Jasmine Johnson

Professor Taylor

Hip Hop In Context

September 2,2022

Funky Drummer :For this to be the most used song by James Brown I have never heard it

before. I was also shocked by the time length of the song. A time in this song that would be good

to keep the party going would be the time period 5:21 - 6:14 . During this time period the

drummer is taking over while James is grunting and repeating “ain't it funky” when he counts to

four the other instruments come back in. During this time period is when I believe the crowd will

be engaged the most and “lit” in terms of our generation. Another time period in the song for a

good sample would be 6:29 - 6:48. James says “the name of this tune is the funky drummer” as

the song goes on every few seconds he is repeating “funky drummer” to the beat. This part I

enjoyed the most of the song. Another time period would be the one sax solo 2:35 - 2:39 and a

music break 7:17 - 7:57 before James comes back in.

Funky President : I’ve hardly ever listened to James Brown besides social media and family

and I have to say the man is pretty good. I can definitely see where he gets his Godfather name

now. A good time that would give the party a good jump would be 2:16, 2:32, 2:47 when James

yells. I’ve always heard James do that specific yell during his songs and I definitely think it's an

attention grabber. Also, a good time period for a good sampling area would be during the first 16

seconds of the song and last 10 seconds of the song as James' voice is fading away.

The Payback : Important elements I heard while listening were the background voices/singers,

the way the musicians would play when James said “hit it”. That particular part of the song kind

of reminds me of church while people are shouting and they would hit the drummers once or
twice and the piano would follow. I believe those parts of the song would keep the crowd's

attention and the DJ could run back the part where the musicians “hit it”. The time period 4:22 -

5:00 sounds like a good sampling area due to the instruments being perfectly aligned, James

signature yell, his voice going with the beat and the background voices/singers. I don't believe

there is another part in the song that would be a perfect sampling area. This song is also very

groovy!

My Thang : The very beginning of the song when James is talking to ‘the fellas’ is something I

believe that would definitely move the party crowd because it moved me! It is very hard to catch

my attention and keep it but it is hard for me to turn from this very upbeat song. Soon as you

hear the hitting of the gong it's like it's the sound saying it's time to party! After the gong it just

opened up my ears to a more jazz-soul upbeat song than what I thought it would be. The time

period 2:54 -3:25 would be a good sampling area. This specific area would be for sampling

because of the instruments, background singers and James seeming to be perfectly aligned with

one another. It all comes together to give not only an amazing sample but also a song.

Get up, Get into it, Get involved : From the time period of :12-:20 seems like it would be a

great crowd pleaser and sample. It would be a crowd pleaser because I believe that the beginning

of the song can sometimes be the most attention grabbing because they are saying the title of the

song ‘Get up, Get into it, Get involved’. At :29 seconds they run it back again before officially

starting the song which I believe will also get the crowd hype. I believe it is a good fit for a

sample because it is hype and will cause more people to tune into the song that is using the

sample and possibly cause them to want to listen to the original song. I know if I were listening

to the sample I would definitely want to listen to the original song. Another section of the song
the DJ should pay close attention to would be 3:38 - 4:30, because of the musical break and

guitar solo.

It’s a Man’s Man’s Man’s World : This is one of the very few songs that I know of by James

Brown and I believe that I know it from a movie. It sounds exactly how I remember it in

previous movies I watched. With that being said I believe that the entire song could be great for

sampling, being that it is very commonly used. For purposes of a DJ in a party setting at :11

would definitely steer the crowd into the song being that the song doesn't jump straight into ‘It’s

a man's world’. The song is also very repetitive so that would catch the attention of the crowd as

well.

Say it Loud, I’m Black and I’m Proud : Within the first 10 seconds of the song I found exactly

where and how the DJ could keep the party going with a specific chant from James. James says

‘Say it loud’ and the crowd says back ‘Im black and Im proud’. This would be perfect to keep the

crowd going and the party from not dying down. This section could also serve as a sample in a

song being that there is a lot going on within the black community and a good way to reach a

great amount of people is through music. It could also serve as an anthem for the black

community and as well as encouragement within our race.

Get up (I feel like being a) Sex Machine : Starting a :23 would a good sampling area because it

mentions what the song will be about or is pertaining to and it includes the crowd. In a party

setting I strongly believe that it is good to include the crowd in chants and James Brown songs

include a lot of that. In this particular song a party going moment would be 7:01-8:41, it reminds

me of recent parties I've attended when Dj asks ‘What's your area code?’ or if your city is in the

building. Although, I do wonder if this was common when our parents and grandparents used to

party at the Hut or the Elks.

from a Nicki Minaj song! Although it is hard for me to listen to James because all I think about is

the Nicki Minaj song. Which is a great thing because it was used as an amazing sample that is

catchy. I believe the first few seconds of the sound could be a crowd grabber especially if you

have heard Nicki Minaj’s song or another artist who has used the same beat. As it did grab my

attention immediately because when listening to music I have to be attracted to a beat first than

the words. The two have to correlate to make a great song! A sampling area could be the beat

without the jazz instruments which is similar to what Nicki Minaj used in her song Barbie

Dreams.

Get up offa that Thing : Starting at :13 would be good for a sample especially if you're making

a tiktok and also a great party crowd pleaser. This is also another one of the few songs I know by

James Brown. I also believe that this would be considered a twerk song if it were out during my

generation rather than the 70s. It just gives a different vibe and type of groove that automatically

pulls you into the song. The song truly does make me want to get on my feet and ‘get up offa that

thing’!! Out of the ten songs I've listened to by James Brown this is my ultimate favorite,

although the other songs are good. The best was definitely saved for last in my opinion.