“Funky President (People It’s Bad)” was the lead single from James Brown’s 1974 album Reality. It peaked at #44 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #4 on the R&B chart. The song went on to become one of the most sampled in hip-hop history, primarily the drums, wah-wah guitar licks, and “Hey!” elements in the intro. In his 1986 autobiography The Godfather of Soul, Brown talked about the inspiration for the track:

It was about President Ford, who had taken over from Mr. Nixon in August. Every time he made a speech, it gave people the blues. He was a nice man, but he talked a lot and didn’t say anything. He was there as a caretaker after Watergate, and I think he did that. He was a good man, but I never looked at him as a president.