Brazilian hip-hop is a regional genre of hip-hop in Brazil. From its earliest days in the African-Brazilian communities of São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, the genre has grown into a countrywide phenomena. Rappers, DJs, break dancers and graffiti artists are active across the complete spectrum of society blending Brazil's cultural heritage with American hip hop to form a contemporary musical fusion.

Many believe that even before the consolidation of the American hip hop scene, similar forms of rhythm and poetry were already manifesting in Brazil. The first form of poetic improvisation appeared in the northeast of the country (in the region of Teixeira, Paraíba) in the 19th century. Known as "repente" or "cantoria", it is a genre of Brazilian folk music practiced by a pair of singers known as repentistas who alternate themselves in the composition of improvised strophes following very strict patterns of metric, rhyme and thematic coherence.

Also in 1964, the singer Jair Rodrigues released the samba song "Deixa Isso Pra Lá" ("Never Mind") which many consider to be the first rap song ever made in the country.

Brazilian hip hop has its origins in the Bailes Black (Black Parties) of the late 1970s where American funk and soul music was played. These events, which tens of thousands of people attended regularly, had become an important forum for the expression of African-Brazilian identity during the absence of democracy; the military had assumed power in 1964 and would remain in power until 1985. The Bailes Black were orientated towards playing American imports by artists such as James Brown, Funkadelic and Parliament. The influence of "Say It Loud – I'm Black and I'm Proud" by James Brown and the Civil Rights Movement is reflected in the names of the Brazilian Sound Teams (equivalent of the Jamaican Sound Systems): Black Power, Zimbabwe and Revolution of the Mind. The sound teams of the Bailes Black were soon providing opportunities for local master of ceremonies (MC) to take the stage and though the parties were still orientated towards American music they formed an important training ground for Brazilian rappers.

Other early examples of Brazilian proto-rap include songs by Gerson King Combo. Known as one of the leading voices of the Black Rio movement in the 1970s, Gérson gained fame with tracks like "Mandamentos Black" (1977) and "Melô do Mão Branca" (1980), both of which have been cited by music historians as early expressions of rap-style vocal delivery in Brazilian music. He is considered one of the most important names in Black Brazilian music, alongside Tim Maia, Hyldon, and Cassiano. His fusion of funk, soul, and socially conscious lyrics helped pave the way for the evolution of the Brazilian hip hop. Unlike artists like Tim Maia, who mixed soul and funk with elements of samba and MPB, Gerson King Combo He did not fuse his music with Brazilian styles.

By the early 1980s, the nascent Brazilian hip hop movement was centered around the city of São Paulo especially São Bento station, Galleria 24 de Maio Street and the Theatro Municipal where break dancers and rappers congregated to exchange ideas and information. In 1988, the first hip hop posse was formed by the rappers from Praça Roosevelt (Roosevelt Square) in São Paulo; calling themselves the Sindicato Negro (Black Trade Union) they were directly involved in helping other posses in the city to organize. The first Brazilian hip hop album Hip Hop, Cultura De Rua ("Hip Hop, Street Culture") was released in September 1988 on the Paralelo label; the album featured Thaide & DJ Hum, Código 13, MC Jack and O Credo. The second Brazilian hip hop album was Consciência Black Vol. 1 which featured "Pânico na Zona Sul" ("Panic on the South Side") and "Tempos Difíceis" ("Hard Times") by the group Racionais MC's as well as the song "Nossos Dias" ("Our Days") by Sharylaine who was the first female rapper to make an impact in Brazil. The influence of the Universal Zulu Nation, a US hip hop organization created by Afrika Bambaataa as an alternative to gang culture, was emulated in Brazil with the formation of the Movimento Hip Hop Organizado do Brasil (MH2O) in 1989.

The hip hop group Posse Mente Zulu was formed in 1992 by Rappin' Hood, Johnny MC and DJ Akeen and released the track "Sou Negrão" that same year; the song with its a samba-rap, a blend of samba and hip hop elements was hugely popular and was later re-recorded by Rappin' Hood. The group Racionais MC's released their debut album Holocausto Urbano ("Urban Holocaust") on Zimbabwe Records in 1992; over the course of the next five years they would establish themselves as one of Brazil's most important hip hop groups.

GOG, Genival Oliveira Gonçalves, was the first hip hop artist from the Brasília hip hop scene to make an impact with the release in 1992 of the four-track album Peso Pesado ("Heavy Weight"). In February 1993, the first Brazilian hip hop magazine Pode Crê! ("You Can Believe It!") was published by JP Publicidade, São Paulo. The Brasilia group Câmbio Negro, formed in 1990 by DJ Jamaika and X, released their debut album Sub Raça in July 1993; its mixture of rock and hip hop proved to be popular with audiences. Racionas MC's released their third album Sobrevivendo no Inferno on their own independent label Cosa Nostra in 1997; the album was certified gold in January 1998. The São Paulo rap group RZO, formed in 1989 by Sandrão, Helião, Negra li and DJ Cia, released their self-titled debut album in 1997 on M.A. Records; they would later sign with the Cosa Nostra label.