December 26, 2006
Somehow I doubt he’s resting
The world lost one of the most influential musicians and artists when James Brown, “The Hardest Working Man in Show Business” died on Christmas Day. The Godfather of Soul was a man who went by many names and left countless musical genres in the wake of his indomitable style.
Brown’s 50 year music career saw him pioneer soul and funk and then later inspire hip hop and drum and bass. He put the rhythm right up front and locked his grooves around the breaks in his beats. I never saw him live, but Brown built his reputation on stage, demanding perfection from his band and expecting even more out of himself.
While claims that he is the sole source of hip hop sell the Jamaican sound systems short,
the culture would never have developed the way it did without the contribution of Brown’s sounds. Kingston crews brought the DJ to the block parties, but Brown showed up with the noises to get the crowds moving.
Countless page one obituaries rightfully overlook Brown’s significant misdeeds and place him as one of the biggest musicians of the 20th century. He’s almost universally compared with Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and The Beatles, but I think lumping his legacy in with their’s is off base, and a bit of a discredit to all involved. (Well except for Ringo, he can always benefit from such a lofty association.)
Elvis represents the first pop star in American culture. He captivated the public with his looks and talent before succumbing to the American cliche of over-indulgence. While his style lives on, his musical influence is as much about the cult of personality as it is about his sound.
The Beatles impact is mostly through their sounds. During their relatively brief time as a band they evolved in every way they could. Their politics and style are still felt today, but it is their explorations of sound that live on and inspire new bands today.
Bob Dylan is the consummate writer and musical craftsman. He’s remained vital throughout his lengthy career by continuing to craft clever stories and unforgettable phrasings while never letting his sound grow stale. His impact is also immense, but the shadow he casts seems much more static than Brown’s.
James Brown’s music, personality and artistry all stand out in different ways. His sound is no longer his own, having been adopted and internalized by hip hop culture and the generation raised in at the end of the 20th century. The energetic punch that Brown brought to his music resonated with people who saw endless possibilities in its taught simplicities.
The rolling drum breaks he’d demand of his drummers have been looped as the basis for countless hip hop songs. He’s been sampled as often as anyone else, and clever producers continue to mine his massive catalog to snip and re-appropriate new bits. A generation raised on hip hop often has no clue how often they’re listening to James Brown.
His sound isn’t only around when someone is employing a sample from one of his songs. Brown’s influence on the music and the culture show up in the way people dance, the way he commanded the stage and delivered staccato verses and especially in the way he championed the breakbeat. Most music aimed at a dancefloor comes from the seeds he planted. Even when he’s not being sampled directly, Brown’s presence remains at the core of the sounds made by the countless musicians today.
It’s in this way that Brown’s legacy is singular among the other musical luminaries of the later half of the 20th century. Elvis, Dylan, The Fab Four and Soul Brother No. 1 will all be remembered for their significant accomplishments. But the ghost of Brown’s music started running rampant on the musical landscape long ago and his sounds took on a life completely separate from his. It’s no longer even about what he did, so much as it’s about where the sounds he pioneered have been taken.
In this spirit, (and with thanks to the clever people at The Onion) I’d like to leave you with a quote Brown never actually said to the National Funk Congress, but that I think we can all agree is as true today as it was the day he never actually said it:
“The time has come to face facts: To move forward, we’ve got to get on up, and stay
on the scene, like a sex machine,” said Brick House Majority Leader James Brown
(G-GA), one of getting on up’s most vocal supporters. “Say it loud: Only when we
have gotten up offa that thing will we, as a nation, finally get back on the good
foot.”