I'm Real (James Brown song)

"I'm Real"
Single by James Brown
from the album I'm Real
B-side"Tribute"
ReleasedApril 1988 (1988-04)
GenreFunk, hip hop, new jack swing
Length4:30
LabelScotti Bros.
07783
Songwriter(s)
  • Curt Bedeau
  • Gerry Charles
  • Hugh L Clarke
  • Brian George
  • Lucien George
  • Paul George
  • James Brown
Producer(s)Full Force
James Brown charting singles chronology
"The Payback Mix"
(1986) 		"I'm Real"
(1988) 		"Static"
(1988)
Audio video
"I'm Real" on YouTube

"I'm Real" is a hip hop-R&B song recorded by James Brown. It was co-written and produced by Full Force and appeared on Brown's 1988 album of the same name. The song's horn section is reminiscent of both "Soul Power" and "Think (About It)"[1] Released as a single the same year, it charted #2 R&B.[2] Described in Rolling Stone as "[Brown's] I'm-the-original rapper song",[3] its lyrics assert his primacy and relevance as a performer over and against the many musicians who sample his work.

  1. ^ "Full Force – Credits". allmusic. Retrieved 22 February 2013.
  2. ^ White, Cliff (1991). "Discography". In Star Time (pp. 54–59) [CD booklet]. New York: PolyGram Records.
  3. ^ "James Brown: I Feel Good!". Rolling Stone. 27 June 1991.