Barbacena is a city and municipality in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. As of 2006, the municipality had 124,601 inhabitants. The total area of the municipality is 788 km².

It is in the foothills of the Serra da Mantiqueira south of the state capital Belo Horizonte at an elevation of 1,136 meters, making it one of the ten highest cities in Brazil. Located on the important BR-040 highway (also called Rodovia JK), which links Brasília to Rio de Janeiro, it is 165 km from the state capital and 97 km from Juiz de Fora.

Barbacena has a humid tropical climate with cool summers due to the elevation. Summer averages are 24 °C and winter averages 13 °C. The cool climate and abundant rainfall have made Barbacena a center for flower production — the city is the biggest producer of flowers in Minas Gerais, and is nicknamed "City of Roses". Cattle raising and the dairy industry are quite developed and the city is a big producer of milk products; there are also several small textile factories.

In the 19th century, Barbacena was a principal distribution center for the mining districts of Minas Gerais, but this distinction was lost when the railways were extended beyond that point.

Aristotle Pollisco (born October 18, 1977), better known by his stage name Gloc-9, is an Awit Award-winning Filipino rapper. His fast-flowing vocal style has made him one of the most successful hip-hop artists in the Philippines. He was described by fellow Filipino rapper Francis Magalona as "a blacksmith of words and letters, and a true Filipino poet."

He is an award-winning rapper who has collaborated almost a dozen of songs with other OPM artists; “Lando” collaborated with late Francis M., “Upuan” with Jaezelle, “Bagsakan” with Parokya ni Edgar and Francis M., and “Sari-Saring Kwento” with Noel Cabangon and Champ Lui Pio. His songs mostly tackle social issues such as social injustices, poverty and patriotism.

He is the son of Orlando Pollisco, Sr. and the second of four siblings: Sharito (born 1976), Orlando, Jr. (born 1978) and Sharon (born 1982). Gloc 9 is a graduate of BS Nursing. He is married to Thea Pollisco and the father of fraternal twins, Sean Daniel and Danielle Shaun.^{[citation needed]}