0
0
James Brown may be known as the “Godfather of Soul,” but those who knew him as “dad” are making sure his impact continues to be recognized.
Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE ahead of A&E’s four-part docuseries, James Brown: Say It Loud, two of his daughters, Deanna Brown and Dr. Yamma Brown, say music would not be where it is today had it not been for their father.
“There would be no hip-hop. There would be no rap, because he’s the most-sampled artist,” Deanna, 55, says. “There would be no Michael [Jackson], there would be no Usher, there’d be no Chris Brown — all these people who took from him.”
“I mean, where would it be? You could ask a lot of these musicians, they’ll tell you the same thing. It would probably be zero. I think LL [Cool J] says that in the documentary that the trajectory of music would be — he can’t even imagine where it would be without James Brown,” she continues.
Frank Micelotta/Getty James Brown, September 2004© Provided by People
Referring to the “Around the Way Girl” rapper, Yamma, 52, also adds, “And I think that’s the key that you get from what LL Cool J said, that it would be very different. Who knows what would’ve transpired?”
She notes that her late father, who died on Christmas Day in 2006 at the age of 73, began his career “so long ago.”
Video Player is loading.
James Brown’s daughter says Michael Jackson and Usher wouldn’t exist without her father
James Brown’s daughter says Michael Jackson and Usher wouldn’t exist without her father
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Yamma tells PEOPLE she was “thankful” that her father “created” funk and influenced other genres, “hip-hop definitely being one of them.”
She said that although many musicians have been influenced by his craft, his impact extended far beyond the entertainment industry.
Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Yamma Brown, Adrienne Rodriguez, James Brown, and Deanna Brown Thomas; February 1992© Provided by People
She adds that viewers may be sitting at home watching the docuseries and think, “Wow, his story is not that dissimilar than mine.”
“And look what he went to do,” she says of the “It’s A Man’s Man’s Man’s World” artist.
Yamma considered her father to be an inspiration to many, suggesting others do the same.
“If you can inspire somebody to be the greatest at what they can be, that’s amazing. That’s a good way to be. And I just wish he was still here to see some of this. He would not believe it. He would not believe it.”
A&E ‘James Brown Say It Loud’© Provided by People
James Brown: Say It Loud will air on A&E on Monday, Feb. 19, and Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. EST.
In it, both Yamma and Deanna fondly remember their childhood with their parents.
“I could hear him, how he talked to different people, how he wanted his business taken care of. I learned a lot while I was putting those rollers in his hair,” Deanna says of the “life lessons” she learned from her dad while on the road.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.
