Bobby Byrd’s “Hotpants” aka “I’m Coming” is a fine example of Bboy Soul from the Funky People era of James Brown, Bobby Byrd, Fred Wesley, Clyde, Lyn, Maceo, and all the folks that formed the foundation of bboy sounds to follow:
This track and its elements found their way into Hip-hop and Bboy Culture in many forms, and the offbeat drops, bouncing bassline, and improvisational air of vocals are themes that run throughout Bboy Music.
Peep the sample from “Hotpants” in “How I’m Comin” by LL Cool J (@llcoolj):
…as well as the 1989 Hip-hop jammy from Antoinette:
Rest in Peace to Bobby Byrd, who passed away in 2007. From a Washington Post obituary:
Bobby Byrd, 73, a singer, pianist and songwriter credited with discovering James Brown and who was one of his most important collaborators for two decades, died Sept. 12 at his home in Loganville, Ga. He had lung cancer.
Without Mr. Byrd, it has been asserted by some music scholars, Brown might not have become famous beyond the walls of a Georgia youth detention facility, much less become the “godfather of soul.” Mr. Byrd was dubbed by some “the godfather’s godfather.”
In the early 1950s, Mr. Byrd’s family helped secure Brown’s early release from a juvenile detention facility in Georgia. The Byrds provided a home for Brown, who hitched himself to Mr. Byrd’s gospel group, which morphed into a much more secular vocal band. The Famous Flames were led by Brown, who strutted his way to international funk stardom as the “hardest-working man in show business.”
