Bad Brains are another one of those bands who are universally loved and respected but never seem to get a whole lot of attention outside of a certain “in the know” group of music fans. That’s why it came as a surprise to us when the following press release hit our inbox:

“Bad Brains has been chosen by MTV as the next artist to be part of MTV’s 52/52 Bands starting February 4, 2008. Over 1500 spots featuring interviews, videos, songs, and more, will run on MTV proper.”

Better late than never, right? Their recent album Build a Nation (read our review here) was produced by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys and was released last summer on Megaforce Records. It’s also the first record since 1995 to feature the originial lineup, and it has everything you’d expect and want from a Bad Brains record; funk, punk, metal, reggae and dub in equal helpings, sometimes all at once.

Here’s a recent interview posted on Headbanger’s Blog where Darryl Jenifer discusses the differences between working with producers Ron St. Germain, Ric Ocasek and Adam Yauch:

After the jump, the combined video for “Give Thanks and Praises” and “Jah Love” (from Build a Nation) that will air on MTV. The video was directed by Shavo from System of a Down.

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