Grupo Pé de Moleque

Grupo Pé de Moleque came together in Rio de Janeiro in the late 1980s, with Claudinho as their singer. They built a following with a funk carioca sound that felt immediate and local. Their song 'Carente de Paz' became a hit, and tracks like 'Mais Que Amigo' and 'Festa Na Cozinha' kept that momentum going through the early 1990s.

They put out albums like 'Samba, Funk, Reggae e Rap' in 1992 and 'Me Leva' in 1993, working with a core lineup that included Marcinho on vocals, Jefinho on guitar, Marcelinho on drums, and André on keyboards. The music was direct, sometimes drawing criticism for its lyrics, but it connected because it didn't try to be anything other than what it was.

Claudinho was killed in 2002. The band kept going afterward, but that event marked a clear shift. Their later work, like the 1999 album 'Facção Carioca', has a different weight to it. The songs they're remembered for, 'Por Onde Ir', 'Viver, Amar', aren't anthems in a grand sense; they're just the pieces that stuck around.