Since his days in the 1980s as a member of avant-garde group the Beatnigs while in his early twenties, Michael Franti became an angry young rapper with a political, socially conscious bent in his next group, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. With his later group Spearhead, he channeled his social unease and desire for change and merged them with his love for music, particularly old-school R&B, soul, reggae and hip-hop. Beginning in the 90s, the group earned a reputation as a dynamic and beloved live act and released highly rated albums like 2001's Stay Human and 2008's All Rebel Rockers. Spearhead remained a vital act over the next decade and kicked off 2020 with the optimistic Work Hard Be Nice.

Spearhead debuted with the critically acclaimed Home in 1990. The album contained the single "Hole in the Bucket," a thoughtful lament on the plight of the homeless, and "Positive," which addressed the growing AIDS epidemic. The album boasted adept funk samplings, sinuous guitar vamps, and soulful, melodic tracks about family and social injustice. Released in 1997, Chocolate Supa Highway was not as pop-friendly as Home, but neither did its themes of kidnappings and police brutality lend themselves to such overt accessibility. Its mixture of harsher musical styles -- techno, rock, and funk -- was a step forward for Franti as his world view broadened and deepened. In 2001, Franti released Stay Human. In it he expressed his anger at the system, his advocacy of love, and his belief in freedom through individuality and self-expression through a set of songs that revolve around a fictitious death penalty case. In it, his embrace of the genres that inspired him is achieved with eloquence.

Songs from the Front Porch was Franti's first proper solo album, appearing in 2003. It was an acoustic affair that had him focusing even more on his singing, but not at the expense of his intelligent, thought-provoking lyrics. In 2005, Love Kamikaze: The Lost Sex Singles Collectors' Remixes appeared. Again billed only to Franti, it was a collection of Spearhead tracks that didn't quite fit into the albums they were originally recorded for (as well as a couple different mixes from the Stay Human album). In 2006, Franti and Spearhead 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 shared the theme of documenting Franti's then-recent visits to Israel, Palestine, and Iraq. Numerous live releases took Franti to 2008 and a new album, All Rebel Rockers. The LP was once again recorded in Jamaica and featured the legendary rhythm section of Sly Robbie. It also included the Top 20 hit "Say Hey (I Love You)." Franti and his band spent a few months touring in support of John Mayer before settling down to record again, releasing The Sound of Sunshine in 2010.

After a tour, some humanitarian work, and time off, Franti returned to recording; All People was released in the summer of 2013. Soul Rocker, from 2016, featured more electronic music in the mix, thanks in part to producers like Stephen McGregor (son of reggae legend Freddie McGregor) and Dwayne Chin-Quee, aka Supa Dups, from the Black Chiney sound system. 2019's Stay Human, Vol. 2 acted as both a soundtrack to his self-directed documentary, Stay Human, as well as a sequel to his 2001 album of the same title. Its themes of positivity in the face of tumult carried over onto 2020's Work Hard Be Nice. ~ Travis Drageset, Rovi