James Brown - Soul Power

Year Released: 1971
Genre: Funk

Description:

Recorded with the J.B.’s and released as a two-part single on King Records, “Soul Power” embodies Brown’s early-’70s funk perfection. The track’s interplay of Fred Wesley’s trombone, Maceo Parker’s sax, and Bootsy Collins’s bass creates a relentlessly propulsive pocket, while Brown’s vocals blur the line between chant and percussion.

Sampling Legacy: A foundational source for Hip-Hop and dance producers, “Soul Power” has been sampled by Public Enemy (“Cold Lampin’ with Flavor”), Boogie Down Productions (“My Philosophy”), and Big Daddy Kane (“Raw ’91 Remix”). Its isolated horn hits and rhythm guitar are instantly recognizable building blocks of classic boom-bap.