Written by Jake Chisholm. @_jakechisholm on social media

Editor’s Note: Happy Black History Month, even though this article was published on March 3rd. Remember, advocacy and celebration of culture should be a year-round thing too!

Punk Rock, since very soon after the inception of the genre, has managed to remain at
the forefront of counterculture within contemporary music via a plethora of variations in the
sound. Furthermore, it has continually been able to permeate into the mainstream
consciousness sporadically across the last five decades. In the current decade, the 2020s, Punk music finds a resurgence through a new wave of Pop Punk revivalists such as Machine Gun Kelly and Melanie Martinez. However, the output often falls incredibly short, even by Pop Punk standards. At best, the fun, light-hearted messages characteristic of some classic Pop Punk lack any authenticity. At worst, several of the most popular songs hitting radio waves are downright obnoxious; “Emo Girl” by Machine Gun Kelly being a key example.

With that negative rhetoric aside, the resurgence of Hardcore Punk within the
underground during the 2010s has finally cultivated a newfound recognition and admiration for the genre in the 2020s. As well, it is evident that the credit given by popular rappers on thecutting edge of the booming “Rage” sub-genre of Trap music to not only Punk music but also Hardcore has helped to catapult Hardcore into the mainstream position it never once held. The most prominent case being rapper Playboi Carti, who on the track “Die4Guy” proclaimed “We some rockstars, we the new Black Flag”, off his infamously divisive 2020 album “Whole Lotta Red”. This progression culminated with up-and-coming Hardcore outfit TURNSTILE performing at the major festival Rolling Loud in Miami last summer. This decision stirred attention for including what some may refer to as “white people music” on the lineup of a festival traditionally dominated by Hip Hop music, which is rooted in and commonly aligned with African-American youth culture.

What presents immediately as a glaring contradiction to the eyes and minds of music
fans is the labeling of Hardcore as “white people music”. This remains sadly true of many
genres of music as the persistent subjugation of music created by African-Americans as “Urban music”, typically encompassing only that of Hip-Hop and R&B music, has allowed for the ceaseless gentrification of other breadths of music and consequentially the erasure of history. In addition, as previously mentioned, Hardcore never initially found any place in the mainstream, making it evermore difficult for the general public to remember the music itself, let alone its black unsung heroes.
At this stage, the swift deterioration of the historic British Punk movement due to the
over-commercialization of the genre and the loss of its rebellious essence has been as well
documented as the genre’s initial explosion. The sentiments of over-commercialization were
even reflected upon at the time of British Punk’s death. Joe Strummer, lead signer of iconic
Punk band The Clash, lamented on the 1978 track “White Man in the Hammersmith Palais” how “Punk rocker in the UK, they won’t notice anyway. They’re all too busy fightin’ for a good place under the lightin’”. This commentary observes the apparent disregard for promoting social change in the Punk scene due to the prioritization amongst punks for the limelight and material possessions.

What is not as well documented, however, is how new musical movements emerged in
the wake of British Punk’s end, and how certain movements may have overshadowed others. If you had been a follower of the British Punk Movement, you likely would have also witnessed the upbringing of Punk’s artsier, worldlier sibling, Post-Punk. Who you may have not had the opportunity to be introduced to, though, is the brooding, angsty cousin who lived across the pond, Hardcore.

Whereas Post-Punk and later New Wave sought to strive for commercial viability, the
modus operandi of Hardcore inherently prevented it from initially achieving mainstream
recognition. If Punk music generally was highly controversial and challenging to market,
Hardcore was like oil, and mainstream conventions would be water. This is because, in
essence, Hardcore Punk rockers were the Punks who rebelled against Punk music. Though the Hardcore punks were undoubtedly influenced by the most talented exports of the British Punk movement, such as The Sex Pistols and The Damned, they had grown dissatisfied with the genre’s over-commercialization and felt the artists commanding the scene were becoming tone deaf. In addition, many hardcore punks rejected the pessimist, hedonist nature of British Punk rockers and believed that certain rebellious exploits such as substance abuse were inhibiting productive social change.

