Gauntlet Gallery
What is Shepard Fairey’s piece called “Bad Brains Collaboration Print”?
Artist Statement
Bad Brains are one of my favorite punk/hardcore groups of all time. If you don’t have their self titled debut, “Rock For Light”, “I Agaist I”, or “Quickness”, they are all essential. I first heard Bad Brains at the beginning of 1984 when my friend lent me the brilliantly curated and titled Alternative Tentacles compilation “Let Then Eat Jellybeans”(A Reagan dessert favorite update to the Marie Antoinette slogan “Let them eat cake”). The Bad Brains song “Pay to Cum” from their first album was on the comp along with songs by Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys, The Circle Jerks, Flipper, etc.. I then went out to find full length records by all those bands. I soon discovered Minor Threat as well, and learned that Bad Brains had influenced their vocalist Ian MacKaye and Black flag vocalist Henry Rollins who were from Washington DC where Bad Brains had started as well. The Bad Brains were also a huge influence for the Beastie Boys. This collaboration ties into almost all of the bands I mentioned because they were almost all iconically shot at various times by photographer Glen E. Friedman. Glen shot a lot of great photos of Bad Brains and a few different shots were spliced together as the reference for this poster illustration. If you don’t know Glen’s work, and you should… go to burningflags.com. This poster is signed by Glen, me, and all the original members of Bad Brains. Keep that PMA. -Shepard On sale on 3/26/09 Bad Brains Collaboration Print Shepard Fairey x Glen E Friedman x Bad Brains 24 x 18, 3 Color Screen Print Edition of 425 Signed by Shepard, Glen E Friedman, and all the original members of Bad Brains $120
Summary
Bad Brains Collaboration Print is a 2009 three-color screen print published by Obey Giant in an edition of 425, measuring 24 x 18 inches and released March 26, 2009 at $120. A collaboration between Shepard Fairey, photographer Glen E. Friedman, and the band Bad Brains, the poster illustration is based on several of Friedman's photographs spliced together. The print is signed by Shepard, Glen E. Friedman, and all the original members of Bad Brains. Fairey calls Bad Brains one of his favorite punk and hardcore groups, recounting how hearing them in 1984 led him into a wider world of hardcore music.
Why It Matters
This print is a high-water mark of Fairey's music collaborations, uniting him with iconic punk photographer Glen E. Friedman and the legendary hardcore band Bad Brains. Its value rests heavily on signatures: per the source it is signed by Shepard, Friedman, and all the original members of Bad Brains, a rare convergence that gives the piece exceptional provenance for music and punk collectors. The illustration is built from several Friedman photographs spliced together, tying it to a celebrated body of documentary photography. Fairey's text doubles as a personal history of his formative entry into hardcore in 1984 via the Let Them Eat Jellybeans compilation, connecting Bad Brains to Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Dead Kennedys, and the Beastie Boys, and underscoring the band's influence on figures like Ian MacKaye and Henry Rollins. For collectors this combination of band, photographer, and multi-party signing makes it stand out among Fairey's music output. The edition of 425 is moderate, and the source claims no sell-out or value, so significance derives from the named collaborators, the full-band signatures, and the cultural weight of Bad Brains rather than from rarity alone.
Collector Perspective
This print is a magnet for punk and hardcore collectors, Bad Brains fans, and admirers of Glen E. Friedman's photography, as well as Fairey music collectors seeking the strongest collaboration pieces. The standout draw is the signing by Shepard, Friedman, and all original Bad Brains members, which makes it a centerpiece-grade provenance object. At 24 x 18 inches as a three-color screen print, it displays boldly in a music room or punk-focused collection and pairs with other Fairey band prints. Within a collection it serves as an anchor for the punk and hardcore lineage Fairey draws on. The moderate edition of 425 balances availability with collectability. Buyers should prize it for its multi-party signatures and cultural pedigree.
Historical Context
Released in March 2009, this print connects Fairey's mature OBEY practice to his teenage roots in hardcore punk. He dates his discovery of Bad Brains to 1984 and the Let Them Eat Jellybeans compilation, a gateway that led him to Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Dead Kennedys, and others, and he notes the band's influence on Ian MacKaye, Henry Rollins, and the Beastie Boys. The collaboration with photographer Glen E. Friedman, whose images were spliced into the poster reference, links the work to a defining archive of punk and hip-hop photography. In Fairey's arc it exemplifies how he honors the music subcultures that shaped him, using OBEY's platform to celebrate Bad Brains with the band's own participation and signatures, and situating the piece firmly within the music-and-counterculture strand of his catalog.
FAQ
Who signed this print?
According to the source, the print is signed by Shepard Fairey, photographer Glen E. Friedman, and all the original members of Bad Brains. This multi-party signing gives the piece notable provenance among music and punk collectors.
What is the edition size and format?
Per the record, Bad Brains Collaboration Print is an edition of 425, a three-color screen print measuring 24 x 18 inches. Published by Obey Giant, it went on sale March 26, 2009 and retailed for $120.
How was the image created?
Fairey states that photographer Glen E. Friedman shot many great photos of Bad Brains, and a few different shots were spliced together as the reference for the poster illustration. The collaboration is credited as Shepard Fairey x Glen E. Friedman x Bad Brains.
What is Fairey's connection to Bad Brains?
Fairey calls Bad Brains one of his favorite punk and hardcore groups. He recounts first hearing them in early 1984 via the Let Them Eat Jellybeans compilation, which led him to discover Black Flag, Minor Threat, the Dead Kennedys, and others, noting the band's wide influence.
Related Works
About the Artist
Shepard Fairey (b. 1970, Charleston, South Carolina) is an American street artist, graphic designer, and activist, and a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design. His 1989 “André the Giant Has a Posse” sticker grew into the global OBEY GIANT campaign — an ongoing experiment in propaganda, obedience, and visual culture. He reached worldwide recognition with the 2008 “Hope” portrait of Barack Obama, now held by the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery. Across screen prints, stencils, murals, and collage, Fairey channels propaganda aesthetics toward themes of peace, justice, environmentalism, and civil rights. His work is in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and LACMA.