping has always been present in Negra Li’s life. It was necessary to seek help from a psychiatrist to resolve the issue. Exercises, however, are your great tool for regulating your body. “I love to maintain my body, but doing physical activity is fundamental for the psychological one as well”, he says. She started bodybuilding at age 18 and never stopped. After Sofia’s pregnancy, she worked out only sporadically for a while, until she returned to practice. “It’s something I like. It brings me the benefit of thinking I’m beautiful, but I realized that with anxiety it’s something I can’t do without. I need that hormone to bring happiness.”

Other activities that are part of her day to day are muay thai, dance (choreographies have always been present in her shows) and yoga. ′′ I’ve never taken an in-person yoga class, I started in the pandemic. But it’s been wonderful because of the meditation, the attention to breathing.”

UPCOMING WORKS

Being comfortable in your own body is essential for jobs like the clip I need to go, released in August in partnership with Ferrugem. At ease in a nightgown and lingerie, Negra Li sings: “For loving you too much / I did a thousand crazy things, I left myself behind / And I live with the guilt of loving you too much / In this story, no one is at peace / I need to go / For loving me too much / I need to go”.

Self-love appears strongly in your relationship with spirituality and also with work. Raised in a religious family, Negra Li attended church before the pandemic, but still does not feel safe to return. She exercises her faith in her prayers and in her free will. “I carry the teachings and good deeds of religion, but today I know that I can be who I am and still be accepted by God. Jesus preaches love. It was liberating when I was able to bring together the things of the world and the spiritual side.”

Due to the pandemic and the desire to delve deeper into all stages of production, she started to adopt creative camping to organize her next album. By pulling together a small team for many consecutive days, she felt safe and encouraged to share her story. “I want to talk more about myself, my revolts, insecurities, desires, how I feel with the empowerment I managed to find at 42 years old.” Negra Li keeps moving and we all learn from her.

Photo and video capture: @oipattylima Video editing: @koba Hair and makeup: @moisesccosta and @caiqques Styling: @miricciardi Art direction: @oipedroemilio Negra Li dresses: @aluf__, @hectoralbertazzi, @brennheisen, @victorhugomattoss, @ presspassrocks and @ocksaofficial Thanks: @melinatavarescomunicacao Negra Li: October cover star of (Patty Lima/)

This special is part of the October 2021 issue of ,
which features the singer Negra Li on its cover.
Click here to check out the other specials.