James Brown performs in Ziare in 1974.Special

Godfather gave today's hip hop its primal beat

Originally published 04/03/95

By J.D. Gallop
Staff Writer

Augusta is home to the most influential man in hip hop, according to those who make the music.

Rappers from Chuck D to Hammer credit James Brown with not only blueprinting hip hop's beat-driven sound but outlining its social consciousness in songs like Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud.

Among Augusta rappers, Mr. Brown is seen as the ultimate inspiration for their music.

A button declares James Brown the Godfather of Soul.Special

``It all goes back to the Godfather, James Brown,'' said Elisha Watson, the road manager of the hip hop group First Born.

``He is the originator of hip hop, you got to give him props,'' the 24-year-old said.

So what does the Godfather of Soul, whose influence spans several musical mediums, think about the direction of hip hop music today?

``Hip hop has to go back to the instruments, they have to learn how to play again,'' Mr. Brown said.

James Brown belts it out in this undated photo.Special

Many groups, including those who claim Mr. Brown's polyrhythmic music as the prototype of hip hop, continue to cling to computer-driven beats and synthesized bass.

The music has to get back to being played with feeling, he said.

Mr. Brown should know.

Especially since he's credited with pushing the musical envelope and creating funk music in 1965 with Papa's Got A Brand New Bag.

The famous pulsating bass and fatback drums that cemented Mr. Brown into musical history have been tried successfully by bands as diverse as Led Zeppelin, U2 and Jesus Jones.

James Brown talks with Mick Jagger of The Rollings Stones in this undated photo.Special

For rappers, Mr. Brown's music equaled passion with its steady, repetitive rhythms allowing the soul singer to deliver his message without pretension.

That same style of churning funk can still be heard in the aural collages put together by rappers today.

Another mark of Mr. Brown's influence is the number of times his voice or music have been sampled by rappers to solidify their grooves.

In just the last four years, Mr. Brown's music has been snipped and sampled more than 4,000 times on various records, according to an estimate given his publicist from various publishing companies.

``I feel very thankful to God when I see others copying my music. It makes me feel good and lets the common kid on the street know he can make it,'' Mr. Brown said.

That message has been trumpeted by groups like Public Enemy, whose album Fear Of A Black Planet is fueled by samples of Mr. Brown's music and is considered by many critics to be hip hop's finest hour.

Lyrically, rappers have kept up the social consciousness first introduced by Mr. Brown during the turbulent '60s.

``I had messages that related to blacks and Americans ... to all people,'' said Mr. Brown of his some of his lyrics.

With the song Say It Loud, I'm Black and I'm Proud, Mr. Brown turned a taboo of color-stricken blacks around and stirred pride in the process.

``Back then ... your grandfather would fight if you called him black, but James Brown, he's glad you called him black,'' Mr. Brown said.

Some rappers have found themselves mired in controversy because of certain lyrics they use to describe women or the reality of life in urban areas.

But Mr. Brown, whose own music at times skirted sexism, defends the right of hip hoppers to be heard.

``Doesn't television promote sex and drugs?'' asked the elder statesman of funk.

``They (rappers) are just emulating what they see. I don't condone that but, by the same token, let's not stain the rappers.''

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