H.R.

Iconoclastic. Enigmatic. Angst-ridden. These words are used to describe the frontman for the iconic group Bad Brains, HR (Ras Hailu Gabriel Joseph I). A devout Rastafarian, HR's songs, a seamless blend of singing, rap, and African chanting, demand social and economic equality and an end to oppression and racism. He got his start in 1979 with the Washington, DC-based Bad Brains, and sang with them through the '80s. Because fans were more interested in their hardcore sound than the message of love he was trying to convey, he grew disillusioned and chose to focus on his solo career. Compared to the riotous energy of the Brains, HR's reggae was mellower as can be heard in his late '80s album Singin' in the Heart (SST), which he recorded in between Bad Brains' I Against I and Quickness. HR left the band in 1989 but returned to work on multiple albums in the 2000s. ~ Sandra Brennan [edited]