How are militant associations created? Which elements and/or processes allow individuals to act as a group and create an organization aimed at interfering in the political sphere? We look into this question by studying a group of young black rappers who created their association in the late 1990's in Campinas, SP. Through long, repeated interviews and the observation of some of their encounters and practices, we show that the association was made possible by a learning process experienced by the rappers through their contact with older and experienced politicians. In the process, they learned how to organize a political movement in order to influence government policies. They also learned a number of "activist techniques" that helped them to be respected and to find support in other segments of party and syndicate activism. Through the association, the rappers made the Campinas hip hop movement concrete and visible and, in 2001, they obtained support from the Partido dos Trabalhadores city administration, for the creation of a House of Hip Hop, a center where they were employed to develop artistic and political activities.
political socialization; activism