H.R.

For other uses, see HR (disambiguation).

H.R.
H.R. outside of New York's CBGB in 2006
Background information
Birth name	Paul D. Hudson
Born	February 11, 1956 (1956-02-11)
Origin	London, England
Genres	Hardcore punk, reggae
Occupations	Musician, Vocalist
Instruments	Vocals, guitar, bass
Years active	1977–present
Associated acts	Bad Brains, Human Rights

H.R. ("Human Rights") (born February 11, 1956) is the stage name of Paul D. Hudson, the lead singer of the hardcore punk band Bad Brains. His vocals can be quite diverse, ranging from a rapid-fire nasal whine, to feral growling and screeches, to smooth near-crooning or staccato reggae rhymes. He has departed the band periodically to pursue solo efforts that are more mellow reggae than Bad Brains' usual punk/metal offerings. He is the older brother of Earl Hudson, Bad Brains' drummer.

Musical career

Born in London, England, H.R. and his bandmates became Rastafarians around 1979. This spiritual direction influenced the music of Bad Brains via his vocals, and inspired the creation of his reggae band, Human Rights.

Although punk is the main focus on his solo material, he explores rock and other musical genres. He has had numerous albums released on SST Records. A Village Voice review of a Bad Brains concert described H.R. on stage "like James Brown gone berserk, with a hyperkinetic repertoire of spins, dives, back-flips, splits, and skanks."^{[citation needed]}

H.R. has collaborated with the Long Beach Dub Allstars on their song "New Sun" on the Right Back album, and with P.O.D. on their song "Without Jah, Nothin'", on the album Satellite. During the past several years he has headlined DIA Records' Global Rock Showcase tour. He continues to play shows with Bad Brains. The foursome released the album Build a Nation in 2007, produced by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys. It is a return to their hardcore punk roots, but also encompasses their unique reggae-punk hybrid sound expressed in I Against I, Quickness and later albums. Build a Nation is the first original album with the original Bad Brains lineup since 1995.

In recent years, his performances have become markedly more mellow and restrained, focusing primarily on reggae, and rasta. This is a stark contrast to his wildly animated, aggressive stage performances of the late 1970s and 1980s.

In 2006, he signed a seven-album deal with D.C. Hardcore, LLC, and began working on the first, Hey Wella, with D.C. Hardcore's part owner, Grant "OG" Garretson (drummer/guitarist/songwriter) and multiple Grammy winner, David Darlington at Bass Studios in New York. The album was released in late September 2008.

Interviews with H.R. feature prominently in the 2006 documentary American Hardcore, in which he discusses the early days of hardcore in New York City and Washington D.C., and his association with fellow travelers like Minor Threat and the Cro-Mags. In particular, he recalls encouraging Ian MacKaye to fully articulate Minor Threat's emerging straight edge philosophy, to give young people a positive direction.

H.R. has a son named Simeon (born 1977), as stated in an exclusive interview with the Baltimore Sun.^{[citation needed]}

Discography

For H.R.'s discography with Bad Brains, see Bad Brains discography.

• It's About Luv (1984)
• Keep Out of Reach (EP, 1986) Olive Tree Records
• Human Rights (1987) Olive Tree Records/SST Records
• Singin' in the Heart (1989) SST Records
• Charge (album) (1990) SST Records
• I Luv (1991)
• Rock of Enoch (EP, 1992)
• Our Faith (1992)
• Out of Bounds (2000)

Compilations

• H.R. Anthology (1991) acts as "best of" album and showcases a diverse array of songs from the 80s albums.
• H.R. Tapes '84 – '86 compilation CD including "It's About Luv" and "Keep Out of Reach".
• Sublime Feat. H.R. – Shame In Dem Game [Live] on Sublimes box set, Everything Under the Sun (Disk 1)

Band members

• Earl Hudson – drums
• David Byers
• Kenny Dread
• Tico Zamora
• Doc Night
• Randy Choice
• Marc Riffle
• Doc Night – saxophone
• Jamie Mitchelll – guitar
• Al Rondon – drums 1993–2004
• Andy Rondon – bass 1993–2004

External links

• Punkcast #1034 Live video at CBGB NYC, 10 September 2006. (RealPlayer, mp4).
• 30underdc.com Early biography of Bad Brains, includes interviews and flyers.