A vibrant homage to Mr Dynamite aka James Brown, the Godfather of soul music

A lot of people who don t really care about artistic talents prompt to praise artists when they passed away. I have seen such behaviors numerous times and I d like to point out that I am not going to acclaim James Brown s talent because he recently died. I am going to praise this great legend of soul music, because Mr Brown s music has been part of my life since the 80s!
I was introduced into James Brown s music through a Cameroonian friend. I will always remember how much I was impressed to discover James Brown s rhythmic Sex Machine and his euphoric I Feel Good.
As a young student, James Brown s music spiced up my daily life. It gave me a great dose of enthusiasm and dynamism. Starting the day with his music really enhanced my way of life. It made me feel alive, ready to conquer the world.
James Brown s voice touched my soul. He had a unique way of telling things, like he did it in This Is A Man s, Man s , Man s World.
This beautiful song made me feel how much he appreciated women:
 This is a man s world, this is a man s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl
You see, man made the cars to take us over the road
Man made the trains to carry heavy loads
Man made electric light to take us out of the dark
Man made the boat for the water, like Noah made the ark
This is a man s, a man s, a man s world
But it wouldn’t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl
Man thinks about a little baby girls and a baby boys
Man makes then happy ’cause man makes them toys
And after man has made everything, everything he can
You know that man makes money to buy from other man
This is a man s world
But it wouldn t be nothing, nothing without a woman or a girl
He’s lost in the wilderness
He’s lost in bitterness …
Not only did James Brown have a unique, suave voice, his use of the instrumentals inspired the greatest artists in this world, including NWA, the early Michael Jackson and many more.
James Brown can be seen as the forefather of rap music. He is and will remain a legend in black music. His incredible talent is still a huge source of inspiration to many contemporary artists.
James Brown also gave black folks a new sense of pride with his famous world known sentence:  Say it loud, I m Black and proud!
I could name a multitude of his songs, like Living In America, Papa s Got A Brand New Bag, I Feel Good, This Is A Man s world and many more, but I am going to stop here.
I d like to stay still for a minute and pay homage to the great musician that James Brown actually was. A great legend left us on Christmas day. May God bless his soul. RIP James Brown and thank you for the music that touched my soul over the years. I will never forget you.
Copyright © 2006 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved