Ranked #47 in the Soul Strut 200

In the late 80s, hip hop producers had a field day twisting and turning every bit of James Brown's funky grooves and breaks from his 70s recordings. It was a sound that would embody the essence of what's now known as "golden era rap".  Polydor set to cash in on this craze in 1986 by releasing this 2 LP comp of previously unreleased tracks, alternate takes, remixes, and singles that never saw an album release (see the much hailed "Funky Drummer").  It's hard to write in words the influence James Brown had to the people who frequented Soul Strut.  His passing on Christmas Day 2006 (a time before the prominence of social media) sent shockwaves through the community prompting a slew of DJ mix dedications and even its own holiday "James Brown Day".

Related Threads