James Brown — "I used to shine shoes in front of a radio station. Now I own radio stations."
I used to shine shoes in front of a radio station. Now I own radio stations.
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More from James Brown
"I don't need no fancy clothes. I don't need no fancy cars. All I need is my music and my people."
"Hit me!"
"I don't want nobody to give me nothing. Open up the door, I'll get it myself."
"I don't want to be remembered. I want to be unforgettable."
"I'm a work of art. I'm a masterpiece. I'm a classic."
About James Brown (1933-2006)
American singer and 'Godfather of Soul' whose 1960s-70s recordings invented funk and shaped hip-hop's rhythmic foundations. Closely associated with Sly Stone (fellow funk pioneer (Sly and the Family Stone)) and George Clinton (Parliament-Funkadelic successor). For an intellectual contrast, see Berry Gordy, Motown founder — Motown made Black popular music palatable for white radio with smoothed-out crossover production; Brown's funk insisted on the raw groove without compromise. The two opposite paths Black popular music took out of the 1960s — Motown polish vs JB raw.