Chuck Brown’s first Grammy nomination, announced yesterday, for his collaboration with Jill Scott on “Love,” was a long time coming. Brown, a jazz guitarist and singer who has been performing since the 1960s, is one of the most important figures in Washington’s go-go scene, a variation of funk that’s indigenous to DC. “Love” is a good song, a conversation between Brown and Scott with a bright throwback horn section:
But if Brown is going to get an it’s-about-damn-time golden gramophone, I wish the voters could go back and honor him for the 1978 track “Bustin’ Loose (Part 1),” a song that’s made its way both into hip-hop’s vocabulary and Washington culture. The song itself isn’t terribly high-concept: It’s really just a party track, a call to “gimme the beat, y’all.” By that measure, though, it excels: The chanted choruses are in perfect syncopation for foot-stomping, the horns for hip-swinging:“Bustin’ Loose” has had surprising resonance. In 1990, Eric B. and Rakim sampled the song for “Eric B. Made My Day,” scratching records over the horn section:Four years later, Public Enemy sampled the track for “I Ain’t Mad at All” and turned “Bustin’ Loose” from a party reference into a wish to break out of police custody:
In 2002, Nelly borrowed from “Bustin’ Loose” for “Hot in Herre,” turning the song back to its party roots, declaring, “I feel like bustin’ loose / And I feel like touching you,” a sweet line in a debauched, silly track:
And when the Nationals came back to Washington, they put songs for key game moments up to a vote. More than 11,000 people weighed in and picked “Bustin’ Loose” as the home team’s home-run music.
Maybe with that legacy, members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences will consider “Bustin’ Loose” for a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, a special prize for recordings of lasting significance that are at least 25 years old. If not, Washington will do what the city has always done: recognize the value of go-go even when no one else does.
The Godfather Goes to the Grammys
Chuck Brown’s first Grammy nomination, announced yesterday, for his collaboration with Jill Scott on “Love,” was a long time coming. Brown, a jazz guitarist and singer who has been performing since the 1960s, is one of the most important figures in Washington’s go-go scene, a variation of funk that’s indigenous to DC. “Love” is a good song, a conversation between Brown and Scott with a bright throwback horn section:
But if Brown is going to get an it’s-about-damn-time golden gramophone, I wish the voters could go back and honor him for the 1978 track “Bustin’ Loose (Part 1),” a song that’s made its way both into hip-hop’s vocabulary and Washington culture. The song itself isn’t terribly high-concept: It’s really just a party track, a call to “gimme the beat, y’all.” By that measure, though, it excels: The chanted choruses are in perfect syncopation for foot-stomping, the horns for hip-swinging:“Bustin’ Loose” has had surprising resonance. In 1990, Eric B. and Rakim sampled the song for “Eric B. Made My Day,” scratching records over the horn section:Four years later, Public Enemy sampled the track for “I Ain’t Mad at All” and turned “Bustin’ Loose” from a party reference into a wish to break out of police custody:
In 2002, Nelly borrowed from “Bustin’ Loose” for “Hot in Herre,” turning the song back to its party roots, declaring, “I feel like bustin’ loose / And I feel like touching you,” a sweet line in a debauched, silly track:
And when the Nationals came back to Washington, they put songs for key game moments up to a vote. More than 11,000 people weighed in and picked “Bustin’ Loose” as the home team’s home-run music.
Maybe with that legacy, members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences will consider “Bustin’ Loose” for a Grammy Hall of Fame Award, a special prize for recordings of lasting significance that are at least 25 years old. If not, Washington will do what the city has always done: recognize the value of go-go even when no one else does.
Subscribe to Washingtonian
Follow Washingtonian on Twitter
More>> Capital Comment Blog | News & Politics | Party Photos
Must-Reads
Take Our Restaurant Survey and You Could Win Dinner at a Mike Isabella Restaurant
10 Fall Festivals Near DC That You Don’t Want to Miss
Washingtonian’s Great Places to Work Application
DC is Getting an All-Male Burlesque Brunch
September 2016: How to Dress in DC
More from News & Politics
Photos and Scenes From the African American History Museum’s Opening Day
How History Museums Around the US Have Presented the African American Experience
Frederick Could Be an Urban Suburb of DC–Unless Its Good Ol’ Boy Past Gets in Its Way
Road Closures, Traffic Detours, and Security Information for the African American History Museum Opening
FDR Defended His Dog During a Campaign Speech in DC
DC’s Most Popular Baby Names Over the Years
How One Writer Told the Story of the New African American History Museum
The National Archives Just Released These GIFs of Old-Time DC—and They’re Awesome
Most Popular
The Best Cheap Restaurants in Washington, DC
100 Very Best Restaurants
9 New Restaurants to Try Now
How One Couple Transformed a Virginia Estate into the Ultimate Southern Lawn Party Wedding
I Was at the Montgomery Mall During the Shooting. This Is What It Was Like Inside.