P-Funk
P-Funk is a musical genre associated with
George Clinton and other members of
Parliament Funkadelic, which had a heydey in the 1970s, and still continues to attract new fans thanks both to the legacy of
stank samples it bequeathed to
hip hop, and the live shows that the band still continues to perform.
Etymology
The etymology of the term
P-Funk is subject to multiple interpretations. It has been identified alternately as an abbreviation of "Parliament-Funkadelic", "pure funk" or "Plainfield Funk", referring to
Plainfield, New Jersey, the hometown of the band's original line-up. The liner notes of cd versions of the
Motor Booty Affair album suggest that the "'P' stands for 'Pure.'" The breakout popularity of Parliament-Funkadelic elevated the status of
P-Funk to describe what is now considered to be a genre of music in its own right.
Not to be confused with Punk Funk, as pioneered by Rick James and the Stone City Band, although Rick James was clearly inspired by P Funk.
Key P-Funk bands and musicians
Key P-Funk bands and musicians include:
*
Parliament*
Funkadelic*
Bootsy Collins /
Bootsy's Rubber Band*
George Clinton*
Eddie Hazel*
Gary ShiderThe P Funk sound influenced many musicians that followed, and helped to generate new sounds as well:
Public Enemy
This
hip hop outfit sampled many P Funk tracks to add power to their polemical 1990's rap albums, including
Give Up The Funk within 1992's
Get Off My Back, and
Get Off Your Ass And Jam as part of
Bring The Noise (2000). The very original and creative use of P Funk samples by
Public Enemy not only helped shape the development of
hip hop, but was itself reflected in
George Clinton's work that followed, and so
Public Enemy can be set apart from other
P Funk sampling
hip hop.
OutKast
Another key disciple is
OutKast's
Benjamin Andre, and homages to
P Funk can be seen in the album
Atliens (which refers to
Atlantis, as does
Parliament's 1976 album
The Motor Booty Affair. Also the track
Protoype off
OutKast's
The Love Below is very much reminiscent of some of
Bootsy Collins' 1970s
P Funk sex-ballads.
Prince
A key disciple of the P Funk was
Prince, who helped defined the softer side of that 1980s
Electro sound, and who collaborated with
George Clinton on the most recent P Funk album.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Another key disciple of P-funk is The Red Hot Chili Peppers. They originaly started off as an all P-Funk band. Their second album, Freaky Styley was produced George Clinton himeself. To this day the chili peppers use p- funk in all their music.
Other P Funk Sampling Hip Hop Artists
*
Arrested Development (hip hop group)*
Brand Nubian*
Digital UndergroundSee the full list of Wikipedia P Funk entries by visiting the P-Funk category listings (click below).
