Before His Death, James Brown Finally Names The 10 Musicians He Hated | HO

James Brown—the Godfather of Soul, a man whose sweat and screams shaped American music—left this world in 2006 with no will, no public farewell, and no final message. But those closest to him whisper about a different kind of legacy: a private, handwritten list of ten names. Not rivals, not enemies in the classic sense, but fellow legends he never forgave. Some were once called brothers. Others were icons in their own right. All left scars on Brown’s soul, and all, in the end, became reminders of the price of genius in a world where talent is only the beginning.

This is not just James Brown’s story. It’s a hidden history of betrayal, rivalry, and pain behind the curtain of fame. Here, for the first time, we investigate the ten musicians James Brown could not forgive.

1. Joe Tex: The Doppelgänger Who Crossed the Line

The animosity between James Brown and Joe Tex was legendary—and deadly serious. It wasn’t about money, or even fame. It was about identity. Both men sang with the same raw growl, the same intensity, the same stage presence. But when Joe Tex recorded a song Brown considered his own, and later mocked him publicly—“You keep her,” Tex once sneered, referencing Brown’s former lover—the feud turned personal. Backstage altercations, flying objects, and icy glares became the norm. In the end, Brown never forgave Tex for what he saw as the theft of both his style and his dignity.

2. Michael Jackson: The Protégé Who Surpassed the Master

James Brown saw Michael Jackson as a threat long before the world crowned Jackson King of Pop. The young Jackson 5 frontman borrowed Brown’s moves, his vocal inflections, and his sense of showmanship—then did it better, smoother, and with more universal appeal. Publicly, Jackson called Brown his inspiration. Privately, Brown bristled every time he heard it. The world’s embrace of Michael, while Brown had to claw his way through closed doors and bigotry, left a wound that never healed. “He’s got moves, but don’t forget who invented them,” Brown once muttered. The rivalry was never open, but it was deeply felt.

3. Bootsy Collins: The Bass Genius Who Refused to Be Controlled

Bootsy Collins was a fire James Brown couldn’t contain. The young bassist brought innovation, wildness, and a sense of freedom that clashed with Brown’s need for discipline and control. When Bootsy’s popularity began to rival Brown’s, the Godfather responded with pay cuts and public rebukes. Eventually, Bootsy left, finding a new home with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic. Brown saw it as betrayal—freedom chosen over loyalty—and never forgave Bootsy for breaking the mold he’d tried to enforce.

4. Prince: The Unruly Prodigy

Prince was everything James Brown both admired and resented: supremely talented, fiercely independent, and utterly uncontrollable. From the first time Brown saw Prince’s flamboyant style and genre-defying music, he felt both threatened and dismissed. “He takes all the soul out of funk,” Brown once said. A famous 1983 jam session with Michael Jackson and Prince ended with Prince stealing the show—and Brown never mentioning him again. Prince’s refusal to play by Brown’s rules, and his effortless genius, made him both a rival and a stranger.

5. Maceo Parker: The Saxophonist Who Stole the Spotlight

Maceo Parker’s saxophone was central to James Brown’s sound, but as Parker’s star rose, so did Brown’s resentment. When fans and critics began to praise Maceo as the true star of the band, Brown responded with coldness and pay cuts. The two men’s relationship became a cycle of departures and returns, but trust was never restored. “He was the best, but he forgot whose show it was,” Brown said. The silence between them spoke louder than any argument.

6. Jackie Wilson: The Rival Who Refused to Fade

Jackie Wilson was “Mr. Excitement,” the man who set the standard for stage performance before Brown took the crown. Brown never forgave Wilson for being the yardstick against which he was measured. Their rivalry was quiet, but intense. “They’re cheering for the jacket, not for the soul,” Brown once said, a thinly veiled jab at Wilson’s style. Even as Brown’s own fame eclipsed Wilson’s, the sting of having once been second-best never left him.

7. Fred Wesley: The Loyalist Who Walked Away

Fred Wesley was more than just a trombonist—he was Brown’s right hand, orchestrating the tightest funk band in the world. But when Wesley asked for fair pay and recognition, Brown saw it as betrayal. Wesley’s departure for George Clinton’s band stung deeply. “He didn’t quit. He betrayed,” Brown said. The pain was not just professional, but personal—a trusted lieutenant walking away from the general.

8. Elvis Presley: The King Who Never Paid the Toll

No feud in Brown’s life was more symbolic than his resentment of Elvis Presley. Brown saw Elvis as the ultimate beneficiary of Black musical innovation—singing, dancing, and moving like a Black man, but celebrated as a white icon. “They call him the king. Well, I must be the ghost he borrowed from,” Brown once said. He never denied Elvis’s talent, but he could never forgive a world that gave Presley the throne while making Brown fight for every scrap of recognition.

9. Aretha Franklin: The Queen Who Wouldn’t Yield

James Brown and Aretha Franklin—King and Queen of Soul—never truly collaborated. Their egos were too large, their thrones too distant. Brown once dismissed her as “gospel in diamonds,” while Aretha reportedly refused to share a stage with a man who “needed the spotlight to breathe.” Their relationship was defined by mutual respect, but also by a decades-long silence. Neither would bow to the other, and both knew it.

10. Clyde Stubblefield: The Forgotten Funky Drummer

Clyde Stubblefield’s drum break on “Funky Drummer” became a foundational sample for hip hop, pop, and funk. But Brown never credited him, never shared the spotlight, and never forgave Clyde for asking for recognition. “You work for me, not with me,” Brown told him. Stubblefield’s contribution was erased from the record, and he became the most famous unknown drummer in history. “The beat is mine. The silence is his,” Clyde once said. It was a silence that lasted until Brown’s death.

Conclusion: The Price of Genius

James Brown’s brilliance reshaped music, but his legacy is also one of fractured relationships, unspoken rivalries, and wounds that never healed. Behind the dazzling stage lights was a man haunted by betrayal—real and imagined—from those closest to him. His list of unforgiven names is a testament to the price of survival, ambition, and the relentless pursuit of greatness in a world that rarely plays fair.

If you’ve ever felt the sting of being overlooked, of giving everything and receiving only silence in return, you’ll understand the pain that shaped James Brown’s final years. In the end, the Godfather of Soul was not just a legend, but a man—scarred, proud, and, above all, unforgiving.