In 1993,
reggae artist
Papa Winnie came to Brazil but had no band to play shows with him. He immediately picked four people: Nelson Meirelles, Marcelo Lobato, Alexandre Menezes and Marcelo Yuka as the band. After Papa Winnie's shows, the four decided to stay together, holding an audition for a vocalist, with Marcelo Falcão being the selected candidate. In 1994, they released their first album, on
WEA,
O Rappa. It was initially only known to small groups within the working class suburbs of
Rio de Janeiro. In 1996 the album
Rappa Mundi was released. Most of the music was a success, especially their cover of "
Hey Joe", a song made famous by
The Jimi Hendrix Experience, featuring members of
Planet Hemp. However it was not until the third album
Lado B Lado A in 1999, that O Rappa gained widespread fame selling over 150 000 copies of that album. Their video clip for their song "A Minha Alma (A Paz Que Eu Não Quero)" was also held in high regard winning many MTV Brasil's Vídeo Music Awards. In November 2000, drummer Marcelo Yuka was shot during a robbery. He tried to avoid the assault by slamming his car against the bandits. The incident left him a
paraplegic and he was forced to leave the band. He was replaced by Marcelo Lobato. In August 2001, the group released its first live album,
Instinto Coletivo ao Vivo. It featured a couple of tracks recorded in the studio with the participation of
Sepultura and
Asian Dub Foundation. On 7 July 2007, O Rappa performed at the
Brazilian leg of
Live Earth in Rio de Janeiro. In 2008 they released
7 Vezes. In 2010, was released their third live album and third DVD,
Ao Vivo na Rocinha, which was recorded during a concert at Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro's largest
favela. The album featured the band's biggest hits as well as many
b-side tracks. On May 3, 2017, the group announced on Facebook that after the end of their tour in February 2018, it will pause with no current plans to return. ==Discography==