View source for Nagrelha

{{Short description|Angolan musician (1986–2022)}}
{{promo|date=September 2024}}
{{Infobox musical artist
|birth_name=Gelson Caio Manuel Mendes
|birth_date={{Birth year|1986}}
|birth_place=[[Luanda]], [[Sambizanga]], Angola
|death_date={{Death date and given age|2022|11|18|36}}
|genre=[[Kuduro]]
}}
'''Gelson Caio Manuel Mendes''', better known as '''Nagrelha''' (1986 – November 18, 2022), was an Angolan musician. He was a pioneer of the [[kuduro]] genre and one of its best-known stars.
Born in the [[Luanda]] neighbourhood of [[Sambizanga]], Nagrelha grew up in a tough environment, where he experienced gang violence, drug abuse, and stints in jail.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theafricareport.com/265019/the-legacy-left-by-angolas-nagrelha-the-artist-synonymous-with-kuduro/ |website=The Africa Report |access-date=September 3, 2024|title=The legacy left by Angola's Nagrelha, the artist synonymous with kuduro }}</ref> His group, [[Os Lambas]], released their first major hit, 'Comboio', in 2006, and proceeded to become one of the most renowned of all [[kuduro]] acts. According to [[Kalaf Epalanga]], founding member of the Portuguese group [[Buraka Som Sistema]], the video for 'Comboio' "marks a before and an after in music video production in Angola"; it is said to have "defined kuduro’s visual esthetics".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://field-journal.com/editorial/angolan-kuduro-dance-conquers-the-city/|website=Field Journal|access-date=September 3, 2024 |title=Angolan Kuduro: Dance Conquers the City|date=31 December 2020 }}</ref>
Nagrelha was a lifelong supporter of the [[MPLA]], the political party that has ruled Angola since independence, and frequently performed at party functions. [[José Eduardo dos Santos]], president of Angola from 1979 to 2017, was also from Nagrelha's neighborhood of Sambizanga.
Nagrelha died in 2022 from [[lung cancer]] at the age of 36.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.verangola.net/va/en/112022/Society/33450/Blood-sweat-and-tears-at-the-funeral-of-Nagrelha-the-%27General-staff%27-of-Angolan-kuduro.htm|website=Ver Angola |access-date=September 3, 2024 |title=Blood, Sweat, and Tears at the Funeral of Nagrelha, the General Staff of Angolan Kuduro|date=22 November 2022 }}</ref> His funeral was attended by over 20,000 people; there were a number of looting incidents and at least one death, and mourners were dispersed by police using tear gas. Many reports contrasted the massive outpouring of grief for Nagrelha with the relatively subdued funeral of ex-president [[José Eduardo dos Santos|dos Santos]] just a few months before.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.africasacountry.com/2022/12/father-of-the-nation|website=Africa Is a Country|access-date=September 3, 2024|title=Father of the Nation|date=26 March 2021 }}</ref>
== References ==
<references />
{{Authority control|qid=Q116233994}}
[[Category:1986 births]]
[[Category:2022 deaths]]
[[Category:21st-century Angolan people]]
[[Category:Angolan male musicians]]
[[Category:Deaths from lung cancer]]
[[Category:Date of birth missing]]