Lions is no longer just a gay ballad to become the heart of rap and trap in downtown SP

In the long line outside the club, it is possible to see a team shirt, caps of all colors, golden cords and electronic cigarettes, which generate a sweet aroma that mixes with the girls’ perfume. Ages do not reach 30 years, and everyone waits for their turn to present their vaccination card and ID, only then to enter and watch the performance of the carioca rapper Leall.

It may not seem like it, but we are at the entrance of Lions Nightclub, a nightclub in the central region of São Paulo that has seen its public rejuvenate and the periphery approaching. Those who attended the club when it first appeared, 12 years ago, remember that the space was known for its parties filled with celebrities and for the LGBTQIA+ night, with VIP lists in which the São Paulo elite popped up.​

“Today’s public pleases me much more than the bourgeoisie who used to frequent the house in the past”, comments Facundo Guerra, a businessman who has a series of businesses in São Paulo and shares the Lions Club partnership with Cacá Ribeiro. “Spending on rap and funk days teaches me more, takes me out of my comfort zone and gives young people the opportunity to see their artists downtown, in a nightclub near the subway”, he says.

The club is located on the first floor of a commercial building, close to Praça da Sé. After climbing the stairs amid tall columns, the hall appears with a decoration reminiscent of the 1950s. It has a capacity of 450 people, on two floors, a lounge for the most VIPs and an open balcony overlooking the cathedral.

Thursday and Saturday nights are exclusive to two parties that are well-known among the younger crowd who enjoy rap and all its derivations, even funk: Baile do Leão, on Thursdays, and Boom Trap, on Saturdays.

Squeezed between the two, on Fridays, there is still the traditional LGBTQIA+-themed party, which is currently called Ultralions and attracts a mostly male audience, making it the only day of the week where pop music is currently heard on the dance floor. “Even with the success of rap nights, the Lions gay night will never leave the grid”, says Guerra.

Unlike the opening, in 2010, which featured singer Mallu Magalhães and rocker Lobão playing a DJ —that is, talking about famous guests, such as lawyer Antônio Carlos de Almeida Castro, Kakay, circulating around the space—, currently Lions receives names like Febem, Vitinho and Sophia, as well as trap DJs like Cesrv, Mu540 and the duo Deekapz.

“The first few times, I didn’t like it, I didn’t like the music or the rich-looking crowd”, comments Montana, a drill singer, a branch of rap. She lives in Diadema, in Greater São Paulo, and always attends Lions on Thursdays. “The changes attracted more the periphery.”

Bringing artists who are booming on social media has also been the way the club found to keep working. “We keep an eye on what’s happening in other states, on Instagram and on TikTok. Leall, for example, is a guy that we saw who was a hit in Rio, but he doesn’t sing in São Paulo”, says Felipe Lacine, who curates of Boom Trap party artists.

“Competition is great, people end up not just calling the club’s name, they look at the schedule on Instagram and go to the coolest event”, says Lacine.

Another thing that increases the queues at the nightclub are the lists and VIP tickets. Visitors can put their name in advance on a form and, depending on the event, pay BRL 15 to watch the shows — without their name on the list, tickets start at BRL 30 and increase to BRL 60 after midnight .

But, still in terms of prices, the prices of drinks and drinks are the same as those of the most expensive clubs in the city. The cheapest beer in the long neck format sells for R$16. Two shots of gin and tonic cost R$56, while a glass of Jameson whiskey costs R$32.

This Friday, the 15th, DJs Fernando Moreno, Jay Franchini and Tiffany Bradshaw liven up the LGBTQIA+ night. But those who want to play rap and funk can go on Saturday, the 16th, when a sequence of performances by DJs GM, Dayeh, Mass, Mouse and Maestro is scheduled.