By Jem Aswad
Plus IconJem Aswad
Executive Editor, Music
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As anyone reading this probably knows, the Bad Brains were one of the most important punk-rock bands of all time, Washington D.C.-bred pioneers of the sound that became hardcore. While they were a complete anomaly at the time — four Black dudes in an overwhelmingly white music scene who seasoned their blistering rock songs with impressively authentic reggae — their impact was immediate and immense.
They are considered by many to be the greatest hardcore band of all time; Dave Grohl has said he learned how to play drums by bashing on pillows along with their records, and a mural of the band was painted in 2024 across the street from the site of their frequent haunt CBGB in New York. While the group was as fractious interpersonally as they were musically — they split up many times, usually when they were on the verge of a breakthrough — their early albums and particularly their explosive live shows contain some of the most powerful rock music of the ‘80s.
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