manguebeat is a counter culture movement that appeared during the 1990's in the northeastern city of recife - its mission is a response to the socio-economic and environmental neglect the city had been going through and it drew its name from the local manzegual, an endemic coastal ecosystem, which was being recklessly depleted.

as a musical genre, it blends punk rock, hip hop, funk and electronic music and it was pioneered by the now deceased lead singer from the band nação zumbi, chico science.

he saw a parallel in the way the government was neglecting both the manguezais and the racial minorities as well as economically disadvantaged parts of the population and how they were hurting brazil as a society.