Preta Rara

About

Afro-Brazilian rapper, historian, educator, writer, and activist known for her music featuring powerful lyrics addressing racism, sexism, and classism, as well as her activism highlighting the plight of domestic workers in Brazil. She is also known for her album Audacia.

Before Fame

She began working alongside her mother when she was 13 years old, selling homemade meals and cleaning products. She began working as a domestic worker when she was 18 years old and worked in the field for seven years. She enrolled at the Universidade Católica de Santos in 2009, where she earned a degree in history. She became a history teacher and taught for seven years before starting her music career in 2005 as part of the rap duo Tarja Preta with Negra Jack.

Trivia

Her stage name Preta Rara means "Rare Black Woman." She launched the Facebook page Eu, Empregada Doméstica (I, Domestic Worker) in 2016 which chronicled anonymous stories of abuse faced by domestic workers. Her page went viral and was turned into a book in 2019.  She became a host on GloboPlay's talk show Talk Five in 2020.

Family Life

She was born Joyce da Silva Fernandes. She was born and raised in Santos, São Paulo, Brazil. She grew up in a working-class family. Her mother worked as a domestic worker, and her father was a postman. She is the eldest of three siblings.

Associated With

She posted a photo of herself posing with Mano Brown as a birthday tribute to him on her Instagram page in April 2025.