MTV Newsroom › James-Brown

James Brown Records 'Funky Drummer,' Fuels Hip-Hop: Wake-Up Video

Posted 12/20/10 8:30 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


Last week, Wake-Up Video commemorated an important moment in the history of hip-hop that saw the beginnings of musicians being properly compensated for the use of their songs in samples in rap tunes. On this day in 1969, another huge moment occurred in the history of sampling, as James Brown and his band recorded the song "Funky Drummer," a track that would go down in history as (likely) the most-sampled track of all time because of its drum solo.

The drums in question were played by Clyde Stubblefield, who would later come to be known as "The Funky Drummer" because of his work on this particular track. As it stands, "Funky Drummer" isn't much of a song — there's no real vocal performance from Brown and the groove just sort of ebbs and flows. Instead of a proper vocal, Brown mostly encourages various members of his band, egging them on as they jam. When he gets to Stubblefield, he declares the beat "a mother," and the ensuing eight bars of drum magic helped fuel some of the biggest hip-hop tracks in history.

It's uncertain exactly who got to "Funky Drummer" first, but it certainly got passed around an awful lot. In addition to being name-checked on Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" (where it is also sampled), "Funky Drummer" is all over N.W.A's "F--- Tha Police," LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out," Ice T's "Original Gangster," Eric B. & Rakim's "Lyrics of Fury," Dr. Dre's "Let Me Ride" and Ultramagnetic MCs' "Give the Drummer Some." (There are literally dozens, if not hundreds, more songs out there that borrow from "Funky Drummer," including non-rap tracks by Prince, Nine Inch Nails, Depeche Mode and New Order.) Run-D.M.C. also went to the "Funky Drummer" well with "Run's House" (from 1988's Tougher Than Leather).


Tags , , ,

U.S.A. Vs. Algeria: The World Cup Playlist Featuring Kid Rock, Estelle And Europe

Posted 6/23/10 10:00 am EST by in Music


The 2010 FIFA World Cup has provided a tremendously exciting few weeks of soccer action and already features a handful of narratives that will not soon be forgotten. There is the failure and internal conflict that plagued the French squad, the noble and poetic but ultimately just-short pursuit by the South African team and the controversy over the disallowed goal in the United States' match against Slovenia last week. That game ended in a draw, which puts the U.S. team in a precarious position today. With two draws to their credit and two points in Group C, they can advance to the next round of the tournament with a victory over Algeria today (it would give them five points, which would clinch at least second place in the group). If they lose, they are definitely out, as Algeria would leap over the U.S. and leave them in last place.

Should this morning's match go to a draw, things get a little more complicated. The U.S. would have to hope that either Slovenia beats England or the match goes to a low-scoring draw (the tiebreaker would come down to total goals scored in the tournament so far).

But to keep things simple, the United States simply needs to score a victory against Algeria and move on to better things. In order to help the home team, we've put together a batch of songs that should get the blood pumping and the American pride swelling. Kid Rock's "American Bad Ass" should put them in the right frame of mind, as should James Brown's immortal "Living In America." If they want to focus on "Fancy Footwork," they can press play on the Chromeo video of the same name. They don't have to worry about being "The Underdog" (they're a slight betting favorite), and they just have to hope the game doesn't devolve into a "House of Cards" (as too many games have changed because of red and yellow cards during this tournament).

If the United States soccer team really wants to get into the winning frame of mind, they need look no further than the first song on the playlist: Europe's "The Final Countdown." What more could they need to get psyched to play the beautiful game?

Be sure to vote in all the games in the MTV World Cup of Rock! Which nation's stars rock the hardest and best? Only you can decide!

Tags , , , , , ,

Happy Birthday, James Brown: Wake-Up Video

Posted 5/3/10 9:00 am EST by in Wake-Up Video


James Brown would have turned 77 years old today. The self-proclaimed "Hardest Working Man in Show Business" passed away on Christmas Day in 2006, but his legacy still runs deep. Born in South Carolina, Brown was sent to live with his aunt Honey Washington in Georgia when he was six years old. It was that point that saw Brown's upbringing take a decidedly strange shift, as Washington ran a brothel and sold bootleg moonshine for a living. The brothel was where Brown gave his first performances and developed a love for singing and dancing. He kept honing his chops while in prison, where he was sent when he was only 15 years old. When he walked out of the detention center in 1953, he dabbled in professional boxing and baseball but ultimately decided to dedicate his life to music.

