Fuzzbubble, the first (and, to date, only) rock act to be signed to Sean "Puffy" Combs' Bad Boy Entertainment, has negotiated a release from its contract with the company, the group announced in a statement.

In its statement, Fuzzbubble expressed appreciation for what Combs has done for the band as a mentor and business colleague and explained that the band no longer wished to take a back seat to "other label priorities and personal affairs.

As for its future home, the group simply wrote that it would be "pursuing other opportunities.

The New York-born band signed with Combs in May of '97, and the bulk of the recording for the band's long-playing (and long-promised) Bad Boy debut took place in 1998 with producer Mike Clink (Guns N' Roses) at the helm, according to the band's official Web site (www.fuzzbubble.com). The disc was most recently scheduled to be issued this month.

Fuzzbubble's

releases include the group's contribution to the rock remix of Puff Daddy And The Family's "It's All About The Benjamins" (the video for which won the MTV Viewers' Choice Award at the 1998 VMAs), a song on the "Godzilla" soundtrack ("Out There"), and an appearance on the "Chef Aid" South Park album. The Fuzzbubble songs "Ordinary," featuring backing vocals by Susanna Hoffs of The Bangles, and "Real World" were also recently featured on TV's "Felicity.

The band, which took the stage at Manhattan's Limelight club on Wednesday night, will be opening for Kiss at the Jones Beach Amphitheatre in Wantagh, New York on Friday.