NPR

The Hip-Hop Influence Of Jab'o Starks, James Brown's Timekeeper

The former James Brown drummer was central to some of the singer's most influential recordings. Decades later, the musician's drums have been sampled all throughout hip-hop history.
John "Jab'o" Starks, onstage in January 2017 in Los Angeles. The famed drummer died Tuesday at his home in Mobile, Ala.

Drummer James "Jab'o" Starks may have thought he was playing for , but his drums ended up fueling the birth a genre that made his recordings popular among hip hop producers throughout the genre's history.

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