James Brown’s “Funky Drummer (Part 2)”

About this episode

This episode is made in partnership with Spotify. SongDNA beta is available on Spotify Premium. Check out “Funky Drummer” on SongDNA via the Spotify mobile app. Why did the drum beat that birthed hip hop only cost 50 bucks? In Part 2 of our “Funky Drummer” breakdown, Diallo & LUXXURY devote an entire episode to the genius and legacy of the funky drummer himself: Clyde Stubblefield. It’s our “Oops! All Drummers!” episode, so strap in for some syncopations, paradiddles, breaks, ghost notes, backbeats, ostinados, tresillos, and the eight simple bars of hi-hat, snare, and kick that birthed decades of great (and not-so-great) samples. We start in the stems, deep diving on what makes this iconic beat so damn good, including the four ideas that Stubblefield abandons along the road to the titular funk. Then, we get into the song’s legacy and the decades of samples that Stubblefield’s beat created, from 80s hip hop to 90s rock to 2000s cartoons. We’re giving Stubblefield his due. Because after all—the name of the tune is Funky Drummer. Songs Discussed: “Cold Sweat” (1967) – James Brown “Give It Up or Turnit a Loose” (1970) – James Brown “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” (196