Bad Brains are an American band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1976. They are widely regarded as pioneers of hardcore punk, though the band's members have objected to the use of this term to describe their music. They are also an adept reggae band, while later recordings featured elements of other genres like funk, heavy metal, hip hop, and soul.[5] Rolling Stone magazine called them "the mother of all black hard-rock bands", and they have been cited as a seminal influence to numerous subgenres of heavy metal, including thrash/speed metal, alternative metal, funk metal and rap/nu metal. Bad Brains are followers of the Rastafari movement.

Bad Brains have released nine studio albums. They have broken up and reformed several times over their career, sometimes with different singers or drummers. The band originally formed in 1976 as a jazz fusion band under the name Mind Power. Their classic lineup includes singer H.R., guitarist Dr. Know, bassist Darryl Jenifer, and drummer Earl Hudson. This lineup was intact until 1987 and has reunited periodically in the years since.

Many notable bands and artists cite Bad Brains as an artistic influence on their music, including the Beastie Boys, Nirvana, Foo Fighters, Guns N' Roses, Soundgarden, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jane's Addiction, Faith No More, Rage Against the Machine, Deftones, Clutch, Green Day, the Offspring, the Roots, Lamb of God, No Doubt, Anthrax, Living Colour, and Fishbone