The punks across the pond began to formulate the beginnings of Hardcore by
expressing their frustrations both musically and lyrically. In terms of musical aesthetics, the
genre takes the foundational elements that make Punk Rock raw and aggressive and presents them in excess. The crushing layers of distorted guitars coupled with the explosive, blast-beat drum patterns, played at a tempo that could transform the most timid of individuals into feral, unhinged animals are generally what span the core musical conventions of a Hardcore song. These were the conventions, that nobody understood better than an all-Black quartet forming out of a burgeoning new music scene in Washington D.C. That band; is Bad Brains Bad Brains, originally going by the name Mind Power, emerged as a stark contrast to the band they would become understood as when they formed in the mid-1970s. Originally performing Jazz Fusion, the band would progressively become inspired to embark in a new direction as their contemporaries would introduce them to the vibrant and rebellious world of Punk music. The group’s eminence would continuously flourish in D.C.’s underground Punk scene, and in the summer of 1980, they would release their first commercial single “Pay to Cum”. The band was not wholly original or unique in the sound they were promoting, but the single was elemental in pioneering the genre’s sound through the band’s capability to push tempo to unseen limits. The song is so fast, that the track blows by at the condensed runtime of 85 seconds, a compositional component that would become a staple within the genre.

The song’s lyrics, though mostly unintelligible. evoke sentiments of rejecting modernity
and societal conformity. This was standard for many Punk Rock tracks of the time, yet the verse to close out the song offers a relatively unique twist. The final verse, “At peace together, apiece apart. A piece of wisdom from our hearts”, underscores the band’s chosen mode for rebellion, a sharp deviation from such classic British Punk tracks like “Anarchy in the U.K.” where the mode of rebellion presents as highly overt. These sentiments are attributable to the band member’s devotion to the Rastafari movement and its teachings in Pacifism. It has always been well understood that there existed a mutual respect between the Punks and Rastafarians. Few examples better exemplify this fact than Bob Marley’s song “Punky Reggae Party”, in which he bridges cultural gaps with lyrics such as “Rejected by society, Treated with impunity.” highlighting the shared experiences in how these socially progressive groups were criticized by the general public. Regarding Bad Brains, the band uniquely unifies the two schools of thought and morphs them into one, having had both perspectives to be able to draw on.

The band’s Rastafari beliefs would directly influence their “Positive Mental Attitude”
moniker, often abbreviated to “P.M.A” in many of their tracks. The band’s strides for optimism
and positive psychology would profoundly impact Ian MacKaye, vocalist of the budding
Hardcore band Minor Threat, who would later derive his own “Straight Edge” philosophy from the principles of Positive Mental Attitude. The Straight Edge movement is dedicated to refraining from the usage of alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and all other harmful substances. This movement would become massively popular within Hardcore Punk culture, serving as a reaction to the excess of British Punk rockers, all originating from the foundational beliefs of Bad Brains. Bad Brain’s reputation and voice steadily gained traction in the following twenty months, culminating in the release of their eponymous debut album “Bad Brains” in the winter of 1982.

This album, containing both the aforementioned single “Pay To Cum” and the chants of “P.M.A”, is widely considered by fans of Hardcore to be the genre’s quintessential album, let alone one of the greatest Punk albums of all time. Adhering to many of the musical qualities showcased in the debut single, the album masterfully boils the hardcore formula down to a science and refines said qualities to pack a potent punch. In the album’s most prevalent track, “Banned in D.C.”, Dr. Know’s aggressive guitar work is bestowed an extra level of pop. Through the means of extra compression and additional layers of distortion, the song is heightened with a driving force setting it apart from their previous work.
The improvements in guitar sound design remain far from the only standout
advancements displayed amongst these songs. However, by far the most distinctive quality
present on this album that isolates this band not only from their contemporaries of the time, but also the majority of the Hardcore artists to later come down the pipeline, was the band’s
technical proficiency. Performing in a genre where a guitar solo dared to ever be tried, Bad
Brains and Dr. Know specifically harken back to the days of their Jazz Fusion jams and unveil
some legitimately impressive musical work. In the opening track “Sailin’ On”, Dr. Know
unleashes a short but obliterating shred midway through the song, enhancing the already
unhinged aggression several years before shredding solos would rise to prominence with the
popularity of Arena Rock.

