Search - Chuck D & Slam Jamz Artist Revue :: Tribb to Jb (W/Dvd)

KEEPING THE JAMES BROWN LEGACY ALIVE !!!

trawic11 | Tuskegee, AL | 02/11/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Once again, I like to thank Chuck D and the Slamjamz crew for stepping up and paying a true, overdue tribute that the Godfather deserves. This tribute was everything the Godfather would have hoped for. Tibb to JB is a cover of James Brown's most legendary hits, but with an updated twist on 3 levels:



1) MUSICALLY: The band "THE BANNED" are amazing and in my honest opinion, are 2nd to "THE ROOTS" as far as being my favorite Hip Hop band. The production on the cover version of "It's a Man's, Man's World" (my favorite on the tribute) was brilliant to the point were it was hard for me to decide whether the original or cover version is better. They did a superb job with the Horn arrangements and the vibes added a jazz-funk quality to the cover song.



2) VOCALLY: Kyle Jason, Chuck D, and the Slamjamz crew did a fantastic job and added a new dimension to the cover versions with a unique, full, and rich lyrical texture yet staying true to (and embellishing) the "James Brown Vocal/Ad-lib Rap" trademark. There no question that James had powerful vocals, but I always had a "What If" analysis in the back of my mind. What if James had some of the lyrical abilities of Chuck D, Common, Mystikal, Ludacris, and Scarface mixed together with his powerhouse vocals/yelps/screams. Tribb to JB (in my opinion) had lyrically painted a perfect picture of the endless "What If" possibilities of James Brown.



3) CONSCIOUSNESSLY: Tribb to JB reminds us of what James Brown music stood for: BLACK AWARENESS, BLACK IDENTITY, AND STRENGTH. The last song on the album is an absolute eye opener for Hip-Hop and made a powerful statement you will never forget. Public Enemy had invited a young girl name Autumn on stage at a show from BB Kings Club to do a rendition of James Brown's 1972 song "King Heroin". The song was tribute to one of relatives that died from drug abuse. Autumn might be young, but has a maturity and wisdom of a wise elder woman. This little girl truly touched and moved my heart deeply. This also explains why I have no respect for these "crack dealing rappers" of today like 50 Cents and Young "Snowman" Jeezy glamorizing the drug culture into the fabric of pop culture and don't want to show any accountability for their immature actions in return, affecting innocent families like Autumn's deceased relative. Her rendition of King Heroin is a true indication that James Brown's legacy will not be forgotten and will be passes on from generation to generation.



After James died, I was very disturbed by 3 things:



THE MAJORITY OF HIP-HOP NOT REPRESENTING AT JAMES BROWN'S FUNERAL: With a huge number turn out for James funeral, I was very disappointed that most of the Hip Hop industry (not to mention the music industry in general) was M.I.A at the funeral. The only people at the funeral who represented Hip Hop were Chuck D and Hammer (much love to both). Even the King of Pop Michael Jackson, who was secretly laying low in the Middle East from the heat of the child molestation trial, put his fame aside and risked the media backlash by traveling to U.S. territory to Augusta, GA to paid his final respect and farwell to his mentor with honor (much love to MJ).



TODAY'S HIP HOP NOT LEARNING & RESPECTING HIS LEGACY: With Hip Hop now being in a state of self-centered selfishness, it was a disrespectful blow to the face that the majority of Hip-Hop did not acknowledge the Godfather's passing. With VIBE & THE SOURCE cluttering the magazine with materialistic ads, half naked women, overrated gossips of the latest Hip Hop beefs, etc. You would think that they would at least take time out to publish a meaningful special edition in paying tribute to James Brown for what he brought to the table for Hip-Hop. Instead, they only gave "the Godfather" a lame tribute and went back to business as usual. They claim to be representing Hip-Hop, yet ROLLING STONE magazine manage to do a far better job in honoring the Godfather with than those two magazines put together. Hip-Hop owes a debt, and unpaid royalties to James Brown for sampling his music without paying him back or at least giving him credit in the liner notes. Fortunately, Chuck D and ?uestlove from 'the Roots' represented Hip Hop and showed support in a symposium at Princeton University to celebrate the innovations and legacy of James Brown. Among the people present were James Brown's musician legends Fred Wesley, Alfred 'Pee Wee' Ellis, and Alan Leeds, James Brown's former right hand tour manager from back in the heyday. (again much love to Chuck D and ?uestlove)



THE RACIST MUSIC INDUSTRY & MEDIA: The music industry and especially the media has never given James Brown the full recognition and respect that Elvis & the Beatles have gotten. Over the years, the media has overshadowed his unprecedented achievements and accomplishments and highlighted his financial/drug abuse problems, and brushes with the law. No disrespect to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones since: 1.) my beef is only with the media and music industry, and 2.) the Beatles and especially the Rolling Stones have openly and unapologetically acknowledged and honored their black influences sincerely, but in honesty, how many overrated Elvis Presley/Beatles phenomema stories/tributes do we have to watch and listen to with the music industry/media painting false images of them being "THE" creator's of rock & roll; meanwhile, the music industry is reluctant to thoroughly take time to acknowledge the Godfather's talents and groundbreaking innovations that 1.) was years ahead of the times, 2.) he created from scratch (which is highly rare) that didn't exist before him, 3.) heavily influenced different genres of music including: Rock, Pop, R&B/Soul, Jazz, Reggae, Disco/Dance Music and especially Hip Hop, and 4.) heavily influenced countless people. The 1964 T.A.M.I Show is a prime example of his powerful influence. The director of that show had the Rolling Stones close the show AFTER James Brown & the Famous Flames perform (?????). James Brown got on stage and put on the best performance ever caught on film. The Rolling Stones career could have abruptly ended right there on the spot in front of a sea of screaming teenagers on film, but in a desperate attempt to overcome that setback, Mick started imitating his sloppy chicken scratch version of James Brown's moves. This would become "THE" groundbreaking moment for Mick Jagger and his stage show presence in which from that moment on, would catapult the Rolling Stones career into orbit. If anyone wonders where Mick Jagger got his trademark swagger from, the T.A.M.I. Show is "THE" direct visual source of Mick's main influence: Mr. James Brown.



To end it on this note, please show you support by copping Tribb to JB which will be a special way of saying "Thank you Mr. Brown for making the world a better place with your music""