"The Payback" is a funksong by James Brown, the title track from his 1973album of the same name. The song's lyrics, originally written by trombonist and bandleaderFred Wesley but heavily revised by Brown himself soon before it was recorded, concern the revenge he plans to take against a man who betrayed him. The song is notable for its sparse, open arrangement and its use of wah-wahguitar – a relative rarity in Brown's previous funk recordings. Released as a two-part single in February 1974, it was the first in an unbroken succession of three singles by Brown to reach #1 on the R&B charts that year – the last chart-toppers of his career. It also peaked at number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was his second, and final, single to be certified gold by the RIAA.
Background
The song and the album of the same name were originally recorded by Brown as the accompanying soundtrack to the blaxploitation filmHell Up in Harlem, but was rejected by the movie's producers as "the same old James Brown stuff." An incensed Brown decided to release the album and let it stand on its own merits. The subsequent soundtrack was then recorded by Motown Records artist Edwin Starr. Later, Brown recorded "Rapp Payback ", a reworking of "The Payback", in 1980.
Samples
"The Payback" song has been sampled by many musical artists, including numerous hip hop and R&B producers. En Vogue recorded two different hits, "Hold On" and "My Lovin' ", that were both based on loops from the song's rhythm track. LL Cool J sampled "The Payback" in his 1990 song "The Booming System". Guy used the enthusiastic whoops for Dog Me Out in 1991. Mary J. Blige sampled the song for her 1997 hit "Everything". Total and Brooklyn rapper Biggie Smalls sampled the song's intro in their 1995 hit "Can't You See". Keith Sweat's group Silk, in the song "Happy Days" sampled "The Payback" from their 1992 debut album, Lose Control, which was produced by Sweat and featured on the track. Big Black released a loose cover of the song on their 1984 Racer-X EP. Massive Attack also sampled the song on their title track "Protection" from the 1995 album of the same name. Eboni Foster of Nuttin' Nyce sampled the song on the single, "Crazy for You" in 1998. Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar used elements of the sample on the hit single "King Kunta" from his 2015 album To Pimp a Butterfly. Also sampled in Compton's Most Wanted's "Final Chapter" off of the album Straight Check'n Em.
Appearances in other media
The song was used tn the on the Rare groove radio station.
The song was used in the 2001 Jesse Dylan film How High.
The song was used in the 2002 Mars Callahan film Poolhall Junkies.
A sample of the song is used in the theme for ESPN's NBA Countdown.
The song was used in a season two episode of Everybody Hates Chris.
The song was used in season three of The Wire; the song is playing in the poolhall that the deacon frequents, when Cutty comes to him to discuss the boxing gym.
The song was used in the Hughes Brothers film Dead Presidents.
The song was used in season three episode 10 of The Blacklist.
The song was used in an episode of Scrubs, during one of J.D.'s fantasies about how cool it is to enter the hospital as a surgeon.
The song was used in the movie Hollywood Shuffle, the melody of the song is used during the dress rehearsal of the movie "Jivetime Jimmy's Revenge" – the movie in which Bobby won the lead role as "Jimmy." Jimmy also uses the lyrics "I'm mad, I want revenge" when his brother dies in his arms.
The song is used in many professional boxing ring entrances, but most notably used by Lennox Lewis during the ringwalk prior to his heavyweight championship rematch with Hasim Rahman in 2001, which Lewis won by knockout.
