DJ Japa NK: From Construction Worker to Brazilian Funk Hitmaker

Brazilian DJ Japa NK, whose real name is Adenilton Sapucaia dos Santos, has recently gained significant attention after Spanish football star Lamine Yamal featured his music in a social media post. Now 33 years old, Japa NK is the producer behind the hit song "Posso Até Não te Dar Flores," which topped Brazil's Spotify charts for 16 weeks and garnered over 250 million streams. Before achieving this success, Santos worked for over a decade as a construction helper alongside his father. He officially released his first song in 2022, but his career truly took off in 2025 with the massive success of "Posso Até Não te Dar Flores," a funk national hit. He is associated with MC Ryan SP's record label, Bololô Records, and has since produced several other popular tracks, including "Amo Minha Favela," "Gauchinha," "Carnívoro," and "SET DO JAPA NK 2.0."

Santos's journey began in Taboão da Serra, São Paulo, before moving to Amargosa, Bahia, at age five, where he lived until 18. He described Amargosa as a peaceful place, contrasting it with the violence of large cities. Upon returning to São Paulo, he settled in Capão Redondo and worked in construction, motivated by his parents to seek better employment opportunities. He initially pursued music as a hobby using Virtual DJ, a free MP3 mixing software, and performed publicly for the first time in 2008 at a school event in Amargosa. After more than ten years in construction, he officially launched his music career in 2022. His influences include Martin Garrix and David Guetta, and he aspires to collaborate with artists like MC Hariel and Dennis DJ. The nickname "Japa" originated from his East Asian ancestry, and he added "NK" in honor of Jardim Nakamura, a favela near his neighborhood.