James Brown

James Brown seizes the flashpoint moment and elevates himself from dazzling R&B showman to global icon. With a straightening comb and skintight outfits as his stage-show accessories and with musical backing by a brutally rehearsed band that's made up of legends in their own right, he completely rewrites the books on soul and pop music, on what Black musicians can do, and how Black and white America perceive and relate to that creativity. His tightly practiced riffs/vamps/sinewy grooves winnow into our heads, bodies,and spirits. They're the soundtrack to house parties and summer BBQs as well as the rallying cry for Black Pride. "Say it loud I'm Black and I'm proud!" The output of hard-working musicians, James' music is more complicated in its composition and execution than the casual listener might ascertain. Its real power, though, lies in the fact that it possesses a magnetism that transcends cerebral appreciation for its meticulousness. This is music of, by, and for the soul. At its center is Brown's impassioned vocal blast, ripped straight from the core of blackness. In the late '60s, his persona and lyrics spoke to, among other things, a sharpened race consciousness, the complicated issues around Black masculinity, and terms of new Black "cool." Through sampling the music of Soul Brother No. 1 is a crucial building block of Hip Hop The drum break on his 1970 hit single "Funky Drummer" hammered out by Clyde Stubblefield is one of the most sampled in the history of Hip Hop. His music vibrates on countless political and cultural levels that not only foreshadow Hip Hop,but also continue to unfold in both Hip Hop music and Hip Hop culture.