His first taste of success was with a group called the Famous Flames, who had a hit in 1956 with the single "Please Please Please." From there, his career was one hit after another. Signature tunes like "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag" were crashing the Billboard chart by 1965. While most of Brown's early work skewed in the direction of R&B, Brown began experimenting with different sounds, rhythms and arrangements, essentially inventing funk music along the way. His singing also evolved from a deep croon to the more speech-inflected exclamations he became known for. In fact, some consider Brown to be a sort of ur-rapper, and considering how many of his songs have been sampled, he is deeply responsible for the rise of hip-hop.

Brown continued to perform regularly up until his death in 2006, but his work as a recording artist and — perhaps most importantly — a performer lives on. Many of Brown's songs have become standards that only he could truly pull off — like "It's a Man's Man's Man's World," a huge hit from 1966. Check out the live performance of the song below and marvel at Brown's easy charisma and stunning stage presence.

Tags , ,

Watch Michael Jackson, James Brown And Prince On The Same Stage

Posted 7/9/09 3:10 pm EST by in Music


It's surreal to think that three of the men most responsible for reinventing funk and R&B and dancing into the mainstream with it all could have shared the same stage at the same time. But it happened at least once during a James Brown concert. In the video below (which isn't dated but must be from right around 1980), the Godfather of Soul invites Michael Jackson up on stage to do a little freestyling and dancing, and then brings up Prince just for good measure. Prince's appearance is fantastically surreal: He gets a piggyback ride, strips, dances and growls like a velociraptor (not necessarily in that order).

Of course, Jackson did have a mini-rivalry with Prince, so this may be the only time the two shared a stage. Add Brown to the mix and you get a truly memorable few minutes. The video below isn't the greatest quality, but you can tell it's amazing regardless of the camera work.

Tags , ,

For The Record: Lance Bass, Nine Inch Nails, Snoop Dogg & More

Posted 7/11/08 11:30 am EST by in For The Record


· We already knew former 'NSYNC member Lance Bass had signed up for the next season of "Dancing With the Stars." Now network execs are reportedly torn over whether they should pair the openly gay singer with a male or female partner.

· Trent Reznor is having way too much fun. In addition to giving albums away for free, the NIN leader has hidden tickets to his upcoming show under rocks in Los Angeles' Griffith Park, sending fans on a frenzied scavenger hunt.

· Snoop's recent dip into country with the boot-scootin' "My Medicine" was just the beginning. The Big Dogg is set to remake Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line" along with Teddy Riley and DJ Quik for the upcoming album Johnny Cash Remixed.

· Turns out that whole David Lee Roth peanut-allergy police story was a big misunderstanding. According to a new report, the man assisted by Ontario cops last month was not Diamond Dave, but an impostor. Roth's publicist released a statement on Thursday in which the high-kicking singer explained, "I was in Canada only from July 1st through the 4th for a performance at the Quebec City Summer Festival. I had no encounters or incidents with the police. The only thing I'm allergic to is criticism."

· The planned July 17 auction of hundreds of items from the estate of the late Godfather of Soul, James Brown, has reportedly been put on hold due to a dispute over where the proceeds should go.

· Tuesday was a rough day for Morbid Angel lead singer David Vincent. The death metaller was detained by Italian authorities at the Milan airport for "possession of contraband weapons" when they noticed his luggage contained a bullet belt given to him as a signing bonus by the owner of his label, Earache Records. He was arrested and questioned for several hours before being released, without the belt.

· The handwritten lyrics to John Lennon's "Give Peace a Chance" have sold at auction for $833,654.

· Mobb Deep's Havoc and Prodigy are suing their ex-manager, Norman Bell, claiming he used their recordings on best-of albums that they didn't authorize and that he didn't pay them for the recordings.

Tags , , , ,

For The Record: Britney Spears, Amy Winehouse and James Brown, THE GODFATHER OF SOUL

Posted 4/3/08 12:10 pm EST by in For The Record


britneymotherhowi

· We actually don't think this is a bad look for Britney Spears. She's in talks to reprise her role as the ditzy dermatology receptionist on "How I Met Your Mother," which is now officially the only on-camera appearance she’s made in the past few years that didn’t end in disaster.

· Ever wanted to own the chair James Brown sat in? How about one of the Godfather of Soul’s pianos or sparkly stage costumes? Christie’s International will be putting nearly 400 items from Brown’s estate up for auction in July, including photos, awards, cars, clothes, furniture and musical instruments to pay off some of the late singer’s legal bills and estate taxes.

· Amy Winehouse and her producer, Mark Ronson, were among the 100 or so mourners who attended Wednesday’s funeral for British saxophonist Jason Rae, late husband of singer Corinne Bailey Rae.

Tags , , ,

SPONSORS
AD:
©2012 Viacom International Inc. All Rights Reserved. MTV and all related titles and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.