Top 10 Bad Brains Songs #8 - "Rise"

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A couple of people I follow here on MyLot have done a Top Ten Favorite Songs by a Favorite artist series: @JohnRoberts did an excellent Linda Ronstadt list, while @FourWalls chipped in with a great Elton John list. I figured, if I was going to play, I'd jump in with what I was listening to a couple nights ago, which was Washington D.C. hardcore band Bad Brains. The classic Bad Brains lineup (vocalist H.R., guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jennifer, and drummer Earl Hudson,) a group of devout Rastafarian's, formed in the late 1970's, becoming a leader of the same D.C. hardcore scene that gave us Minor Threat. In addition to hardcore punk, however, Bad Brains was also very proficient at reggae, which has thrown a curveball at many an uninitiated listener. "Rise" is the title track from the band's 1993 album. It has a lot more of a metal influence than hardcore, yet it's still a fun listen. "Rise" also marks the absence of H.R. and Earl Hudson, replaced by Israel Joseph I and Mackie Jayson, respectively. (Oddly, even without two key members, Rise was the band's major label debut, released on Epic.) Moving away from hardcore, proved that, even without H.R. and his brother Earl, Bad Brains proved they were excellent musicians, capable of stepping outside of the style that made them famous within the punk/hardcore community.