Also ironically, Brown credited himself and other members of the J.B.'s with writing the song. While Brown and some of the bandmates wrote their own parts, the Isley Brothers' name were left off of credit for "The Grunt", similar to Marva Whitney's recording of "It's My Thing", in which was a response song to "It's Your Thing" and Brown's song "My Thang" interpolating the melody from the same song.
Brown claimed authorship of "The Grunt" along with other members of the J.B.'s, while he and some bandmates wrote their own parts. However, the Isley Brothers were not credited for their contribution to the song, similar to Marva Whitney's response to "It's Your Thing", which was also an interpolation of the melody from "It's My Thing" by Brown.