The Payback by James Brown

The Payback is the 37th studio album by James Brown. The album was released in December 1973, by Polydor Records. The title track is often seen as a harbinger of rap music: most of the lyrics are spoken in a rhythmically similar way to rap and Brown even uses the word “rapping” in the lyrics.

The Payback

Brown’s 1973 release of  The Payback was originally scheduled to become the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Hell Up in Harlem, but was turned down by the  producers, who rejected the music because it was “the same old James Brown stuff” and "not funky enough".

Sweet Revenge

Despite this initial rejection, Brown got sweet revenge because the title track, became a #1 R&B hit. It is one of his most famous songs and an especially prolific source of samples for record producers. Also the album went to #1 on the Soul Albums chart for two weeks and cracked the Pop Albums chart in the Top 40. It was Brown's only studio album to be certified gold the album. The Payback is now regarded by critics as a landmark funk album.

I can do wheeling,
I can do dealing (Yes we can)
But I don't do no damn squealing
I can dig rapping I'm ready,
I can dig scrapping
But I can't dig that backstabbing

Source: Prized Writing, Puluche, Wikipedia
Source image: Wikipedia