It is a funk reworking of the song "(I Wanna) Testify", which was originally recorded in 1967 by The Parliaments and reached #3 on the Billboard R&B chart.

[citation needed] This version included a clavinet track by keyboardist Bernie Worrell and vocals by guitarist Eddie Hazel.

[1] The version of "Testify" included on early pressings of Up for the Down Stroke featured a mix that highlighted the group vocals and deemphasized the instrumental sound.

The original mix of the song was included as a bonus track on the 2003 CD reissue of the album.

The version of this song on the original album release also deleted a small portion of the clavinet introduction.