Drummer Marcelo Yuka is out of the group O Rappa!

The group's former drummer and main songwriter had his departure from the band announced today (the 12th)! The group continues without him!

After rumors and gossip that emerged over the past week, reporting an internal band conflict - due to the former drummer's side projects - it was announced today (the 12th) by Rio newspaper O Dia that Yuka has definitively left the group. Marcelo, the group's main songwriter and currently dedicated to keyboards (after being unable to play drums following being shot in November 2000), would have arranged his departure from the band about two weeks ago; however, until now, O Rappa had not clearly spoken about the matter, fueling gossip. The band is expected to issue an official statement about Yuka's departure through its label Warner in the coming days. According to sources close to the band, Yuka may soon launch a solo career.

Yuka always maintained other interests outside O Rappa, notably in social action movements such as NGO FASE (Federação de Órgãos para Assistência Social e Educacional), which works with youth in needy communities in Rio de Janeiro. After his forced absence from the band's daily routine (of which he is one of the founders), the former drummer began intense collaboration with other artists, participating on albums by names like Elza Soares, Max de Castro and Ivo Meirelles. His first solo experiments also began in 2002, intensifying the dub and psychedelic side of O Rappa itself. Yuka would have debuted his solo project live at a show in August at a dub festival in São Paulo, but ended up canceling the performance at the last minute. The last show with the complete O Rappa was in Rio de Janeiro on October 26.

Marcelo Yuka's announced departure puts a final point on the debate generated last week involving the former drummer, the rest of the band and Warner label. Press releases even claimed that the other O Rappa members gave "ultimatums" to Yuka, and that multinational label lawyers had already been called to mediate discussions. Even with Yuka out of the group, O Rappa, now "officially" led by vocalist Falcão (who was the one most objecting to Marcelo's parallel activities), intends to release its fifth album in April next year. The former drummer was the group's main lyricist and songwriter.