Brown began his career as a gospel singer in Toccoa, Georgia. He first came to national public attention in the mid-1950s as the lead singer of the Famous Flames, a rhythm and blues vocal group founded by Bobby Byrd. With the hit ballads "Please, Please, Please" and "Try Me", Brown built a reputation as a dynamic live performer with the Famous Flames and his backing band, sometimes known as the James Brown Band or the James Brown Orchestra. His success peaked in the 1960s with the live album Live at the Apollo and hit singles such as "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag", "I Got You (I Feel Good)" and "It's a Man's Man's Man's World".
During the late 1960s, Brown moved from a continuum of blues and gospel-based forms and styles to a profoundly "Africanized" approach to music-making, emphasizing stripped-down interlocking rhythms that influenced the development of funk music. By the early 1970s, Brown had fully established the funk sound after the formation of the J.B.s with records such as "Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine" and "The Payback". He also became noted for songs of social commentary, including the 1968 hit "Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud". Brown continued to perform and record until his death from pneumonia in 2006.
Brown recorded 17 singles that reached No. 1 on the Billboard R&B charts. He also holds the record for the most singles listed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart that did not reach No. 1. Brown was posthumously inducted into the first class of the Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2013 as an artist and then in 2017 as a songwriter. He also received honors from several other institutions, including inductions into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame, and the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In Joel Whitburn's analysis of the Billboard R&B charts from 1942 to 2010, Brown is ranked No. 1 in The Top 500 Artists. He is ranked seventh on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brown
Studio albums
Please Please Please (1958)
Try Me! (1959)
Think! (1960)
The Amazing James Brown (1961)
James Brown and His Famous Flames Tour the U.S.A. (1962)
Prisoner of Love (1963)
Grits & Soul (1964)
Showtime (1964)
Out of Sight (1964)
James Brown Plays James Brown Today & Yesterday (1965)
Mighty Instrumentals (1966)
James Brown Plays New Breed (The Boo-Ga-Loo) (1966)
James Brown Sings Christmas Songs (1966)
Handful of Soul (1966)
James Brown Sings Raw Soul (1967)
James Brown Plays the Real Thing (1967)
Cold Sweat (1967)
I Can't Stand Myself When You Touch Me (1968)
I Got the Feelin' (1968)
James Brown Plays Nothing But Soul (1968)
Thinking About Little Willie John and a Few Nice Things (1968)
A Soulful Christmas (1968)
Say It Loud - I'm Black and I'm Proud (1969)
Gettin' Down to It (1969)
The Popcorn (1969)
It's a Mother (1969)
Ain't It Funky (1970)
Soul on Top (1970)
It's a New Day - Let a Man Come In (1970)
Hey America (1970)
Sho Is Funky Down Here (1971)
Hot Pants (1971)
There It Is (1972)
Get on the Good Foot (1972)
Black Caesar (1973)
Slaughter's Big Rip-Off (1973)
The Payback (1973)
Hell (1974)
Reality (1974)
Sex Machine Today (1975)
Everybody's Doin' the Hustle & Dead on the Double Bump (1975)
Hot (1976)
Get Up Offa That Thing (1976)
Bodyheat (1976)
Mutha's Nature (1977)
Jam 1980's (1978)
Take a Look at Those Cakes (1978)
The Original Disco Man (1979)
People (1980)
Soul Syndrome (1980)
Nonstop! (1981)
Bring It On! (1983)
Gravity (1986)
I'm Real (1988)
Love Over-Due (1991)
Universal James (1993)
I'm Back (1998)
The Merry Christmas Album (1999)
The Next Step (2002)
Brother Rapp
James Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Baby, here I come
Baby, here I come
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Baby, baby, baby, yeah
Baby, here I come
Baby, here I come, hey
Baby, here I come
Good God, to sit down
Put your hand across your lap
Get yourself together
I'm ready
I'm ready, hey
Sit down, baby
And put your hand
Your hand across your lap
Let me sit down
And listen to my rap
I wanna write, good God
The Soul book, so good
Baby, I wanna cook
Baby, yeah
Now, baby, lookie here
I wanna tell you bout
The book I wanna cook
Good God
Get down in the pot
I said my body getting hot
Yeah, I don't have
A whole lot left, good God
But I can do my thing
Get back, my bad self
Now, baby, sit down, sit down
Listen here, lay your
Hands across your lap
Get ready
Listen to me
The brother got the rap
I want the band, the band
To take me to the bridge
Take me to the bridge
Take me now
Got to, got to, got to...
Hey, hey, hey
Baby, good God
Hey, lord, lord, lord...
Put your hands across your lap
I wanna rap
I got to what I do
For me and you
Let me, let me, let me
Get next to, baby
Get next to you
Let me get, let me get
Let me get, let me
Let me, let me get
Next to you, baby
Now, Maceo, brother
Brother, now brother Maceo
Grab your horn
March over here, brother
Brother, brother Maceo
Grab your horn and march over here
I wanna, I wanna, I wanna
Wanna watch you blow
Good God, so I can go
Before I go, come on, Maceo
Lookie here now
Lay your horn across your lap, brother
Yeah, brother
Me and you, just the two
Me and you, me and you
You know, you know
You know, you know...
Play, little brother
Good God
Put your horn in your lap
Good God, Maceo
Now brother, lay your horn
Lay your horn right there
In your lap, lookie here
Lay your horn in your lap
Let the brother back up
And get the thing together
I wanna rap
I said, baby, up in here
Whoa, baby, whoa
Here I come, here I come
Good God
I'm standing in the back
My soul is heavy, good God
My body getting hot
Baby, baby, baby
My body getting hot
Dong dong dong...
Lookie here
It's your thing, your thing
Thing, thing, thing
Thing, thing, thing
Take your thing, take your thing
It's your thing, it's your thing...
The lyrics of James Brown's song "Brother Rapp" express his desire to write a book about soul, and he wants his band to take him to the bridge so that he can get there. Brown urges his female listener to sit down and listen to his rap while he cooks the book. He even implores Maceo, who plays the horn, to march over and lay his horn across his lap, so they can play soul, and because his body is getting hot, he wants to get next to the woman.
The song's lyrics contain themes of rhythm & blues, funk, and soul, which are common in James Brown's music. "Brother Rapp" is one of the bounciest tracks on the album, with a fun and infectious rhythm that features Brown's signature funk sound. The tune has a fast tempo that exemplifies the way Brown moved with such grace on stage.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Expressing excitement and readiness
Baby, here I come
Announcing that the singer is ready to perform
Baby, baby, baby, baby
Addressing the listener in a friendly and informal manner
I want you
Expressing desire for the listener's attention
Good God, to sit down
Urging the listener to relax and focus on the performance
Put your hand across your lap
Instructing the listener to sit still
Get yourself together
Encouraging the listener to become mentally prepared
Let me sit down
Asking for permission to begin the performance
I wanna write, good God
Expressing a desire to create music that is great and inspiring
The Soul book, so good
Describing the style and quality of music the singer aspires to create
Baby, I wanna cook
Using a colloquial phrase to express a desire to create music that is hot, energetic, and exciting
I said my body getting hot
Expressing enthusiasm and readiness to perform
Let me get next to you, baby
Asking for physical and emotional closeness with the listener
Grab your horn and march over here
Requesting a musical performance by Maceo Parker
Play, little brother
Encouraging Maceo Parker to start playing his horn
It's your thing, it's your thing
Acknowledging the power and individuality of the listener's preferences and tastes
Take your thing, take your thing
Encouraging the listener to follow their own path and pursue their own goals
Writer(s): James Brown
Contributed by Jackson O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.