universalpichomeent:

James Brown called himself the Godfather of Soul (among his many, many nicknames), but we could also call him the Father of Funk, Grandfather of Hip-Hop, and Uncle of Rock and Pop. The truth is, the full extent of the influence of his music, performance style, and superstar personality can’t be squeezed into a single infographic. You’re bound to come up with artists, and even entire genres, we’ve missed here. This is a mere representation of the way in which Mr. Dynamite lives on in generation after generation…

I. A. Pentecostal and Baptist Preachers (their vocalizations and writhing at the pulpit as if overtaken by the spirit)

B. Gospel Greats Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey, Mahalia Jackson

C. Blues Pioneers Bessie Smith, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters

D. Pop Stars Little Richard, Sam Cooke

E. Big Band Leaders Louis Jordan (one of James’ idols), Duke Ellington

F. Miles Davis

G. Wrestler Gorgeous George (James saw him be draped with a cape after every match and copied that directly)

II. James Brown

III. A. Band members Maceo Parker (sax) and Bootsy Collins (bass and vocals)

1. George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic (Bootsy and Maceo were in P Funk too, taking along Brown’s devotion to rhythm)

a. Prince

i. The Roots

ii. Bruno Mars

iii. Pharrell Williams

iv. Justin Timberlake

v. Robin Thicke

b. Red Hot Chili Peppers

i. Maroon 5

c. The Talking Heads

i. LCD Soundsystem, Beck, Phoenix and all other pop-indie-rock-electronic artists

B. The Jackson 5 and Michael Jackson (not just in sound, but in sexualized dance moves and flashy costuming)

1. Madonna (Her writhing “Like a Virgin” performance at the VMAs is so very James

a. Lady Gaga

b. Britney Spears

i. Pink, Ariana Grande, Jessie J., etc.

2. New Edition/ Bobby Brown

a. Usher, Ne-Yo, Frank Ocean, J. Cole, Miguel

b. Justin Bieber

C. The Rolling Stones

1. David Bowie

2. AC/DC

a. Guns N Roses

3. The Stooges

a. The Ramones

b. The Sex Pistols

c. New Order

d. Nirvana

i. The White Stripes

ii. The Foo Fighters

4. The Allman Brothers

a. Kings of Leon

b. Wilco

c. The Black Keys

D. Afrika Bambaataa, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool Herc (not just in musical style, but the beats of Brown drummer Clyde Stubblefield built the hip-hop beat)

1. Eric B. & Rakim (the first to heavily use James Brown samples)

a. Kanye West, Wu-Tang Clan

2. Run D.M.C.

a. Public Enemy

b. LL Cool J

i. Notorious B.I.G.

-Jay-Z

- Puff Daddy

c. The Beastie Boys

d. A Tribe Called Quest

i. OutKast

-Wiz Khalifa, Odd Future, Clipse

e. N.W.A

i. Tupac

ii. Eminem

- 50 Cent

iii. Lil Wayne

-Nicki Minaj, Drake

E. Tina Turner, Janis Joplin

1. Whitney Houston

a. Mariah Carey

i. Beyonce

2. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, Amy Winehouse, Adele

F. Fela Kuti

1. Femi Kuti, Antibalas

G. Rev. Al Sharpton (James Brown was his mentor, who also recommended his infamous hairstyle)

1. President Barack Obama (OK, it’s a stretch, but civil rights leaders like Sharpton paved his way!)