Bad Brains

Bad Brains is an American punk rock band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976, originally as a jazz fusion group before pivoting to hardcore punk with extraordinary speed and intensity. The band — H.R. (Paul Hudson), vocals; Dr. Know (Gary Miller), guitar; Darryl Jennifer, bass; and Earl Hudson, drums — became one of the most influential groups in American punk and hardcore, combining ferocious technical musicianship with Rastafarian spirituality.

Their debut album Bad Brains (1982) and the subsequent Rock for Light (1983), produced by Ric Ocasek, are considered foundational documents of hardcore punk.