P-Funk-Influenced Soul
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P-Funk-Influenced Soul is soul and R&B shaped by Parliament-Funkadelic's cosmic bass, cartoon mythology, group chants, rubbery synths, heavy one, psychedelic guitars and liberated low-end. It is funkier and stranger than standard smooth soul, often playful, political, sexual and surreal. The influence reaches beyond direct imitation: whenever R&B gets spacey, bass-first and communal, P-Funk is usually somewhere in the bloodstream.
History
George Clinton's Parliament-Funkadelic universe transformed funk in the 1970s, then influenced Prince, Zapp, The Gap Band, Cameo, Digital Underground, Dr. Dre's G-funk, OutKast, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, Janelle Monae and Thundercat. Sampling made P-Funk foundational to hip-hop, while neo-soul used its looseness and musicianship as a model. The style persists because it makes Black futurism danceable.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- P-Funk histories
- George Clinton and Prince biographies
- funk and hip-hop sampling histories
- artist discographies