James Brown Lines in the rasx() Context

Even though Eddie Murphy joked about the diction of James Brown’s form of non-“proper” English (which was a professional comedian’s excuse to do a James Brown impersonation he has been practicing alone in small rooms since he was a child), millions all over the world understood exactly what James Brown was trying to say. Even Richard Nixon has got soul.

This is the easily accessible James Brown line that millions on the Web will use to eulogize James Brown. In the rasx() context, this line has lost its true meaning and, by now, has no real effect on the youth of today. It may seem strange or wicked here in the kinté space to declare that this turn of events can be actually useful. Now you know why Bryan Wilhite is not likely to be invited to the next Formica panel on Black Issue X and the Internet.

The reason why this is useful is because “Black pride” is an ego gratification panacea that does not teach children of strong African features to see the utility in African culture. African social engineering should be thought of as a science—not as a masturbatory self-esteem program funded by a CIA budget. African social engineering is of science for solving real problems not taking care of the wrecked emotions of spoiled children living in broken American homes of luxuriant poverty. What? You are not going to invite to the next Colored Book Club Meeting around a two-thousand-dollar coffee table imported from Kenya? Ah…

James Brown rapped this line out in the funkiest song in the world, The Payback. This is track 15 on James Brown—20 All-Time Greatest Hits! Sly what? No: this song is the funkiest song in the world. First of all, when a Black man gets angry he should resort to Biblical English language (it’s closer to Africa then you think my atheist, socialist Brother). So when he declares, “I’m the son of a man,” this implies that he is of The Son of Man. This implies that all men (made male and female) have divine qualities—even “the lowliest” thug with a razor on the street. It is useful remind your foe of divinity before you confront each other (when you are certain that your foe is worthy of the concept of divinity).

Second, we are reminded that even “the lowliest” thug with a razor on the street is part of a family line. This reminds your foe that you are confronting a member of a family. When James Brown says, “If I don’t take care of you, then Papa can,” he is implying that his family is functional enough to perform actions on his behalf. These sorts of threats are almost meaningless to too many Black children of today. Hence, we have one more reason why the Israeli-made Uzi became popular in the 1980s.

Speaking of Black children of today, when you hear James Brown load the context of the song, The Payback. He does this in one efficient line: “Get down with my girlfriend! That ain’t right! Holler and cuss. You wanna fight.” You kids may forget that “get down” meant get down in the bed and have intimate relations. This is why I was slapped in the face as child when I said Michael Jackson can ‘get down.’ I was referring to dancing. The parent doing the slapping had the original definition.

Before Jennifer Lopez packed herself up in those jeans there was Hot Pants—smoking! Hot pants! The line above is from track 18 on James Brown—20 All-Time Greatest Hits! I am brimming over with confidence that my target audience has some familiarity with this song. But my “bloated nothingness” also swaggers toward an assumption that you are not aware of something else about this song. It’s in this line: “the one over there in the penny dress; I ain’t got time to dig that mess.” Many lyric sheets on the Internet translate “penny dress” into “mini dress.” The deep meaning is therefore lost and we are permitted (again) to ignore deep meaning coming from Black people.

You see, almost certainly Ray Charles’ mother had at least one Penny Dress—and she was a “lowly” washer woman. I’ve got to ask my elders but I’m almost sure that a Penny Dress meant “country” (or maybe country “church”)—and “country” means you are not from the city. Being not from the city means you are not “slick.” Being not slick means your strong African features are not tamed by various forms of chemicals, petroleum products and other artificial airs (slick “church”). Since my personal life is burdened by elders who moved from the country to the city only to have their dreams of slickness dashed into a garbage heap left for me to clean up (or run away from), I find this James Brown line ominous—and whatever Jennifer Lopez packs her ass into does not distract me from the monumental sorrow of these grandmothers and these dead grandfathers. Jennifer Lopez has a job to do that has nothing to do with the improvement of my family—or any family that remotely resembles my family (even Puff Daddy is now only a slick Diddy)—She got to use what she got to get just what she want.

For more lines in the rasx() context, start here.

rasx()