Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud

As the title suggests, this song is about black pride. Brown was a leader in the black community, and encouraged his people to stand up for their rights. The '60s was a tumultuous time for race relations in America, and this song became an anthem for the black power movement.

Brown recorded this live with a group of children from the Los Angeles area answering Brown's "Say It Loud" with "I'm Black And I'm Proud." This call-and-response style was a fixture at Brown's shows and inspired a generation of funk.

According to Brown's close friend Al Sharpton, the song came about when Brown witnessed infighting among blacks in Los Angeles. "We've lost our pride," he thought. He went to his hotel room and wrote the lyrics on a napkin.