Music Sound

The "funky drummer" break is one of the most used sampled drum loops in hip hop and drum and bass music, together with the Amen break, which is more related to drum-and-bass.

The original song from which the break is sampled is James Brown's song "Funky Drummer" (recorded November 20, 1969 in Cincinnati, Ohio). The drums on the original song are played by Clyde Stubblefield, who was the drummer for Brown's band at that time. Rapper and producer Edan's mix-tape "Sound of the Funky Drummer" features only tracks which use the "Funky Drummer" beat.

Rappers who sample James Brown have included references to him and even this song in their lyrics, two examples being LL Cool J in "Boomin' System" ("The girlies, they smile, they see me comin, I'm steady hummin, I got the Funky Drummer drummin") and Public Enemy in "Fight the Power" ("1989 the number, another summer, sound of the funky drummer.")

Track list

The following is an incomplete list of tracks that employ the funky drummer break.

100th Monkey - "I Don't Know"
2 Live Crew - "Coolin'"
808 State - "Pacific 202"
A Tribe Called Quest - "Separate / Together"
Atari Teenage Riot - "Start The Riot"
Beastie Boys - "Shadrach"
Big Daddy Kane - "Mortal Combat"
Biz Markie - "Spring Again"
Bone Thugs-N-Harmony - "Fuck tha Police"
Candy Flip - "Strawberry Fields Forever"
Chumbawamba - "The Wizard of Menlo Park"
Coldcut - "Say Kids, What Time Is It?"
Credit To The Nation - "Call It What You Want"
De La Soul - "Oodles of O's"
Depeche Mode - "My Joy"
DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - "2 Damn Hype", "Hip Hop Dancer's Theme", "Jazzy's Groove", "Magnificent Jazzy Jeff", "Pump Up the Bass"
DJ Teh Cheat (Homestar Runner) - "Everybody to the Limit" -
Dr. Dre - "Let Me Ride"
The Dream Academy - "Love"
Enigma - "Carly's Song"
Eric B. & Rakim - "Lyrics of Fury", "Relax With Pep"
Fine Young Cannibals - "I'm Not the Man I Used to Be"
Gang Starr - "2 Deep"
George Michael - "Waiting For That Day"
Geto Boys - "Read These Nikes", "Mind of a Lunatic"
GusGus - "Purple"
Heavy D - "Flexin'"
Ice Cube - "Jackin' For Beats", "Endangered Species"
Ice T - "Radio Suckers", "Original Gangster", "I Ain't New Ta This"
Jam & Spoon - "Kaleidoscope Skies"
Kid 'n Play - "Slippin'", "Foreplay"
Kool G Rap - "It's a Demo"
K-Os - "B-Boy Stance"
Kris Kross - "Jump", "Lil' Boys in Da Hood"
Lassigue Bendthaus - "Re-Cloned"
LL Cool J - "Mama Said Knock You Out"
Masters At Work - "Jus' a Lil' Dope"
MC Frontalot - "Good Old Clyde"
Mobb Deep - "Flavor For the Non-Believers"
My Bloody Valentine - "Instrumental B"
Nas - "Get Down"
Naughty by Nature - "Hot Potato", "Ready For Dem"
NWA - "Fuck tha Police", "Quiet on tha Set"
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - "Go With the Flow"
The Pharcyde - "Officer"
Pizzicato Five - "Baby Love Child"
Prince - "Gett Off", "My Name is Prince"
Public Enemy - "She Watch Channel Zero", "Bring the Noise", "Rebel Without a Pause", "Fight the Power"
Redman - "Rated R"
Run-DMC - "Beats to the Rhyme", "Back From Hell", "Word is Born", "Run's House"
Salt-N-Pepa - "Let the Rhythm Run"
Scarface (rapper) - "Born Killer"
Scorn (band) - "The Wizard" (Black Sabbath cover)
Sinéad O'Connor - "I Am Stretched On Your Grave"
Sir Mix-A-Lot - "No Holds Barred"
Slick Rick - "The Moment I Feared"
Snap! - "Blasé Blasé"
Sublime - "Scarlet Begonias"
TLC - "Shock Dat Monkey"
Ultramagnetic MC's - "Give the Drummer Some"
US3 - "An Ordinary Day in an Unusual Place (Pts. 1 & 2)"
Vanilla Ice - "Stop That Train"

External links

• [1] Website of local Cincinnati Drummer Joe Jahnigen features the original recording, transcription, and his own version of the beat