Just How Much Have Funk and RnB Influenced the Hip Hop Scene?
During the 80s, hip-hop rose to predominance as a new art of expression. Most hip hop songs from the golden age and gangsta eras involved "storytelling," usually about a struggle.
But as the 80s turned to the 90s, hip-hop began to draw influences from 70s and 80s funk. This was most appearant in samples as well as even quotes.
Before G-Funk, there was P-Funk
Ever listen to What's my Name? by Snoop Dogg? How about Ain't no Future in Your Frontin' by MC Breed or Gettin' It by Too Short among others? What you may (or may not) have noticed is that all of those songs contain samples by one or more songs by Parliament-Funkeladic.
Who were they anyway?
In the mid 50s, teenage George Clinton started a doo-wop, barbershop group known as The Parliements after the brand-name cigarettes. The group would entertain waiting customers at the barbershop. By the late 1960s, Clinton's career solidified and he relocated his operations to Detroit to focus on his two bands, Parliament and Funkeladic. The key difference between the two bands was their style. Parliament adopted a funk/RnB vibe, while Funkeladic was more in the vein of rock.
Out of P-Funk came several other bands - most noteably Bootsy's Rubber Band. Hits that were heavily sampled were Flash Light, One Nation Under a Groove, and Not Just (Knee Deep).
Even Clinton's 1982 solo album, Computer Games has become a hit. The 1983 smash hit Atomic Dog is perhaps the most heavily sampled song and most noteably can be noticed in Snoop Dogg's 1993 hit What's my Name.
Not Just (P-Funk)
Many other RnB acts of the day paved the way to the hip-hop scene. The Ohio Players' 1972 hit Funk Worm, as well as several hits by Zapp and Roger such as I Can Make You Dance and More Bounce to the Ounce also provided an important backbone to the gangasta rap genre rampant in the early to md 90s. Many of these songs were either sampled melodically, or interpolated lyrically.
Kool and the Gang's hits Summer Madness, Winter Sadness, Hollywood Swingin', Ladies Night, Get Down on It, and Too Hot were also candidates for heavy sampling and/or interpolating in the gangsta rap era.
Even early funk had an influence...
Many early funk artists of the 60s and early 70s had an impact on hip-hop. Such acts include The Tramps with their hit Rubber Band, The Five Stairsteps with their 1970 hit Ooh Child, and even the godfather of soul, James Brown, on hits such as Funky Drummer, Funky President, and The Payback.
In the jazz-funk department, most noteably Ramsey Lewis and Quincy Jones have laid out the foundation for the hip-hop scene.
So next time you hear a hip-hop song, plug in its title into Who Sampled. You'll be surprised at your new music discovery...
But as the 80s turned to the 90s, hip-hop began to draw influences from 70s and 80s funk. This was most appearant in samples as well as even quotes.
Before G-Funk, there was P-Funk
Ever listen to What's my Name? by Snoop Dogg? How about Ain't no Future in Your Frontin' by MC Breed or Gettin' It by Too Short among others? What you may (or may not) have noticed is that all of those songs contain samples by one or more songs by Parliament-Funkeladic.
Who were they anyway?
In the mid 50s, teenage George Clinton started a doo-wop, barbershop group known as The Parliements after the brand-name cigarettes. The group would entertain waiting customers at the barbershop. By the late 1960s, Clinton's career solidified and he relocated his operations to Detroit to focus on his two bands, Parliament and Funkeladic. The key difference between the two bands was their style. Parliament adopted a funk/RnB vibe, while Funkeladic was more in the vein of rock.
Out of P-Funk came several other bands - most noteably Bootsy's Rubber Band. Hits that were heavily sampled were Flash Light, One Nation Under a Groove, and Not Just (Knee Deep).
Even Clinton's 1982 solo album, Computer Games has become a hit. The 1983 smash hit Atomic Dog is perhaps the most heavily sampled song and most noteably can be noticed in Snoop Dogg's 1993 hit What's my Name.
Not Just (P-Funk)
Many other RnB acts of the day paved the way to the hip-hop scene. The Ohio Players' 1972 hit Funk Worm, as well as several hits by Zapp and Roger such as I Can Make You Dance and More Bounce to the Ounce also provided an important backbone to the gangasta rap genre rampant in the early to md 90s. Many of these songs were either sampled melodically, or interpolated lyrically.
Kool and the Gang's hits Summer Madness, Winter Sadness, Hollywood Swingin', Ladies Night, Get Down on It, and Too Hot were also candidates for heavy sampling and/or interpolating in the gangsta rap era.
Even early funk had an influence...
Many early funk artists of the 60s and early 70s had an impact on hip-hop. Such acts include The Tramps with their hit Rubber Band, The Five Stairsteps with their 1970 hit Ooh Child, and even the godfather of soul, James Brown, on hits such as Funky Drummer, Funky President, and The Payback.
In the jazz-funk department, most noteably Ramsey Lewis and Quincy Jones have laid out the foundation for the hip-hop scene.
So next time you hear a hip-hop song, plug in its title into Who Sampled. You'll be surprised at your new music discovery...
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