Spearhead

Known for their politically charged amalgam of reggae, rock, hip-hop, funk, and EDM, [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink] is the long-running musical outlet of California-based singer/songwriter [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Michael Franti[/wimpLink]. Since debuting [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink] in 1994, [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] has guided the band in tone from the more funk- and rap-oriented sound of albums like 1997's [wimpLink albumId="1400587"]Chocolate Supa Highway[/wimpLink] and 2001's acclaimed Stay Human to the laid-back melodicism of later releases like 2010's [wimpLink albumId="35372816"]The Sound of Sunshine[/wimpLink] and 2016's [wimpLink albumId="61150438"]SoulRocker[/wimpLink]. While early albums were credited solely to [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink], the name eventually came to be identified as [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink]'s backing group, which over time included a range of different collaborators with only a few mainstays like bassist [wimpLink artistId="6975349"]Carl Young[/wimpLink].
Following [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink]'s lone album as one half of rap outfit [wimpLink artistId="17492"]the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy[/wimpLink], he resurfaced in 1994 with [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink], a band more rooted in '70s funk. Eschewing the hip-hop beats of [wimpLink artistId="17492"]the Disposable Heroes[/wimpLink], [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="12890646"]Joe "The Butcha" Nicolo[/wimpLink] opted for a funk/rap hybrid performed by a quartet of live musicians and with vocal backing from [wimpLink artistId="13467380"]Mary Harris[/wimpLink] and toaster Ras I. Zulu. Tracks such as "Runfayalife" and "Crime to Be Broke in America" evoked memories of the classic early-'70s musical vision of [wimpLink artistId="1139"]Sly & the Family Stone[/wimpLink], while [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink]'s humanist outlook was summed up in song titles like "Love Is da Shit," "Piece O'Peace," and "Positive."
Three years lapsed before the release of the follow-up album, [wimpLink albumId="1400587"]Chocolate Supa Highway[/wimpLink], although [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] continued to promote his communal vibe with a series of acclaimed live shows under the [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink] banner. Another long recording hiatus -- during which [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] released a spoken word album (Live at Baobab) and concentrated on other projects -- was broken in 2001 by the release of Stay Human, credited to [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Michael Franti[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink]. The album was built around the imaginary tale of Sister Fatima, a healer and activist put to death for a crime her community believes she did not commit. [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] employed a traditional hip-hop conceit, the between-song skit or segment, to voice the concerns of Stay Human Radio at the impending execution. Through this medium, [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] delivered his message on such issues as capital punishment, the environment, and racial tolerance.
In 2003, [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] released the solo acoustic selection [wimpLink albumId="59295539"]Songs from the Front Porch[/wimpLink] and the new [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink] album [wimpLink albumId="59295552"]Everyone Deserves Music[/wimpLink]. The latter steered the unit further away from hip-hop into acoustic funk, and featured the endearing protest anthem "Bomb the World" ("You can bomb the world to pieces/But you can't bomb it into peace"). In 2005, Love Kamikaze: The Lost Sex Singles & Collectors' Remixes appeared. Again billed only to [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink], it was a collection of [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink] tracks that didn't quite fit into the albums for which they were originally recorded (as well as a couple different mixes from the Stay Human album). In 2006, [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink] released Yell Fire! The album was partially recorded in Kingston, Jamaica, and -- along with the book and film I Know I'm Not Alone -- was part of a trilogy that was themed as documenting [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink]'s recent visits to Israel, Palestine, and Iraq. Numerous live releases took [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] and [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink] to 2008 and a new album, [wimpLink albumId="59295478"]All Rebel Rockers[/wimpLink], which was once again recorded in Jamaica and featured the legendary rhythm section of [wimpLink artistId="32991"]Sly & Robbie[/wimpLink]. [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] and his band spent a few months touring in support of [wimpLink artistId="17897672"]John Mayer[/wimpLink] before settling down to record again. Written after a difficult experience rupturing his appendix while on tour, 2010's [wimpLink albumId="35372816"]The Sound of Sunshine[/wimpLink] had a particularly optimistic tone and was inspired by the gratitude [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink] felt for simply being alive. 2013's [wimpLink albumId="21318847"]All People[/wimpLink] steered temporarily away from the sunnier folk and reggae tones of much of [wimpLink artistId="3510335"]Spearhead[/wimpLink]'s later work, opting instead for a bright, electronic pop-driven feel that partially carried over to 2016's [wimpLink albumId="61150438"]SoulRocker[/wimpLink], though the latter ultimately contained more organically driven songs. Released as a companion to [wimpLink artistId="3608782"]Franti[/wimpLink]'s 2018 documentary film, Stay Human, the album Stay Human II contained a wider range of the band's various musical approaches. ~ John Bush