Song Clearance Sheet
3 sources citedThe Grunt
Funk1970s105BPM
F♯ minKey
More around 110 BPM → · More in F♯ minor →
Tempo/key via GetSongBPM →
The verdict
Documented Sampling History
Confirmed songwriters of record and an extensive legitimate sample legacy. Honestly disclosed: this recording itself borrowed uncredited from the Isley Brothers’ “Keep on Doin’” — a real documented instance, never litigated, kept in Rights Status rather than omitted.
Quick Facts
Released1970
GenreFunk
LabelKing Records
ProducerJames Brown
Recorded atKing Studio, Cincinnati
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The songwriters of record — James Brown, Bootsy & Catfish Collins, and the J.B.’s (per official credit)
Wikipedia → · checked Jul 2026
The current administrator — Not confirmed — originally King Records; needs a Songview/Discogs lookup
Unknown · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — its screeching sax intro is a hip-hop staple (Public Enemy, Wu-Tang). Note: the recording itself borrowed uncredited from the Isley Brothers — see Rights Status.
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found; confirmed writers of record, no formal dispute — with an honestly-disclosed borrowing of its own.
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The song itself (the writing)James Brown, Clyde Stubblefield, Robert McCollough, Darryl Jamison, Bootsy & Catfish Collins, Frank Waddy, Clayton Gunnels, Johnny Griggs
An honest disclosure — its own uncredited borrowingLarge parts of “The Grunt”’s melody and arrangement were borrowed, UNCREDITED, from The Isley Brothers’ “Keep on Doin’,” released earlier that same year — a real, documented instance of this recording having its own uncredited-borrowing situation, disclosed here rather than omitted. Never formally litigated.
The recording (current administrator)Not confirmed
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
James Brown as a father figure to a teenage Bootsy
Bootsy Collins has directly described James Brown treating him “like a son,” filling a father-figure role he badly needed given his own fatherless upbringing.
Wikipedia (Bootsy Collins) · read it →
Extensive sample legacy
Sampled by Wu-Tang Clan (“Protect Ya Neck”), Public Enemy (“Night of the Living Baseheads,” “Rebel Without a Pause”), and Erykah Badu & Common’s “Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop).”
uDiscover Music · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
A hip-hop sax-intro staple
Covers
—
First flip
Big names who used itPublic Enemy · Wu-Tang Clan
Who to Contact
GR
James Brown / The J.B.'s (King Records)
The confirmed songwriters of record
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Research Queue Batch 8)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending the automated GetSongBPM/Deezer pass