"Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" is a funksong recorded by James Brown. Released as a single in 1969, the song was a #1 R&B hit and also made the top 20 pop singles chart.[1][2] "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" appeared as an instrumental on the Ain't It Funky (1970) album, removing Brown's vocals and adding guitar overdubs, while the vocal version was released on It's a New Day – Let a Man Come In (1970).
Recorded history
The original "Give It Up or Turnit a Loose" appeared as a single in early '69, arranged by the '60's bandleader "Pee Wee" Ellis. A year later, reinvigorated by his new band, Mr. Brown would readdress "Give It Up". Where the original version percolated with jazzy overtones, this revisit was kinetic, raw, uncut. This monster funk bomb exploded in the underground in '73, when a young Bronx DJ named Kool DJ Herc would load on the turntables two copies of the Sex Machine album and between them he would run an extended cut 'n' mix of the percussion breakdown. Hip-hop was born. The shockwaves have been felt ever since