UNAIDS Brazil Targets Gen Z by Embedding HIV Prevention into Spotify "Funk Proibidao" Hits

Apr. 17, 2026

UNAIDS Brazil has launched the "Cover It" (Proibidão Protegidão) initiative, an unconventional strategy using music entertainment to deliver HIV prevention information to Generation Z. By transforming cultural content into public utility tools, UNAIDS Brazil aims to address the rise of new HIV infections among young people.

Created by Africa Creative, the campaign arrives as epidemiological data shows a significant concentration of new HIV cases within this demographic. According to the Brazilian Ministry of Health, 48.7% of new infections in 2024 were recorded among people aged 15 to 29. This trend aligns with the National School Health Survey (PENSE), conducted by Brazilian Statistical Institute (IBGE), which indicated that condom use among young people aged 13 to 17 dropped from 72.5% in 2009 to 57,2% in 2024.

To reach this audience, UNAIDS Brazil identified funk carioca — a rhythm born in Rio de Janeiro's favelas that has become Brazil’s most dominant youth subculture — as the primary vehicle for communication. The project specifically focuses on "funk proibidão," a subgenre known for its raw, explicit lyrics regarding street life and sexuality. UNAIDS Brazil utilized the Spotify Canvas tool, which features eight-second looping videos during track playback, to replace original visuals with animations promoting condom use. Featured tracks by prominent artists such as MC Livinho, MC Mari, and MC Pikachu accumulate approximately 300 million views on the platform, ensuring massive reach among Brazilian adolescents.

The Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) provides a wide range of prevention methods. Through the "Combined Prevention" framework, UNAIDS Brazil advocates for a strategy that integrates biomedical, behavioral, and structural approaches based on human rights. The SUS offersPrEP, PEP, internal and external condoms, lubricants, HIV self-tests, and antiretroviral treatment free of charge. Recently, the public health system also incorporated sensitive and textured external condoms into its inventory.

The decision by UNAIDS Brazil to utilize funk as a platform acknowledges the genre's massive influence. By occupying the visual space of "funk proibidão" tracks, UNAIDS Brazil inserts the message of protection into a context where sexuality is already discussed openly, bridging the gap between cultural expression and the information necessary for informed choices.

Thainá Kedzierski, Communications and Advocacy Officer at UNAIDS Brazil said:

"Adapting language and promoting HIV prevention communication based on autonomy and choice is part of the necessary shift for an equitable HIV response. It must meet the specific needs of groups, especially the youth population, which remains the most affected by new infections."

 

Rogerio Chaves, co-CCO of Africa Creative commented:

“When we noticed that funk artists with explicit sexual lyrics weren’t using Spotify Canvas, we immediately saw an emerging media space. The meeting of entertainment and education in the same place."

 

Participating tracks include Mc Livinho’s "Fazer Falta," Mc Davi’s "Vínculo Nenhum," Mc Mari’s "Flauta," and Mc Pikachu’s "Lá no Meu Barraco.” This action reaffirms the commitment of UNAIDS Brazil to meeting global goals to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 by adapting institutional messaging to modern digital consumption dynamics.