artists a-z
Top Funk artists
Funk grew out of Rhythm and Blues as well as soul music, gaining a fully-formed identity in the 1960s with the rise of James Brown. His rhythm was utterly recognizable by its insistent and swinging sound. The beginning music of Funk was driven with a new one-three beat. James Brown, otherwise known as “the hardest working man in show business,” established along with his band the beat, grooves and riffs that future artists adopted and adapted. Other influential Funk bands of the 1960s included The Isley Brothers, The Meters, Curtis Mayfield, and Sly and the Family Stone. In the 1970s, Funk adjusted to the electric energy of the time, with George Clinton introducing psychedelic rock and jazz into the lexicon. With George Clinton’s two embodiments, Parliament and Funkadelic, he had enabled a sub-genre congruously known as P-Funk. The commercial success of Funk in the 1970s allowed the popularity of such artists as Kool and the Gang, Earth, Wind and Fire, War and The Commodores. A sub-genre called jazz fusion also developed in the 70s with a combination of jazz, funk, and rhythm and blues. Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley were great contributors in this arena. The 1980s saw both an instrumental and lyrical change to Funk. Synthesizers took the place of horns and song lyrics became outright sexual, as in Rick James’ hit, “ Super Freak.” Chuck Brown, Prince, and other musicians updated the sound of Funk in the 80s. Acid jazz of the 1990s was led by groups like Jamiroquai. To the present, Funk and hip hop have maintained a close relationship, as hip hop has routinely sampled hooks electronically from Funk works. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg give a nod to Funk as their major influence and old Parliament records formed the back-bone of the West Coast g-funk sound. The new incarnation of Funk known as funkcore has of late reached a fever pitch with Outkast and the Black Eyed Peas.
- 20 Ringtones Prince
- 4 Ringtones Cameo
- 3 Ringtones Peaches & Herb
- 3 Ringtones The James Gang
- 1 Ringtone Tommy Stewart
- 9 Ringtones Rick James
