(1) Lee Fields / "Intro by Mr. Fields"
Lee "Little J.B." Fields has been aping James Brown's sound and look since the '70s. In recent years, his rough, gritty delivery has propelled him to the forefront of the deep funk revival spurred by hip-hop and rare-groove crate diggers. The spoken intro to his 1999 Let's Get a Groove On album is the perfect track to kick off this mix.

(2) The J.B.'s / "Doing It to Death, Pt. 1" (Single)
The J.B.'s were the most renowned of James Brown's super-tight, super-disciplined backing bands. Released on James Brown's People label in 1973 and featuring vocals by Soul Brother Number One himself, this version of the song, edited down from a longer improvisational jam, was a Number One R&B hit. On it, Brown calls out Fred Wesley (trombone), Fred Thomas (bass) and Maceo Parker (alto sax) by name.

(3) James Brown / "Funky Drummer"
"Funky Drummer" is the most sampled song in the history of music. Its drum break was a staple of hip-hop music produced in the late '80s and early '90s. The drummer in question is Clyde Stubblefield. That's James Brown funking it up on the organ.

(4) J.C. Davis / "Circleville"
J.C. Davis was the bandleader for James Brown's Famous Flames. He released a few solo singles after parting ways with Brown in the mid '60s. In this one, the instruments chase each other round and round while Davis directs traffic.

(5) James Brown / "Super Bad"
In 1970, Brown hit No. 1 on the Billboard Top R&B Singles chart and No. 13 on the Hot 100 with this song, which plays the role of title track for this mix. I believe the soul shaman when he says, "I got somethin' that tells me what it's all about."

(6) Marva Whitney / "Unwind Yourself" (Remix)
Marva Whitney, a Kansas City native, is one of the rawest female vocalists out there. She was a featured singer in the James Brown Revue and got to perform her own mini-set during live shows while Brown took a break. You've probably heard the horns on this track before. The funkalicious tenor sax hook was sampled and looped in the "Yo! MTV Raps" theme song and DJ Kool's "Let Me Clear My Throat."

(7) Bobby Byrd / "Never Get Enough"
Bobby Byrd was James Brown's right-hand man and co-vocalist from 1956 until they split up in 1973. He also played the organ and piano. In the early '50s, Byrd's family sponsored Brown's parole from prison, springing him from the joint at age 19, after he'd served three years for armed robbery.

(8) James Brown / "The Payback"
Released in December 1973, The Payback was the only gold-selling album of Brown's career. The title track hit No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 26 on the pop chart. 1973 was a difficult year for Brown; his son Teddy was killed in a car accident and the IRS was after him for $4.5 million in back taxes. In this song, an angry Godfather threatens revenge.

(9) LL Cool J / "The Boomin' System"
To date, 1990's Mama Said Knock You Out has been the best-selling album of LL's unusually long hip-hop career. "The Boomin' System" samples both "The Payback" and "Funky Drummer," with a lyrical nod to the latter: "The girlies, they smile, they see me comin', I'm steady hummin', I got the Funky Drummer drummin'."

(10) Eric B. & Rakim / "I Know You Got Soul"
This 1987 track by the hugely influential DJ/MC team of Eric B. & Rakim samples Bobby Byrd's song of the same name, which was produced by James Brown in 1971. A line of Rakim's lyrics was in turn sampled by one-hit wonder M/A/R/R/S in "Pump Up the Volume." Eric B.'s predilection for James Brown samples ushered in hip-hop's raid of Mr. Dynamite's back catalog.

(11) Public Enemy / "Welcome to the Terrordome"
Produced by the Bomb Squad in 1990 when they were at the peak of their skills, "Welcome to the Terrordome" samples three James Brown songs: "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose," "Cold Sweat" and "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved." The densely layered sonic apocalypse set the stage as the first single from P.E.'s incendiary Fear of a Black Planet.

(12) Big Daddy Kane / "Set It Off"
Big Daddy Kane (born Antonio Hardy in Brooklyn) was known for his fast rapping and skills with the ladies. This self-celebratory song from his debut album produced by Marley Marl samples "Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved."

(13) Kris Kross / "Jump"
DJ Play is not a music snob. This song is here to show I can admit it when I like gimmicky cheese. (Mmmm ... gimmicky cheese.) As if it weren't enough of a novelty that Chris "Mack Daddy" Kelly and Chris "Daddy Mack" Smith were 13 when Totally Krossed Out was released in 1992, they also wore their clothes backwards. Jermaine Dupri (Mr. Jackson, if you're nasty) discovered the pubescent duo rapping in a mall, of course. "Jump" samples James Brown's "Funky Drummer," as well as the Jackson 5's "I Want You Back."

(14) Prince & The New Power Generation / "Gett Off"
Prince's sexually charged lead single from 1991's Diamonds and Pearls samples "Funky Drummer" and mentions the Godfather in the lyrics ("'mind me of something James used to say"). In the late '90s, the man that James Brown called "Maceo" (because that's his name) began performing with The New Power Generation.

(15) Black Eyed Peas / "Labor Day (It's a Holiday)"
This party anthem is built around a juicy sample of "The Grunt," a J.B.'s hit during the Bootsy Collins era. For their 2005 follow-up to Elephunk, the Peas collaborated with James Brown on the song "They Don't Want Music."

(16) Parliament / "Flash Light"
In 1970, James Brown's long-suffering band walked out on him, with the exception of Bobby Byrd. In a pinch, Brown recruited bassist William "Bootsy" Collins and his brother, guitarist Phelps "Catfish" Collins, from the Pacemakers to play in The J.B.'s. Not long thereafter, Brown fired Bootsy for having LSD hallucinations on stage, but during his short tenure, Bootsy played a crucial role in Brown's transition to groove-oriented funk. The brothers went on to become core members of George Clinton's funk collective. Composed by Bootsy, Clinton and Bernie Worrell, 1977's "Flash Light" was Parliament's signature song.

(17) Praxis / "Animal Behavior"
Praxis, an avant-garde super-group project conceived by Bill Laswell, featured ex-J.B. Bootsy Collins (bass, vocals), Buckethead (guitar), Brain (drums), Bernie Worrell (keyboards) and AF Next Man Flip of the Jungle Brothers (turntables). It wasn't enough to spread funk across the Earth; they had to take it into outer space. Blast off!

Inspired by Jonathan Lethem's article in the June 29, 2006 issue of Rolling Stone and Howard "The Colonel" Doyle

• People who will let me play soul/funk/hip-hop music in their north-city drinking establishments in exchange for a free beverage or two