Year End Wrap | Its Hip Hop

If the debate for the King of R&B is up for grabs, followers of the late great James Brown can rest easy, as his position among the greatest to ever do it, is secure as a Master padlock. Known indelibly as the “Godfather of Soul Music,” Brown’s career covered successive generations that stretched from chitlin circuit pit-stops in the ’60s, through his own Funk era and ultimately, the birth of Hip-Hop. In the Netflix original documentary, Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown, the life and times of the oft referred “hardest working man in show business,” is examined fully. Questlove, Chuck D, Nelson George, Greg Tate, and others appear in the doc’.

It is common knowledge that Brown’s influence on Hip-Hop has been acknowledged and celebrated through countless samples – “Funky Drummer” being the most popular – but who knew Brown dipped into the sampling pool himself?

50 Years Ago Today, James Brown Healed Hearts With Soul Power (Video)

As it turns out, Brown’s saxophonist and bandleader, Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis, was called into James’ dressing room one night after a thunderous performance in the summer of 1967. Never formally trained to read music, Brown explained to Ellis that he had something in his head he needed to be transformed into song.

“I started putting notations to his grunts,” Ellis remembers with a hearty laugh at the 57:00-mark of the film, “which came out to be the bass line of ‘Cold Sweat.’”

How James Brown Made The Blueprint For Hip-Hop AND Today’s Music Business

Ellis goes on to explain that he had been listening to Miles Davis’ “So What,” which “popped up” while he was developing the track that would eventually become “Cold Sweat.”

“So I took that [dee dumph] part and repeated it over and over,” Ellis explains. “Then we added a very important guitar part, contrasting all of that – which is funky all by itself.”

Now You Can Spot Samples By Diggin’…With An App On Your Phone

An unquestionable masterpiece, “Cold Sweat” has been cited, by some (including in George’s The Death Of Rhythm & Blues) as the first true Funk song for all its moving parts. Aside from Brown’s grunts that laid the groundwork for the beat, the finished track borrowed from his previously-released “I Don’t Care” in 1962. Moreover, it incorporated Brown’s signature screams and solos from Maceo Parker on sax, and Clyde Stubblefield on drums.

“I didn’t write it to be so monumental,” Ellis confesses, “but my Jazz influence was creeping into his R&B, so the combination of the two is where the Funk came from.”

Producers Rejoice: Legal Sampling Is Now As Easy As Online Shopping (Video)

During the late 70s, when Brown was said to be losing a step, his Funk music was hot as ever in the Hip-Hop community and among DJs. Albums like Get On The Good Foot and Sex Machine were in heavy rotation, while “Give It Up Or Turn It Loose” provided breaks that proved to be something of a goldmine. But it was the unlikely “Funky Drummer” that catapulted “Mr. Please Please” to un-chartered territory.

For the record, the actual Funky Drummer was not very fond of the tune. “I hate that song,” the late Clyde Stubblefield affirms in the doc. “We all was so tired and didn’t even want to record. So I started playing just the drum pattern. Brown liked it. We recorded it, and it came out ‘Funky Drummer.’”

Q-Tip To Portray Miles Davis In A Play Written By Nelson George

Be that as it may, “Funky Drummer” has since served as the backbone to a long list of hits made popular by Public Enemy (“Bring The Noise,” “Fight The Power”), Dr. Dre (“Let Me Ride”), Run-D.M.C., JAY-Z, and Nas, among a plethora of others.

#BonusBeat: The trailer for Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown:

50 Years Ago Today, James Brown Healed Hearts With Soul Power (Video)

“I started putting notations to his grunts,” Ellis remembers with a hearty laugh at the 57:00-mark of the film, “which came out to be the bass line of ‘Cold Sweat.’”

How James Brown Made The Blueprint For Hip-Hop AND Today’s Music Business

Ellis goes on to explain that he had been listening to Miles Davis’ “So What,” which “popped up” while he was developing the track that would eventually become “Cold Sweat.”

“So I took that [dee dumph] part and repeated it over and over,” Ellis explains. “Then we added a very important guitar part, contrasting all of that – which is funky all by itself.”

Now You Can Spot Samples By Diggin’…With An App On Your Phone

“I didn’t write it to be so monumental,” Ellis confesses, “but my Jazz influence was creeping into his R&B, so the combination of the two is where the Funk came from.”

Producers Rejoice: Legal Sampling Is Now As Easy As Online Shopping (Video)

Q-Tip To Portray Miles Davis In A Play Written By Nelson George

#BonusBeat: The trailer for Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown:

Honoring a tradition that is nearly 20 years old, Skillz sums up the year that was with a rap. Long before any ball drops commemorating the arrival of 2019, the Virginia veteran MC (and DJ) makes sense of a complicated year in Hip-Hop and the world at large.

The song features Lil Duval and pays quick homage to, “Smile (Living My Best Life),” with Snoop Dogg and Ball Greezy, the instrumental for the affair. Black Panther, Will Smith’s captivating social media moments, and the people who died after knowingly ingesting Tide Pods are part of the opening sequence. He weaves in Nas’ letter responding to and denying allegations of abuse by ex-wife Kelis as well as Fabolous’ charges over physically assaulting Emily B. These bars come right alongside a Philadelphia Starbucks denying a restroom to Black customers and calling the police. However, as anybody familiar with the series and Skillz would expect, he gets to Kanye West’s 2018, hitting on a few points.

Skillz Is Back And He’s Bringing Mad FUNK (Video)

“And that Wal-Mart kid? I hate his voice / F*ck you mean ‘slavery was a choice’? / ‘Ye been in the way, and it feels like forever / Your music got worse, your trolling got better,” spits the MC, a few bars before mentioning the rapper’s “MAGA” hat endorsement. Later this year, West tearfully apologized for the controversial remarks he made during an impromptu visit to TMZ Live.

Skillz stays in the pocket with, “Dubs beat the Cavs, J.R. was late / Then Pusha spilled all of the tea on Drake / All we heard was ‘you’re hiding a child’ / I’m like, ‘Bruh, the Rap game gettin’ wild’ / Eminem fired back at MGK / We got a surprise album from Bey’ and Jay / Lebron got gone, left for L.A. / And I still wanna know who bit Beyoncé.” He references Tiffany Haddish’s revelation and subsequent speculation that actresses including Lena Dunham, Sanaa Lathan, or Sara Foster bit Bey’ while at a party. Moments later, Skillz deduces “The whole year was ugly / Remember, ‘Kiki, do you love me?’”

Skillz Releases His 2017 Rap Up & It’s An Epic End To A Crazy Year (Audio)

From Bill Cosby’s incarceration to Nicki Minaj and Cardi B’s fashion show fight, it is all there. “Kylie and Travis made all the bread / And 6ix9ine trolled his ass right into the feds,” he raps, before giving Lil Duval props for making the song of the year in the form of the same Mr. Hanky-produced instrumental he raps over.

While Skillz is known for humor, he also asks serious questions. “Demi OD’d, Mac Miller died / And there’s still kids out here trying to get high? / Yeah, we had issues, but most were torn / If it wasn’t mental health, it was prison reform / They gave Suge 28, that ain’t no joke / 50 was petty all year, he wanted all the smoke.” He also references the families separated at the border, Donald Trump’s litany of apparent mishaps, and the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

Skillz Becomes Artist In Residence At University Of Richmond

He gets in a few stingers too. “Just live ya’ best life, and smile for the camera / Unless you’re Juelz Santana“ and “Draymond and KD was war and peace / And then came ‘who’s the King of R&B?’ / Jacquees, stop runnin’ ya mouth / Your R&B stands for ‘run your ass back in the house’ / I’ma say it, y’all might feel a way / But the King of R&B? That’s Beyoncé.”

Notably, Skillz does not reference the conflict with Uncle Murda surrounding these very year-ends that opened 2018. Perhaps that issue is put to rest as Skillz blesses fans with another time-honored Rap tradition.

Skillz’s 2016 Rap Up Reminds Us Of The Year’s Highs, Lows & Reasons To Stay Woke (Audio)

Happy 2019 to you and yours from the Ambrosia For Heads staff.

#BonusBeat: This year Skillz, who put the “Mad” back in his name, released I’m The DJ… And The Rapper. The multi-threat referenced the 30-year-old title and artwork by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince.