On Aug. 1, Universal will release the highly anticipated James Brown biopic "Get on Up." The feature was produced by Academy Award winner Brian Grazer and was directed by Tate Taylor, who is best known for his work on "The Help." It also boasts an exceptional cast, which includes Chadwick Boseman as Brown, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Octavia Spencer and Viola Davis.

Brown was one of the most influential singers of his generation, and he inspired a number of artists including executive producer Mick Jagger. During a press conference recently held at the Mandarin Hotel in New York, the stars and team behind the film were able to share their experiences with Brown's music.

Like many films, it took the producers many years to get the film made. Grazer was extremely inspired by Brown for a number of years and even revealed that he owned the rights to his movie.

"I convinced James Brown that I should make his life story and make it into a movie, and then owned the rights for 12 years. And in the 12 years I had to continue to renew the rights with James Brown directly and hired different screenwriters and different directors," he stated. "When James Brown died I lost the rights because things became further complicated and a year later Mick [Jagger] ended up with the rights.

"He and I later agreed to do it together," Grazer said.  

Executive producer Jagger found Brown to be one of the most intriguing and influential people in his life.

"He influenced me a lot. I mean I could never do the dances like he could, but the thing about him that impressed me was how he could interact with an audience," said Jagger. "James was all about interacting with the audience. It's not just your performance, it's about their performance too and how they react to you."

Meanwhile, Boseman found the role challenging in every way, but also enlightening, especially since he grew up with the music.

"The entire thing was a challenge. When I looked at the role, I was scared of it. There was no part that was straightforward and easy. The dance part was 60 percent of my fear."

However he also found it interesting to discover Brown's multiple businesses. "The most surprising business venture was the James Brown food stamp. It was part of him wanting to recycle within the black community to build."

Boseman also revealed that his favorite Brown song was "I'm Black and I'm Proud."

"I will always remember James Brown as being part of the soundtrack of my life," he added.

Director Tate Taylor also had memories of his experiences with Brown's music. "For me instead of one song, it brings a memory. I primarily lived with my mother and she loved James Brown. He was on her record player a lot as a child and it shaped me," he revealed. "When we started filming the movie she brought me all her James Brown records, and I had forgotten that she used to play them for me. And it made me think of her challenges and James' challenges and it was kind of cool that she listened to his music. All of the songs are my favorite for that reason."

He added that Brown was also inspirational because he had a hard time understanding music.

"I can't speak the words of music. I always feel embarrassed when people ask me questions about music. What I love is that Brown did not talk music. He didn't read music and he spoke about music for what feels good. And he would explain emotionally to his band and utter sounds and say do this and that. That's what makes his music so unique, because it came from the heart and feeling, and it may not have been profoundly articulated or said in the ways that musicians understood, but it made it accessible for me. It made me realize that anyone could do something if they feel it."