It would also be remiss to not acknowledge the vital role the rhythm section plays in
attaining the level of aggression and speed transpiring. The tracklist hits its aggressive peak
with the song “Don’t Need It”, where Earl Hudson releases a flurry of cymbal crashes, seemingly in maniacal fashion, yet the amount of musical excellence required to keep the blistering tempo of 168 bpm tightly wound is anything but unsophisticated. Additionally, the various rhythm changes and the groovy ascending bassline creeping through the track serve to progressively manufacture musical blitzkrieg. The band’s ability to further stay on tempo is exemplified on the song “Big Take Over”, where all the members flawlessly interweave these brief instrumental pauses, with wailing power chords and rumbling drum fills tightly packing the pockets in between.
Finally, to round out all the members of the band, the vocal stylistics and the political
thought of the band’s frontman “H.R” are both forthright and expressive. Throughout the album, H.R’s yelpy vocal inflections and belligerent screams is the missing piece of the puzzle, tying together the music’s ferocity and providing it a clear-cut and now iconic voice, being best displayed on songs such as “Right Brigade”. In terms of messages, the return to the “P.M.A” form becomes apparent early on, with songs like the aptly named “Attitude”. Containing lyrics including “Don’t care what you may do, we got that attitude! I don’t care what you may say, we got that attitude!”, the message is so devoid of subtlety that it invades the listener’s mind in unstoppable fashion. Furthermore, H.R. does take some more grand approaches to his rebellious views in other songs. On the track “The Regulator”, the song’s chorus evokes an Orwellian atmosphere, with H.R. speaking directly to governing bodies about how “You control what I’ll be, you control who I see, and if I let you you’ll control me”.

Moreover, H.R. makes his political position clear on the song “Fearless Vampire Killers”, with lyrics “The bourgeoisie had better watch out for me. All throughout this so-called nation. We don’t want your filthy money. We don’t need your innocent bloodshed. We just wanna end your world”. Having been witness to rapid-fire, musical dogfighting thus far, it may come as a surprise that the band flexes their Rastafari muscles and sprinkles some reggae anthems throughout the tracklist. Though this may serve as a point of detraction for some, as it is a jarring change of pace to the rest of the album, the inclusion of Reggae songs can be seen as a perfect encapsulation of the Punk ethos, by going against the status quo and embracing diversity. With regards to a song like “Leaving Babylon”, H.R. explores themes comparable to that of tracks previously discussed such as “Fearless Vampire Killers” only now with the added twist of the Patois lexicon. The term Babylon in Patois represents oppression propagated by government systems, and this idea is well communicated in desperate pleas such as “I said the politician lyin’, my momma just a-cryin’, and nothing ever gonna change.”. Conversely, on the track “I Luv I Jah”, blended in with the bubbly basslines and skank guitars, H.R. preaches “My lovely sister judge me by my clothes, yeah. Only to learn her mistake, not everyone’s alike”, conveying the importance of love even under the cast of judgment as Jah, the Rastafarian name for God, would wish or intend.

In its compact runtime of 33 minutes and 56 seconds, Bad Brains delivers not only a
powerful message but a transformative piece of art. Recovering from the rubble of British Punk music, Bad Brains would build their shrine and influence a myriad of rebellious and politically charged teenagers and adults, proliferating until we arrived at today’s underground musical landscape. It can be easy to forget about not just the heroes of a musical movement that went against the grain, but especially the black heroes who took that chance because we are made to forget. Do not let the lack of marketability factor fool you into believing there existed a lack of talent, because the systems put in place by not only the music industry but society at large can lead you to believe they are dependent on each other. Sometimes the stars may align, and a conscious, thoughtful artist like Kendrick Lamar has the opportunity to push socially aware ideas to the forefront and slowly absolve societal constructs built around oppression. However, it is not fair to ignore those who came before and might not have got so lucky. Ask yourself, did you know black people made this kind of music? Is there sadness in the fact we label this art only in association with white people? Maybe something written here will resonate with you on the grounds of these questions. But until then, just enjoy the music, it’s classic.

In celebration of Black History Month (at the time of writing this).