O Rappa was a Brazilian

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, " Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use ...

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band from

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Combining many styles such as

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African Americans in the m ...

, hip hop and

samba Samba (), also known as samba urbano carioca (''urban Carioca samba'') or simply samba carioca (''Carioca samba''), is a Brazilian music genre that originated in the Afro-Brazilian communities of Rio de Janeiro in the early 20th century. Havin ...

, Many of O Rappa's songs contain sharp protests against the social problems in Brazil and the members of the band themselves are supporters of numerous social projects.

History

In 1993,

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 picking Falcão as the 5th member and vocalist. In 1994, they released their first album, on

Warner Warner can refer to: People * Warner (writer) * Warner (given name) * Warner (surname) Fictional characters * Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner, stars of the animated television series ''Animaniacs'' * Aaron Warner, a character in ''Shatter Me s ...

, ''

O Rappa O Rappa was a Brazilian reggae/ rock band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Combining many styles such as rock, reggae, funk, hip hop and samba, Many of O Rappa's songs contain sharp protests against the social problems in Brazil and the members of ...

''. It was initially only known to small groups within the working class suburbs of

. In 1996 the album '' Rappa Mundi'' was released. Most of the music was a success, especially the cover of "

Hey Joe "Hey Joe" is an American song from the 1960s that has become a rock standard and has been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The lyrics tell of a man who is on the run and planning to head to Mexico after shooting ...

", a song made famous by

The Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

. However it was not until the third album ''

Lado B Lado A ''Lado B Lado A'' ( pt, Side B Side A) is the third album by Brazilian band O Rappa. It was produced by Chico Neves except the songs "Na Palma da Mão" and the album-title which was produced by Bill Laswell. It is distributed through Warner Music. ...

'' ("Side B Side A") in 1999, that O Rappa gained widespread fame selling over 150 000 copies of that album. Their video clip for their song Minha Alma ("My Soul") 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 Paraplegia, or paraparesis, is an impairment in motor or sensory function of the lower extremities. The word comes from Ionic Greek () "half-stricken". It is usually caused by spinal cord injury or a congenital condition that affects the neural ...

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 ''Instinto Coletivo Ao Vivo'' ( en, Collective Instinct Live) is the fourth album by Brazilian band O Rappa and their first Live album. It was produced by Tom Capone and O Rappa except "Ninguém Regula A América" which features and is also prod ...

''. It featured a couple of tracks recorded in the studio with the participation of

Sepultura Sepultura (, "grave")Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 17. is a Brazilian heavy metal band from Belo Horizonte. Formed in 1984 by brothers Max and Igor Cavalera,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 16. the band was a major force in the groove metal, thra ...

and

Asian Dub Foundation Asian Dub Foundation (ADF) is an English electronic music band that combines musical styles including rap rock, dub, dancehall, ragga, and South Asian music. The group also includes traditional rock instruments such as electric bass and gui ...

. On 7 July 2007, O Rappa performed at the Brazilian leg of

Live Earth Live Earth was an event developed to increase environmental awareness through entertainment. Background Founded by Emmy-winning producer Kevin Wall, in partnership with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, ''Live Earth'' was built upon the beli ...

in Rio de Janeiro. In 2008 they released ''

7 Vezes ''7 Vezes'' ( pt, 7 Times) is the seventh album by Brazilian band O Rappa. The title alludes to the fact that this is the seventh album O Rappa has released. It was produced by Ricardo Vidal, Tom Sabóia and O Rappa. It is distributed through Wa ...

'' ("7 times"). In 2010, the band launched the live album and the DVD ''O Rappa Ao Vivo Na Rocinha'' ("Live in Rocinha"), which was recorded during a concert at Rocinha, Rio de Janeiro's largest

favela Favela () is an umbrella name for several types of working-class neighborhoods in Brazil. The term was first used in the Providência neighborhood in the center of Rio de Janeiro in the late 19th century, which was built by soldiers who had ...

. The album featured the band's biggest hits as well as many

b-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

tracks. Considered by many as the most iconic and respected contemporary Brazilian band, they're consistent on their work. Capable of bringing many rhythms together and combining it into unique melodies that are impossible to label. Their rock and reggae influences are clear but other elements added to the melodies give the band the status of pioneers. 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

Studio

Live albums

Collected

Video albums

Singles

Band members

; Last line-up *

Marcelo Falcão Marcelo Falcão Custódio (born May 31, 1973, in Rio de Janeiro) is a Brazilian musician, the lead singer of the group O Rappa. Falcão was born and grew up in Engenho Novo, Rio de Janeiro. He sang with Marcelo D2 in his version of "Hey Joe", ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

rhythm guitar In music performances, rhythm guitar is a technique and role that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with other instruments from the rhythm section (e.g., drum kit, bass guitar ...

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

(1993-2018) * Xandão (Alexandre Menezes) -

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featur ...

(1993-2018) *Lauro Farias - bass,

synth bass A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and f ...

and

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

(1996-2018) *Marcelo Lobato -

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

and backing vocals (1993-2018);

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

(2001-2008); samplers and vibraphone (2008–18) ; Former members * Marcelo Yuka - drums (1993-2001) * Nelson Meirelles - bass (1993-1996) ; Touring members * Felipe Boquinha - drums (2013–2018) * Marcos Lobato - keyboards and samplers (2002–2018) * Negralha - turntables, samplers, percussion and backing vocals (1998–2018) * Wellington Soares - percussion (1996-2000) * Cleber Sena - drums, percussion (1999-2013) * Pedro Leão - acoustic guitar, craviola and bandolin (2005) * Bernardo Aguiar & Juninho - percussion (2005) * Alessandra Rodrigues, Play & Vinícius Falcão - backing vocals (2005)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rappa, O Musical groups established in 1993 Musical groups disestablished in 2018 1993 establishments in Brazil 2018 disestablishments in Brazil Brazilian rock music groups Rap rock groups Musical groups from Rio de Janeiro (city)