08 Oct
502: Funky Drummer recorded by James Brown
Funky Drummer is a funk song recorded by James Brown and his band featuring a drum solo performed by drummer Clyde Stubblefield. The piece is an extended jam, with individual instruments (mostly the tenor saxophones and organ) playing brief solos on top of a solid beat. Brown’s vocals are intermittent, and are focused on encouraging the other band members, and it is sometimes considered an instrumental rather than a song. Since it’s release in March of 1970, it is one of the most frequently sampled tracks in hip hop and drum and bass music. Some of the artists that used it in their own music were by Public Enemy, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, A Tribe Called Quest and Big Daddy Kane.