In recent years, the diminutive Chico Cesar has emerged as one of Brazil's leading songwriters and social critics, taking up the mantle of women's rights, the homeless, and countless other causes in his compositions and music videos. He is the youngest of seven children from a poor family in the town of Catole do Rocha in the Northeastern state of Paraíba. It is a region so poor that many children won't reach their fifth birthdays, let alone have access to education. In Brazil, education is a privilege, not a right - and as a result, many of Brazil's children have no access to schools. Cesar's parents are poor uneducated farm laborers, but they were able to get young Chico a scholarship to a boarding school run by German nuns who had fled Europe during World War II. By the age of three he had learned to read, and by 12, he composed his first song - a composition that earned him his first guitar by finishing in fourth place in a regional musical competition. Fifteen years ago, after earning a degree in journalism, Cesar moved to São Paulo.

"There is a huge underground scene here in Sao Paulo," explains Cesar. "I thought that it would be a perfect place to pursue a musical career. When I first arrived here from Paraíba, however, I discovered that I was too much of a "Northeasterner" to play at the hip joints, and that my music was too weird for the forro clubs. Rather than being forced to make musical sacrifices, I decided to work as a journalist to pay the bills." Over the next decade, Cesar worked for a number of publications (including the Brazilian edition of Elle) as a music critic and copy editor. During this period, he continued writing songs, performing at small clubs, and honing a style that would help reinvent MPB in the 1990's. A brilliant poet with a remarkable musical gift to create infectious melodies, Cesar's quirky and personal nasal voice winds it way through northeastern-tinged pop hits.

By 1994 he recorded his first album, a self-produced-and-financed live CD called "Aos Vivos" (which he later sold to Velas Records). The album was a moderate hit commercially, but the live album struck a chord with critics and follow musicians. Brazil's top vocalists began knocking on Cesar's door to ask for permission to cover his catchy musical gems. Elba Ramalho, Maria Bethânia, Zizi Possi and Daniela Mercury lined up to record Cesar's compositions. A public squirmish developed when both Ramalho and Mercury wanted to record Cesar's heartfelt love song, "A Primeira Vista" (At First Sight) In the end, Mercury's lawyers had the last word, insisting on exclusive rights to re-record the song, which became the theme song for Brazil's most popular telenovela (soap opera), "O Rei do Gado" (The king of the herd), and catapulted Cesar into superstardom as a composer.

Two years later, in 1996, Chico Cesar was finally invited into the recording studio to record the now classic, "Cuscuz Cla" (named after his band). The album produced the mega-hit "Mama Africa" which sold over half a million copies. Like so many of Cesar's compositions, he wraps adorable touching tales around simply brilliant catchy melodies. The touches of reggae and rhythmic percussion of Bahia, mixed with Cesar's quirky nasal voice, made the song a an MPB anthem. "I wrote the song about the lives of modern women," explains Cesar. "Most women today have two professions, working both out of the house and also managing the family." The song tells the story of a working mother juggling hectic days at work as a packer in a supermarket while managing to take care of her infant children.

If anyone can say that they've beaten the odds, it is Chico Cesar, the kid who grew up in one of the world's poorest regions and became a leading Brazilian songwriter. "Throughout my career, I've always fought to create the music I wanted," explains Cesar. "This includes the songs, the recordings and even the videos. If someone ever asked me to change or make compromises, I'd look for a new label."

Contributed by: Dan Rosenberg