Bad Brains are a rastafarian American hardcore punk band, originally formed in Washington DC in 1977, though the band’s members objected to the term “hardcore” to describe their music. They are considered pioneers of hardcore punk, and their self-titled debut is considered by many to be the finest hardcore punk album ever. But their sound goes further than that, often into full-on dub and reggae. Originally formed as a jazz fusion ensemble, Bad Brains developed a very fast and intense punk rock sound, which was both musically complex and more extreme than most of their punk contemporaries. They were also an adept reggae band, in a sort of Jekyll-and-Hyde arrangement, while later recordings also featured elements of funk and heavy metal. Bad Brains were also notable as religious Rastafarians.

Bad Brains have broken up and reformed several times over the years (most recently as the Soul Brains), sometimes with different singers and/or drummers. Their existence has been in three periods: 1977–1984, 1986–1995, and 1997–present. The group’s classic line-up was singer H.R., guitarist Dr. Know, bass guitarist Darryl Jennifer, and drummer Earl Hudson.

Whether or not any members of the Bad Brains had homophobic views prior to their conversion is hard to say, but becoming Rastafarian certainly did not improve their attitudes towards homosexuality. While they kept these views out of their lyrics (at least until the infamous “Don’t Blow Bubbles” on 1989’s Quickness which delivers the band’s obscure socio-religious analyses of AIDS with the exhortation, “Don’t blow no fudge buns”), it soon became apparent to the punk scene. The controversy stems mainly from an incident on their first nationwide tour in 1982. Bad Brains played in Austin, Texas with local legends the Big Boys. Things turned ugly after the show when H.R. discovered the Big Boys’ singer was queer, and the next morning got into a heated confrontation with MDC’s Dave Dictor. When the band left town, instead of paying money owed to the Big Boys, H.R. left a note saying something to the effect of “burn in hell bloodclot faggot.” While the debt was eventually paid, the incident threatened to ruin the Bad Brains. MDC persued the issue in the punk community with their song “Pay to Come Along.” Also complicating matters was the band’s decision to cut hardcore from their set, change their name to Zion Train, and focus only on reggae. Furthermore, the Bad Brains’ manager and the owner of 171-A lent the band money on tour which was never repaid, and therefore failed to pay rent and was evicted.

This might have been the end of the Bad Brains - if it were not for Ric Ocasek. Ocasek, frontman of new wave band The Cars, had seen the group play in Boston, and asked them to record an album. Having arrived back from tour with no place to live and no equipment, the Bad Brains took him up on his offer. The result was Rock For Light, released on the large independent label PVC/Jem (who also released The Cure’s first album).

In the early ’90s, H.R. embarked upon a solo reggae career. During his initial departure, he was replaced along with drummer Hudson by new singer Israel Joseph I and their sound became more in the vein of alternative rock.

Marking a return to their trademark hardcore punk/reggae sound, the original lineup of the Bad Brains released Build a Nation in June 2007, a new, critically acclaimed album with longtime fan Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys handling the production. The Beastie Boys, were huge Bad Brains fans, and they intentionally selected a name with the initials B.B. because of this.

Official Site: http://www.badbrains.com
Myspace: http://myspace.com/badbrains